Hon. Luciana Santos

Luciana Barbosa de Oliveira Santos is an Electrical Engineer graduated from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil.

In 1984, she joined the student movement as an activist. She was president of the Academic Board of Engineering and Computing at UFPE in 1985, Director of the Central Board of Students and Regional Vice President of the National Union of Students from 1989 to 1991.

In 1995, she was appointed President of Pernambuco's Institute of Weights and Measures.

Luciana Santos became State Deputy in Pernambuco in 1996 and was re-elected in 1998. In the State

Legislative Assembly, she acted as leader of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and was part of several commissions such as Science, Technology and Information Technology; Constitution, Legislation and Justice; Education and Culture; Defense of the Environment; and Defense of Citizenship, which she chaired.

In 2000, she was elected mayor of the City of Olinda and re-elected in the first round of the elections in 2004. For her administrations, she received the "Children's Mayor Friend" award from the Abrinq Foundation, the Expression in Administration award from the Pernambuco Administrator's House and the newspaper "Diário de Pernambuco," and the Governor Barbosa Lima Sobrinho award in the Entrepreneur Mayor category.

She was appointed Secretary of Science, Technology and Environment of the State of Pernambuco in 2009. As State Secretary, she sought to implement a sustainable development agenda, with investments in technological innovation as a means of development and reduction of social inequalities.

In 2010, Ms. Santos was elected Federal Deputy. In the National Chamber of Deputies, she was a member of the commissions for Science and Technology; Communication and Information Technology; Urban Development; and Culture, in which she was the Vice-President. She was also a member of special committees of the Chamber, such as the Solid Waste Committee; the National Code of Science and Technology; the Internet Civil Rights Framework; Science, Technology and Innovation Activities and Health and Environment Protection. She took part in the Council for Advanced Studies and Technological Assessment of the Chamber of Deputies. During the eight years of her mandate, she was the only woman in the National Congress from the Pernambuco State bench for most of the period.

She became Vice-Governor of Pernambuco in 2019. In the state government, she developed, among other activities, the "Pernambuco com Elas" action, which sought to strengthen and expand public policies on work and income for women.

In December 2022, Luciana Santos was chosen by Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. She is the first woman to hold such a post. She still has the position of National President of PCdoB.

‍