In 1965, the Nussenzweigs returned to São Paulo, and found that working conditions had become untenable since the 1964 military coup; many of their friends and colleagues had been jailed by the regime, and Victor was singled out for questioning by the School's new military administration. Through the intervention of Baruj Benacerraf, both Nussenzweigs obtained Assistant Professorships at NYU, and moved permanently to the United States. Dr. Nussenzweig returned briefly to Brazil to defend her doctoral thesis, earning her Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo in 1968.