At a young age, surrounded by news of global warming, acid rain and disappearing rainforests, I became an active member of the WWF. Since then I have been strongly engaged with the topic of how humans impact nature. Studying civil-, rural- and environmental engineering highlighted the complex relationships between humans and nature in modern societies.
Following postdoctoral research in water engineering, in Switzerland and Canada, I obtained a research professorship with Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science. When visiting BC3, which had been my first-ranked host institution, I was impressed by the diversity of backgrounds coming together to address climate change.
And indeed, the work here has allowed me move from a disciplinary engineering research perspective to inter- and transdisciplinary modes of scientific endeavour. It has been an enriching experience to collaborate with economists, physicists and ecologists. I found that my scientific background in environmental engineering and modelling has enabled me to act as a translator between disciplines.
BC3 has turned out to be a very fitting research environment, both professionally and also personally. Investigating potential pathways of climate change mitigation and –adaptation
together with enthusiastic colleagues who share a common vision of a sustainable future is highly gratifying.
As a bonus, Bilbao, Biscay and the Basque Country with their cultural, natural and culinary heritages offer a very high quality of life.
