Prof. Alan Ícaro Sousa Morais is a postdoctoral researcher in the Research Group on Science and Technology of Materials (CITEM) at Universidad Católica San Pablo, Arequipa, Peru. He is also part of the research group at the Advanced Materials Interdisciplinary Laboratory of UFPI. He obtained his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), with a specialization in biomaterials. His research focuses on clays, metal oxides as well as biomaterials and biopolymers. He is particularly interested in supporting the semi-arid region of Brazil through the biotechnological development of superabsorbent hydrogels derived from plant sources to enhance water and nutrient efficiency.