Growing up in a poor family in Brazil, Ronaldo Santos Sampaio was no stranger to hard work. In college, his eagerness to succeed earned him the number-one spot in his class and the opportunity to teach. As a professor, Sampaio finished his master’s, published books on essential industry topics, and won eleven awards for his work with ferrous alloys and iron and steelmaking subjects. He then went to the United States and earned his PhD at Carnegie Mellon. 

Over the course of his decades-long career as an engineer and consultant, Sampaio made countless advancements to the steel industry in Brazil. His work with blast furnace reactors, ore-selling systems, zero-emissions mills, and the pelletizing process changed the industry forever. However, what he is most proud of is the work he has done with his students and interns. Under his guidance, Sampaio’s protégés have become good engineers and managers with major companies across the globe. 

Learn more about his outstanding career and his predictions for the future of engineering in his oral history.

To see more great oral history captures, visit the AIME Oral History Capture Program page.