Steering Committee

Paul d’Abzac

He is a faculty member and researcher specialized in chemistry and water microbiology. He began his research career in France, collaborating on international projects related to water chemistry and treatment. Currently, he coordinates several projects focused on Integrated Water Management and the study of water contamination and its effects. Additionally, he leads the Center for Research in Exact Sciences and Engineering (CICEI), promoting the organization and visibility of research within the university.

Beatriz Amante García

She obtained her PhD from École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris in 2002. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in the Department of Project and Construction Engineering. She leads the ENMA (Environmental Engineering) research group and serves as Deputy Director at INTEXTER (Institute for Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation) at UPC. Her research focuses on radar systems for driver assistance, life cycle analysis, and business models in the automotive sector. Additionally, she develops humanitarian projects and social innovation initiatives in Burkina Faso, Colombia, and Panamá, primarily in wastewater treatmen.

Scientific Committee

Paola Alvizuri

Scientific committee coordinator

She is a faculty researcher at the Research Center for Water, Energy, and Sustainability (CINAES) at the Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB). She has been recognized twice with the UCB Eureka Award, in 2022 and 2024, in the “Researcher of the Year” category. In addition, in 2022, she won first place in the Plurinational Science, Technology, and Innovation Award. In 2023, she was awarded the OWSD Early Career Fellowship, granted by UNESCO. Her research focuses on the development of sustainable water treatment technologies, water resource quality, and integrated water management.

Vanesa G. Lo-Iacono-Ferreira

Professor at Universitat Politècnica de València, specializing in project management, innovation, and environmental engineering. With extensive experience in sustainability assessment, she has led research on urban waste and water management, carbon footprint analysis, and smart cities. She is a member of PRINS at UPV and serves on the Board of Directors of AEIPRO IPMA Spain. Her work integrates academic research with applied solutions, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance sustainable development and project efficiency.

Lluc Canals Casals

Industrial engineer and Doctor by the UPC. Since 2020 professor at the UPC at the Projects and Construction Department. He was a volunteer and board member of Engineers Without Borders fighting for the human right for water. All his research is focussed in improving circular economy streams. Since 2025 he is the director of the Hydrogen Resarch Center at UPC (CER-H2).

Nury Gineth Infante González

Has dedicated her academic and research career to the generation and transfer of knowledge on nature-based solutions (NBS) and bioremediation technologies as emergency responses to mitigate and adapt to emerging global challenges in sustainable water management. Her current line of work aligns with the European Commission’s vision of a Water Smart Society, fostering leadership in the promotion of a new water culture. Additionally, she has contributed to the development of biotechnological applications for wastewater treatment, achieving improved water quality suitable for reuse in agricultural irrigation, industry, and urban services.

Jaime Lora Garcia

Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV Spain). Currently, he is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UPV, with over 40 years of teaching experience. He has delivered more than 100 postgraduate courses and supervised over 50 master theses. His research focuses on membrane separation technology, with over 100 articles and 200 conference presentations. He has supervised 17 doctoral theses, holds 2 patents, and has participated in 40 funded projects and 50 industrial research and transfer contracts.

Liliana Cáceres Sánchez

Biologist with a specialization in ecotoxicology and environmental health, currently pursuing a PhD in Biological Sciences at Hasselt University (Belgium), researching the effects of micro and nanoplastics on planarian regeneration. She holds a Master’s degree in Science, Technology, and Health from the University of Tours (France) and has teaching and research experience at Bolivian universities. Her research experience includes studies on animal reproduction, behavior, and toxicity analysis in environmental settings. She has contributed to scientific knowledge through publications on male fertility, insect ecology, and air pollution. Her work aims to comprehensively understand the impact of pollution on both human and environmental health.

Patricia Kay Llanos Torrico

With a Cum Laude Ph.D. from the University of Jaén and master’s degrees in remote sensing and geography, brings over 15 years of expertise in GIS and remote sensing. She has collaborated with OPS-OMS, PMA, ABT Bolivia, and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, developing geospatial solutions and risk analysis. A researcher at UMSA and real-time translator for UN Volunteers Bolivia, had worked as a mentors in international programs with the U.S. Embassy.

Patricia Ruiz Barriga

Chemical Engineer with a master’s degree in environmental engineering and a PhD in Chemical, Environmental, and Process Engineering from the University of Valencia, Spain. During her doctoral research, she specialized in wastewater treatment and resource recovery, focusing on electrochemical systems, particularly electrodialysis and bioelectrochemical cells for resource recovery from urban wastewater. Throughout her time at the university, she collaborated on several science communication projects. She has been a member of the International Water Association Young Water Professionals-Spain (IWA YWP-Spain) since 2019, actively participating in various national and international conferences. In the past year, she contributed to the organization of the 4th YWP Spain Conference in Bilbao-Spain, as part of the training area of the YWP Spain network. Currently, she works as a Project Technician at AINIA Technology Center, specializing in wastewater treatment and reuse.

Andres Eduardo Torres Abello

Full Professor and Director of the Javeriana Water Institute (Instituto Javeriano del Agua) at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ). Civil Engineer and Specialist in Engineering Management Systems from PUJ; MSc and PhD in Urban Hydrology from INSA-Lyon, France. Member of the Water and Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group, professor in the Civil Engineering program, the Master’s in Hydrosystems, and the Doctorate in Engineering at PUJ. Senior Researcher at MinCiencias, with over 70 scientific articles, 6 books, and 7 book chapters published.

Cecilia Soto

An environmental engineer who was granted with the Japanese Government Scholarship MEXT and for the last years she has been doing research in water treatment using ecological engineering. She has wide-range experience in teaching at different univerties. She gained knowledge in resolution of environmental issues in international organizations and NGOs. Currently she is Chair of the Governing Members of the International Water Association (IWA-BOLIVIA) and Director of Graduate School of Chemical Engineering.

Juan Ignacio Torregrosa López

He is a Professor of Environmental Technology in the Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and the Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). He is also the Director of the Environmental and Chemical Process Simulation Diploma (SiPAQ). He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences from UPV (1995) and has been a professor and researcher at UPV since 2000. He is a member of the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering and the ISIRYM Research Institute. His research focuses on Water Treatment, Environmental Management, and Life Cycle Assessment. He has had academic stays abroad at Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo, Hamk University (Finland), and the Colorado School of Mines (USA). He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Escola Politècnica Superior d’Alcoy (EPSA-UPV) from 2007 to 2020 and served as an Advisor from 2015 to 2020.

Organizing Committee

Estela Herbas Baeny

She is a biologist specialized in spatial analysis and monitoring, with a master’s degree in Water Resource Surveying. With 24 years of professional experience and 22 years as an educator, she led the Environmental Engineering program at UCB from 2016 to 2024 and coordinated several environmental research projects. She is currently a faculty researcher at the Center for Research in Exact Sciences and Engineering (CICEI) at UCB. Additionally, she chaired the Organizing Committee of the International Congress on Integrated Water Management (CIGIA) in its first two editions.