Professor Ethel Antunes Wilhelm

Ethel Wilhelm has a Chemistry Teaching Degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria and a Masters and PhD in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry from the same university. Her research interests are biochemistry and pharmacology, focusing on pain, inflammation, and selenium organic compounds.

She develops projects that strive to understand the role of antioxidant enzymes, bioelements and risk factors in detecting painful stimuli (nociception) and inflammatory diseases, as well as revealing the therapeutical effect of antioxidant molecules, especially those containing selenium.

Her interest in these research areas began due to her affinity with the these and a great concern for people’s quality of life, which sparked her interest in the study of pain, especially peripheral neuropathy, when the body’s peripheral nerves are damaged or dysfunctional. In addition to this, her research seeks to understand how ageing, stress, obesity and other risk factors contribute to the development and preservation of painful processes. With the goal of improving life quality for people with painful illnesses, then, she developed an interest in selenium compounds, which have an important therapeutical potential.

In her academic career, Ethel received the “For Women in Science 2018” award, by L’Oréal in partnership with UNESCO and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and she is a CNPq – level 1D fellowship holder in productivity in research and an affiliated member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in Biological Sciences (2023-2027).

Regarding female representation in STEM, Ethel believes “we need more women in science because it is diversity that leads to great discoveries,” and, especially in the exact sciences, engineering and computing, we need more examples of successful women, role models capable of encouraging more girls and women to work in these fields that are still primarily male-dominated. For Ethel, “it is the diversity of ideas and actions that allow for growth, innovation, and the advance of science” and “we need to continue pursuing gender equity in science, aspiring to include women in leadership roles and allowing them to be in all the places they wish to be in and strive for.”