[1][2][3] The son of a Brazilian navy sergeant and a housewife who sold homemade sweets, Jerson Lima grew up in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.
He began his scientific career while still an undergraduate, joining a laboratory team led by Professor Sergio Verjovski Almeida in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and directed by physician and researcher Leopoldo de Meis.
[4] Due to his experience in adopting fluorescence techniques, Jerson also obtained a postdoctoral position shortly after graduation from UFRJ in Gregorio Weber's laboratory at the University of Illinois, where he stayed from 1985 to 1986.
He also perfected techniques for advanced fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance of proteins subjected to pressure in collaboration with Professor Jiri Jonas.
[4] Lima has made several scientific contributions to the areas of biochemistry and structural biology as a pioneer in the study of the prion-like and amyloidogenic behavior of the p53 protein and its relationship with different types of cancer.
In the 1990s, he helped coordinate the founding of the Jiri Jonas Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center (CNRMN), where he is now director emeritus.