Students who study engineering at leading universities such as ITA and Unicamp, for example, are exposed to a technical education that can open very different paths within the profession. Some are familiar from the beginning of the program. Others emerge as new areas of interest, projects, research, and problems spark curiosity.

SAR radar, signal processing, radio frequency, and remote sensing can be some of them.

These are highly specialized fields, with applications spanning agriculture, mining, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, security, and research. They are also part of an international technology market where Brazilian engineering has the opportunity to develop its own expertise and compete globally.

Radaz was born and grew close to this academic environment. Its story brings together professionals and career paths connected to the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) and the University of Campinas (Unicamp), and today extends to projects in Brazil and abroad.

This journey was featured in Panorama ITAEx 2026, the annual publication of the ITAEx Association, which dedicated three pages to Radaz, the development of the RD350, the international expansion of its technology, and the influence of ITA education on this story.

For those who are just starting out or defining the next steps in their engineering careers, this story helps reveal how many possibilities may exist beyond the fields they already know.

A brand built between university, engineering, and curiosity

Radaz's relationship with leading universities appears at different points in its history. João Moreira, the company's Chief Engineer and Administrative Board Member, graduated in Electronics Engineering from ITA in 1982 and also teaches at Unicamp.

His career includes more than 200 scientific papers and dozens of patents in radar, signal processing, and microwave imaging. Part of this expertise is now embedded in a Brazilian company that develops its own technology and brings together professionals with strong academic backgrounds.

This connection with academia also includes Laila Fabi Moreira, Radaz's cofounder and Technical Director. An electronics engineer who graduated from PUC-Campinas, she earned both her master's degree and PhD at Unicamp, bringing a research-driven background into the development and application of the company's technology.

These are interesting career paths for anyone still discovering where an engineering education can lead. Some specializations emerge precisely through contact with new problems, a willingness to research, and the curiosity to explore subjects that are not yet part of one's repertoire.

At Radaz, this process remains part of everyday work. The company continuously invests in research and development and works with critical components developed in-house, maintaining control over its intellectual property.

When one engineering problem brings multiple engineering disciplines together

The RD350 helps illustrate the scale of the engineering challenge involved in this work.

Developing an ultracompact SAR radar required combining lightweight antennas, sensitive radio-frequency hardware, real-time digital processing, and high-precision navigation. All of this within a system weighing only 5 kg.

A project like this brings different specialties together and requires decisions that work as part of an integrated system. It involves hardware, software, processing, testing, integration, and analysis of the data generated by the technology.

It is precisely at this intersection of disciplines that a broad and rigorous education, such as the one built at leading universities, can be applied to concrete engineering problems.

For those still in university, it also shows how highly specific fields, sometimes unfamiliar during the first years of study, can develop into broad professional paths.Engineering that solves pressing problems

Today, the technology developed by Radaz supports projects in agroforestry, agriculture, mining, civil construction, energy, sanitation, research, and public safety.

The RD350 is a multiband SAR radar mounted on drones, developed to map and monitor characteristics of the ground and subsurface and generate data for different applications. This is where a highly specialized field of engineering connects with a wide range of concrete problems.

The same technical expertise can contribute to studying a forest, understanding terrain conditions, supporting infrastructure monitoring, or producing relevant information for security and land management. Each application brings new questions for those developing hardware, software, algorithms, and processing solutions.

For professionals educated at institutions such as ITA, Unicamp, and other universities with strong traditions in research and engineering, there is a natural connection with this kind of work.

Pioneering Brazilian technology in the international market

A career in technology can also take on a dimension that is not always evident during university.

Panorama highlights that the international SAR radar market has high technological barriers, regulatory requirements, and strong competition. This is the environment in which Radaz has been expanding its presence.

Today, its technology is present in Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Finland, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, where the company also has a subsidiary in Abu Dhabi.

For students and engineers considering a career connected to international projects, there is an interesting perspective here: developing highly complex technology in Brazil can also lead to challenges, partners, and applications in different parts of the world.

A connection with universities that continues

Radaz's relationship with academia extends beyond the education of its founders and professionals.

In his interview with Panorama, he connects his experience at ITA with the rigor required to solve complex problems and the systemic perspective needed to consider technical issues alongside factors such as market, cost, and deadlines.

That proximity remains strong today. João supports ITAEx initiatives focused on scholarships, projects, and student development while maintaining his academic connection with Unicamp as a professor. The company also remains close to professionals educated at institutions that share this culture of research, technical excellence, and practical application.

Radaz's presence in Panorama ITAEx 2026 is an important chapter in this story, but the connection reaches a broader academic ecosystem. ITA, Unicamp, and other leading universities help educate professionals prepared for highly complex challenges, while technology companies create space for that knowledge to become new applications, products, and markets.

Still wondering which field will shape your engineering career?

During an engineering degree, it is difficult to know every possibility that exists outside the university. Some are found in highly specialized sectors. Others emerge as new technologies create markets, applications, and new questions. SAR radar, signal processing, radio frequency, embedded systems, software, and remote sensing are all part of this universe.

For those who study or studied at ITA, Unicamp, or other leading universities, learning about stories like Radaz's can broaden that professional horizon. The technical foundation built at university can find applications in research, product development, field operations, and international projects.

The field where you will build your career may not even be among the possibilities you are considering today. And it may be precisely there that your curiosity finds the most interesting problems to solve.