Professor Helena B. Nader obtained her PhD at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and post-doctoral training as a Fogarty (NIH) fellow at the University of Southern California. She is professor and head of the Institute of Pharmacology and Molecular Biology at Unifesp and ranked Scientist 1A of CNPq. Her research field is molecular and cell biology of glycoconjugates. She has more 200 published papers and has advised more than one hundred master of science and PhD students, and more than 40 postdoctors that hold research and teaching positions in Brazil and abroad. She has received several national and international awards and honors. At her university she was the first woman to become Pro-rector of Undergraduate as well as Pro-rector of Research and Graduate programs. She has been a role model for many women in Brazilian universities, helping to promote the empowerment of women and breaking solid barriers in society. She is member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries), and ACAL (Academia de Ciencias de América Latina). She has just been elected as co-chair of IANAS (Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences). She is honory president, former vice-president (2007-2011) and President (2011-2017) of the of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Sciences (SBPC), and former president of the Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SBBq, 2007-2008). She is a member of several national councils related to science and education. Her contributions go beyond research, having contributed with initiatives aiming at diminishing the gap in scientific development between the different regions of Brazil, and improving nationwide levels of high school education.