This is an exploratory study on geographic displacement patterns among researchers in Brazil during the 1990s. The mobility of researchers has not been studied in Brazil since the 1970s, when the country’s demographic panorama was quite different from the present. The results indicate a rather intense migratory pattern, particularly between States of the country, and that the most frequent motive was the search for better work conditions. The Southeast region is the greatest magnet for skilled human resources, and the mobility pattern there is much complex merely than a migratory route from the North and Northeast to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Finally, the data suggest that migration increased during the 1990s and that there was an appreciable brain drain out of the country.
migration; brain drain; scientific diaspora
