lima was professor emeritus at instituto nacional de matemática pura e aplicada of which he was the director during three separate periods. lima has been twice recipient of the prêmio jabuti from the "câmara brasileira do livro", for his textbooks "espaços métricos" and "álgebra linear", and of the anísio teixeira prize from the ministry of education and sports. his mathematical style was heavily influenced by bourbaki's.