Ms. Victor Grillo Sobrinho | Emotion and Cognition | Best Researcher Award

State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20550-900 | Brazil

Victor Grillo Sobrinho is a dedicated professional in the field of physical education and exercise sciences, with expertise in exercise physiology, resistance training, and electrostimulation. He has built his academic and professional career with a strong commitment to promoting health, performance, and well-being across different populations, particularly older adults. His work integrates both practical teaching in schools and specialized training in fitness institutions, reflecting a balance between pedagogy and applied sports science. Victor has served as a professor of physical education at Colégio Oliveira Mallet, where he has contributed to youth development in physical fitness and sports. In addition, he has gained extensive experience in electrostimulation training at Eletro Treino, working with advanced methods to enhance muscular strength and functionality. His academic involvement includes participation in research groups focusing on exercise, aging, and affectivity, consolidating his role as a professional bridging education, research, and practice.

Education

Victor Grillo Sobrinho’s academic journey began with undergraduate studies in physical education at Centro Universitário Augusto Motta, where he earned both his licentiate and bachelor’s degrees. His early academic focus explored strength gains through electrostimulation training, guided by Dr. Francisco Navarro. To deepen his expertise, he pursued postgraduate specialization in exercise physiology and training prescription at Universidade Estácio, producing a systematic review on electrostimulation for strength development. Expanding his scope, he completed a specialization in physical training for older adults at Faculdade de Minas, with research on affective perception in resistance training among the elderly. His commitment to advancing scientific knowledge led him to pursue a master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences at Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. His dissertation focused on validating psychometric scales such as the Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale for older populations, underlining his dedication to research in aging, exercise, and well-being

Experience

Victor Grillo Sobrinho has extensive teaching and professional experience across academic and fitness environments. He began his career as a physical education teacher at Colégio Oliveira Mallet, where he has been responsible for instructing middle and high school students, fostering a culture of health and movement. His passion for advanced training methodologies is evident in his role at Eletro Treino, where he serves as a specialist in electrostimulation-based fitness programs, utilizing MIHA technology to improve muscular performance. Additionally, he has worked at renowned fitness centers, including Bodytech and Wellness Fit Club, delivering functional training, resistance exercise, and muscle conditioning to diverse populations. His teaching philosophy combines scientific knowledge with practical strategies to enhance performance and health outcomes. Victor’s professional trajectory reflects his ability to engage with different audiences, from young learners to elderly individuals, while actively participating in research groups focused on training and aging.

Awards and Honors

Throughout his career, Victor Grillo Sobrinho has been recognized for his contributions to exercise science and education. His participation in academic events and congresses highlights his role as both a researcher and practitioner committed to advancing knowledge in physical education and sports sciences. At the VI Congresso Internacional de Educação Física e Desporto, he presented research on the reliability of the Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale in elderly populations, gaining recognition for his innovative work in psychometric evaluation in exercise contexts. Similarly, at the X Congresso Brasileiro de Metabolismo, Nutrição e Exercício, his presentation on validating affective and arousal scales among older adults demonstrated his commitment to bridging exercise science with applied gerontology. His academic achievements, including completing advanced postgraduate training and securing a master’s degree with a relevant dissertation in the field, further mark his distinction. These accomplishments reflect his dedication to improving physical training and well-being.

Research Focus

Victor Grillo Sobrinho’s research primarily focuses on the intersection of exercise, aging, and affectivity. He investigates how different training methodologies, particularly resistance training and electrostimulation, influence physical performance, strength, and emotional responses among older adults. His work explores psychophysiological aspects of exercise, emphasizing the validation of affective scales such as the Feeling Scale and Felt Arousal Scale to better understand the psychological dimensions of physical training. By integrating physiological outcomes with subjective well-being, Victor aims to optimize training prescriptions for elderly populations, ensuring both health benefits and motivational adherence. His broader interests include exercise physiology, functional training, and innovative approaches such as electrostimulation to enhance muscular performance. Participation in research groups like GEESI strengthens his role in collaborative projects addressing geriatric exercise science. His academic and applied focus demonstrates a commitment to promoting healthy aging through scientifically informed, personalized training interventions

Conclusion

ictor Grillo Sobrinho stands as a committed educator, researcher, and practitioner in exercise sciences, blending academic rigor with professional expertise, advancing the fields of physiology, electrostimulation, and geriatric fitness, while fostering healthier lifestyles through evidence-based practices

Ms. Natalia Schwien | Cognitive Anthropology | Best Researcher Award

Harvard University | United States

Natalia Schwien Scott (she/they) is a multidisciplinary scholar, herbalist, and wildlife rehabilitation apprentice currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Her work bridges ecology, spirituality, and relational ontologies, exploring the interconnection between the human and more-than-human worlds. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a concentration in ecology and spiritual practice, and an M.A. in English Literature from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School, focusing on science fiction and fantasy. Natalia integrates her academic research with over two decades of herbalist practice and hands-on wildlife care. She is the Associate Director of Harvard’s Program for the Evolution of Spirituality and leads “Interspecies Dialogues,” a transdisciplinary forum on animism and posthumanism. Natalia’s research, essays, and interviews have been published in peer-reviewed journals and featured in prominent media. She also releases music under the moniker Ellayo and curates multimedia content at selkieprojects.com

Profile

ORCID

Education

Natalia’s educational journey reflects her deep engagement with interdisciplinary study. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion at Harvard University, focusing on comparative religion and science, with a secondary emphasis in Celtic Languages and Literatures. She also holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, where she concentrated on ecology and spiritual practice. Complementing this, she earned a Master of Arts from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English with a literary focus on science fiction and fantasy. Natalia has studied at Oxford University’s Lincoln College and completed a graduate summer program at the University of Amsterdam. Her undergraduate degree is a B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She possesses translation competence in Old Irish, German, French, and Latin, alongside elementary proficiency in contemporary Irish—skills that enhance her exploration of myth, folklore, and scientific discourse in both historical and modern contexts.

Experience

Natalia’s professional experience spans academia, environmental sustainability, and interspecies advocacy. At Harvard University, she serves as Associate Director of the Program for the Evolution of Spirituality and Associate Editor of the Thinking with Plants & Fungi initiative. She facilitates interdisciplinary dialogues through “Interspecies Dialogues,” featuring scholars and practitioners on animism and posthumanism. She has held multiple Teaching Fellow roles across departments, including Anthropology, Celtic Studies, and Divinity. Formerly, Natalia worked as a Sustainability Specialist at Middlebury College’s Franklin Environmental Center. Her ecological advocacy includes wildlife rehabilitation apprenticeships in Vermont and Massachusetts, where she worked with Wild on Blissville, ParkHill Wildlife Rehab, and Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. She has over 20 years of herbalist practice, including a three-year apprenticeship with Vanessa Chakour. Natalia’s teaching, organizing, and publishing reflect her commitment to relational ethics, ecological justice, and knowledge pluralism that spans academic, artistic, and indigenous traditions.

Awards and Honors

Natalia has garnered recognition for her interdisciplinary excellence, spiritual-ecological scholarship, and public engagement. While specific named awards are not listed, her selection as Associate Director of Harvard’s Program for the Evolution of Spirituality reflects institutional recognition of her leadership and innovation. Her editorial role with Harvard University Press’s forthcoming Thinking with Plants & Fungi volume further underscores her scholarly merit. Her academic work has been published in peer-reviewed journals like Pomegranate and Museum Anthropology, and her thought leadership has been featured in public-facing platforms including The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Vice, and For The Wild. Her appointment as co-facilitator and organizer of multiple Harvard-based workshops and reading groups evidences peer and faculty trust. Additionally, her music project Ellayo and writing projects reflect an ability to bridge intellectual work with artistic and spiritual communities—an integrative approach increasingly recognized in cutting-edge religious and ecological studies

Research Focus

Natalia’s research explores relational ontologies, posthuman ethics, and plant consciousness through the lens of religious studies and Celtic literature. Her work interrogates scientific and theological conceptions of personhood, particularly regarding plants, animals, and other nonhuman entities. She examines how premodern and indigenous cosmologies intersect with contemporary ecological crises and philosophical discourse, often engaging animism, myth, and folklore to decenter anthropocentric narratives. Her doctoral research at Harvard weaves together religious thought, Old Irish mythology, and scientific language to address how societies conceptualize interspecies relationships. Her peer-reviewed articles explore themes like plant personhood and the role of nonhuman remains in natural history museums. She also co-edits the forthcoming volume Thinking with Plants & Fungi, engaging scholars across disciplines. Her academic contributions are complemented by field practices in herbalism and wildlife care, positioning her as a researcher deeply grounded in embodied ecological practice and interspecies relationality.

Publications

The Relics of Science: Nonhuman Bodies in Natural History and Zoological Museum
Year: 2025

The Plant Delighteth: Plant Personhood in the Study of Western Esotericism
Year: 2025

Conclusion

Natalia Schwien Scott is a dynamic scholar-practitioner whose interdisciplinary work at the intersection of ecology, religion, and posthuman studies advances both academic inquiry and real-world interspecies care through research, teaching, and community engagement.

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