Energy, environment, sustainable development
About
Currently a Research and Project Management Consultant at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme Climate Compatible Growth working to support developing countries on their clean energy transition path while ensuring local economic development. Formerly, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa Duebendorf. I completed my PhD at the Chair of Building Physics at ETH Zurich focused on improving energy access strategies in developing countries. I hold a Civil Engineering degree from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, and a MSc degree in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy from the ME3 Erasmus+ Program held at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain) and Institute Mines-​Telecom Nantes (France), for which I was awarded with an "Education for Sustainable Energy Development" scholarship by the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership in 2015. As part of my master, I worked as a research intern at Tecnalia Research and Innovation (Spain) performing technical, financial, environmental and socio-​economic impact assessments for pilot European cities (Nantes, Hamburg, and Helsinki) in their integrated urban transformation strategy, as part of the EU Horizon 2020 framework. The strategies involved the integration of renewable energies and energy efficiency measures in buildings, smart grids, and new energy storage technologies with the aim of making the European grid more sustainable.
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I have great capacity to lead, create, motivate, and innovate in international and multidisciplinary environments, with proven experience in leading research teams and supervising junior reseachers. I am passionate about joining volunteer programs to support the development of my society and to empower women's participation. I am an active member of the Organization of Women in Science in the Developing World (OWSD), Guatemalan chapter, and I was recently featured as a role model for the 1Million Women in STEM international campaign.

Education
10/2017 – 12/2021
Ph.D., Energy Access and Sustainable Development
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering
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09/2015 – 07/2017
European Joint Masters in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and Institut Mines Télécom Atlantique - Nantes (France)
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01/2009 – 11/2013
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (Guatemala)
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Work experience
Present
Research and Project Management Consultant
Project: Interfacing national and county energy planning efforts in Kenya
Project: Geospatial modelling for identifying high-impact economic opportunities in developing countries
02/2022 – 10/2022
Postdoctoral Researcher
Swiss Federal Laboratories of Material Science and Technology (Empa), Zurich, Switzerland
Project: CO2-OPTIMIST, Renovated or replaced? Finding optimal solutions for the European building stock
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10/2017 – 12/2021
Doctoral Research/Scientific Assistant
ETH Zurich and Swiss Federal Laboratories of Material Science and Technology (Empa), Zurich, Switzerland
Project: Estimating the energy demand of rural households to improve energy access planning in developing countries
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02/2017 – 09/2017
Research Intern/Master Thesis Project
Tecnalia Research and Innovation, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
Project: MySMARTLife Lighthouse
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08/2013 – 04/2015
Civil Engineer
Constructora Norberto Odebrecht, S.A., Guatemala, Guatemala
Project: Maintenance and Expansion of the CA-02 Highway from Guatemala to Mexico
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09/2011 – 11/2013
Researcher
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala
Project: Development of a Prototype for Wave Energy Generation in the Pacific Coast of Guatemala