Marco Brunella was a CNRS researcher working at Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne, in Dijon, France. In 1992, he defended his doctorate thesis at the School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, under Professor Alberto Verjovsky's supervision. He worked for a while in Universidade de Bologna, and then settled in Dijon.
Since then, Marco has produced extraordinary mathematical work, focusing on the study of Holomorphic Foliations and Complex Geometry: transversely holomorphic flows, vector fields on the complex plane, birrational classification of foliations on complex surfaces, plurisubharmonic variation of Poincaré's metric on leaves of a foliation, among other themes.
As a mathematician, there are not enough words to describe his qualities: deepness, originality, elegance, brightness of exposition.
As a scientist, Marco stood out for his detachment to honors and promotions, and for his deep dedication to mathematical research, sometimes so intense that it would make his friends feel somewhat abandoned. But then his returns would always bring great satisfaction. Marco always accepted with pleasure the task of presenting his current work and future directions to be explored (and this was always fun, as we all knew that only he could do it that way). He became a subtle explorer: he viewed in mathematics secrets and hidden gems, and his mission was to uncover and reveal them. In successful occasions, he would express smooth and discrete joy, with remarkable lack of vanity.
IMPA had the privilege of hosting Marco several times since 1993. His annual visits were always a happening in the institute's calendar, at Marco's own iniciative, making formal invitations unnecessary. Marco would always dispense financial support. His only requirement was an accommodation in Copacabana neighborhood, where he felt entirely at ease.
The areas of Holomorphic Foliations and Complex Geometry lost more than a great researcher. They lost much of the beauty that Marco would often take care to reveal.