Gabrielle Santos

Gabrielle Santos is the material scientist in The giant factory town that might be a giant mistake who shows the hosts Tutiplast’s research lab in Manaus. The episode says she has a Ph.D. and is the only person with that qualification working in the factory.

Her team is trying to turn nutshells, including Brazil nut shells, into biodegradable plastics. The prototype is not finished, but the episode uses her work as a concrete example of Localized Innovation Advantage and Biodegradable Amazon Plastics: innovation that might be grounded in Brazil’s own materials, workforce, and environmental context.

Connections

• Tutiplast - company and lab setting.
• Manaus and Brazil - local development context.
• Biodegradable Amazon Plastics, Localized Innovation Advantage, and Advanced Agriculture Innovation - broader innovation path.
• Middle-Income Trap - problem her work is used to think beyond.