Vantaggi
Well connected internationally, draws some interesting people in, and obviously a great location.
Svantaggi
As a foreign national moving to take on an (externally funded) research role, I was promised a lot of support in terms of relocating and finding my feet, but once I arrived this totally failed to materialise. It became clear that my supervisor (who was impossible to contact, showed no interest in me or my work - I think we had two meetings over the course of two years) had been happy to attract the external funding for the department but was utterly disengaged and cared not one jot about supervising me. The environment was not favourable towards outsiders and I was not made to feel remotely welcome in the department. I would advise anyone considering a move to PUC Rio internationally to stay well clear - the stress and anxiety, and lack of guidance and support in this place were detrimental to my mental health and career progression (I left academia soon after this posting ended).