Urban sustainability, water polllution, soil pollution, environmental geochemistry of metals, sustainable development, environmental quality regulations.

*Postdoctoral Students:

1. Sara Acevedo, Pontificia Universida Católica (2023) Currentrly: Assistant Professor, PUC Chile
2. Alejandra Vega (2018-2019) Currently: Assoc. Researcher PUC, Chile.
3. Rodrigo Segura (2005) Currently: Associate Professor, USACH

*PHD Students
Graduated

1. Alejandro Briso
PhD Thesis: Sludge Management of Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTRs):Environmental Fate and Reuse in Metal Rich Watersheds.
ANID Scholarship
Background: Chemist, UChile.
Defended: 2023
Currently: Researcher @ Ceibo, mining innovation R&D company

2. Mauricio Montecinos
PhD Thesis: Model of Pollutant Attenuation in Incomplete Mixing Zones: Towards a Passive Remediation of Metals in Andean River Environments Receiving Acid Drainage
ANID Scholarship
Backround: Civil Engineer, PUC
Defended:2021
Currently: Geochemist, consulting company

3. Alejandra Vega.
PhD Thesis:Experimental and mathematical modeling of arsenic speciation in porous media: application to saturated media enriched with iron and sulfur in redox gradients.
Conicyt scholarship
Background: Civil Engineer PUC.
Defended: 2017.
Currently: Researcher CEDEUS

4. Paula Guerra
PhD Thesis: Formation of reactive particles in fluvial confluences: Chemical, Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic interactions and the control of arsenic in rivers
Conicyt scholarship
Background: Chem. Eng. UTFSM.
Defended:2016.
Currently: Assistant professor, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile

5. Manuel Bugueño
PhD Thesis: Differential arsenic binding in the sediments of two sites in Chile’s lower Loa River basin Conicyt scholarship
Background: Biochemistry PUC
Defended:2014
Currently: Founder and General Manager Andes Carbon SPA (water treatment technology company)

6. Eduardo Leiva
PhD Thesis: Natural Attenuation Process by Microbial Oxidation of Arsenic in a High Andean Watershed Conicyt scholarship
Background: Biochemistry PUC
Defended:2014
Currently: assistant professor, Faculty of Chemistry/Fac. of Engineering, PUC, Chile

7. Marco Alsina
PhD Thesis: Arsenic speciation in sinter mineralization from a hydrothermal channel of El Tatio geothermal field, Chile Conicyt scholarship
Background: Civil Engineer PUC
Defended: 2014
Currently: assistant professor Engineering, Universidad San Sebastian, Chile.

*MSc Students

1. Betza Ore
Análisis de calidad del agua potable en SSRs: desde datos fragmentados a un panorama nacional
Defense: January 2025
Currently: accepted to PhD program

2. Jose Díaz
Modelación hidroquímica de metales y metaloides en el Río Elqui: hacia la protección y mejoramiento de servicios ecosistémicos en el marco de las normas secundarias de calidad de aguas
Defense:2021
Currently: research engineer

3. Lorena Silva
From residues to resources: leaching of metals from cement-based materials using mining residues BSc Engineering UC
Defense: 2017
Currently: industry

4. Pablo Moya
Decoding metal associations in an arid urban environment with active and legacy mining: the case of Copiapó, Chile BSc Engineering UC
Defense: 7 March 2017
Currently: research associate CEDEUS

5. Guillermo Arce
The role of organic matter during neutralization of acid drainage in a stream confluence Background: Engineering UC
Defended: January 2017
Currently: research associate CEDEUS

6. María Abarca
Response of suspended sediment particle size distributions to changes in water chemistry at an Andean mountain stream confluence receiving arsenic rich acid drainage Background: Engineering UC
Defended: March 2016
Currently: industry

7. Magdalena Calcagni
Active and legacy mining in an arid urban environment: challenges and perspectives for Copiapó, Northern Chile Background: Engineering UC
Defended:2016 Cosuperv with prof Barton (Urban Planning Institute)
Currently: industry

8. Fredy Guzmán
Evaluation of the potential acid drainage potential at Peña Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico Background: Biology (Mexico)
Graduated: 2013
Currently at Mexican Geological Service

9. Pamela Zenteno
Geochemical characterization of the Batuco wetland: distribution of metals in sediment cores Background: Biology
Defended: 2010
Currently: government

10. Alejandro Florenzano
Loa river geochemistry: Arsenic distribution in sediments Background: Engineering UC
Defended:2009
Currently: consulting

11. Patricio Walker
Evaluation of a moving bed biofilm reactor for the treatment of winery wastewater Background: Engineering UC
Defended:2008
Currently: government

12. Katherine Lizama
Sorption of protons and metals on biotic and abiotic manganese oxides: evaluation of conceptual and quantitative models Background: Engineering UC
Defended: 2007
Currently: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, University of Chile

13. Felipe Tarud
Advanced field evaluating techniques for wastewater sedimentation processes: Solids and hydraulic characterization Background: Engineering UC
Defended:2007
Currently: industry

14. Karina Valladares
Evaluation of sorbent coating methods with manganese oxides for arsenic removal from drinking water Background: Engineering (Perú)
Defended: 2007
Currently: industry

15. Catalina Marambio
Removal of arsenic and cations using biotic and abiotic manganese oxides under different pH and ionic strength Background: Engineering UC
Defended: 2006
Currently: researcner, UCLA

16. Carlos Vasquez
Bidimensional modeling of water transport and reactive transport of dissolved species in salars: application to the Atacama Salt Flat Background: Engineering UC
Defended: 2006 Cosup. prof Muñoz, Engineering
Currently: consulting

17. Ignacio Toro
Hydrodynamic properties of suspended particles in stormwater in Santiago, Chile Background: Engineering UC
Defended: 2005 Cosup. prof Fernandez
Currently: industry, formerly national director of the National Service of Environmental Assessment

*Undergrad Engineering thesis

1. Marcelo Aybar
Fitting parameters for the sorption of metals to manganese oxides
Defended:2004
Background: BSc. Engineering UC
Currently: assistant professor, Universidad San Sebastián, Chile

2. Florian Fabacher
Benchmarking of Winery Wastewater
Defended:2010
Background: BSc. Engineering (France)
Dual degree Univ. Nantes, France

*Editorial committee
Applied Geochemistry (Q1), Elsevier, Associate Editor (2022-Ongoing)

*Policy papers

1. Implementation of SDG Indicator 6.3.2 in Chile: Proportion of Bodies of Water with Good Ambient Water Quality. (2019) Featured at UNEP site as a country story to support implementation of SDG indicator 6.3.2.

2. CONSIDERACIONES AMBIENTALES PARA LA PLANIFICACIÓN TERRITORIAL EN CIUDADES MINERAS EN CHILE (2023)
CEDEUS Policy Paper
https://doi.org/10.7764/cedeus.dpp.28

3. CIUDAD Y TERRITORIO: PROTECCIÓN DEL AGUA (2022)
CEDEUS Policy Paper
https://doi.org/10.7764/ cedeus.dpp.27

4. VÍNCULOS URBANO-RURAL (2018)
CEDEUS Policy Paper
https://www.cedeus.cl/blog/2018/07/02/vinculos-urbano-rural/

*Committees and Panels for Public Policy

1. Congreso Futuro (2024-ongoing) Co-cordinator for the Information and Knowledge Management theme for the policy proposal on the "Future of Water Resources".

2. COSOC SISS (2024-ongoing). Consejo de la Sociedad Civil for the Superintendency of Sanitary Services (SISS).

3. ANDESS (2019-ongoing). Associaton of Water and Wastewater Utilities. Water and Environment Panel.

4. Technical Scientific Committee for the Chilean Primary soil quality standard proposal (2023). Scientific societies reporting to the Ministry of the Environment.

5. Technical Scientific Committee for the Chilean soil framework law (2021-ongoing). Reporting to the Chilean Congress Committee led by Senator Aravena.

6. INN technical committee for technical standards on environmental quality and water reuse. (2018-2024)

7. Scientific advisory Committee Alianza Valor Minero (2017) Future Development of Mining in Central Chile.

*Patent application 2012-00965 to the National Institute for the Protection of Intellectual Property.
Aybar, Tarud, Acevedo, Pizarro and Pastén.
Synthesis of a sorbent media for the removal of arsenic and other metals dissolved in water using acrylic waste as sorbent support.