Alex Godoy-Faúndez, PhD

I am Director of Sustainability Research Center & Strategic Resource Management and Academic Director of Master's program in Sustainability Management at School of Engineering at Universidad del Desarrollo & Research Associate to the Water Research Center for Agriculture and Mining awarded in Fifth National Competition for Research Centers in Priority Areas of National Commission for Scientific & Technological Research (CONICYT in Spanish). Further, I am Head of Waste to Energy Research & Technology - Chile at WTERT Council and Research Associate at Earth Engineering Center at Columbia University. 

 

My research interest is Sustainability Science to understand the relationships between Engineering, Society, and Sustainability. My main goal is to develop frameworks of analysis for understanding the causes and effects of current events to contribute to sustainable development.  I apply system modeling to understand the local systems - characterized by their natural resources, climate, and infrastructure needs engineering, societal and political frameworks - to service decision-making techniques to the public policy level, linking science, technology, society, and education. Today, my research projects are focused on the Water-Energy-Food Security nexus.

 

In 2006, I was recognized as one of the 100 young leaders by the Center of Leadership Universidad Adolfo Ibañez. Awarded in Academic Excellence and Best Paper Award in The International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology 2006-2014, sponsored by American Academy of Science; Young Researcher Award at the 4th European Bioremediation Conference 2008, Greece and one of the winners in the "Innovation Challenge Week" and Prize "Innovation & Entrepreneurship 2008". In 2011, I was a Visiting Scholar and Scholar in Residence 2012 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Co-author, First Environmental Chilean Survey about "Environment and Climate Change: Attitudes and Perceptions" (2009-2011).

 

Throughout my career, I have had a strong involvement as a member of advisory boards into governmental institutions such as CONICYT, National Commission in Innovation and Development (CNID), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment as a member of the Advisory Council in three administrations. I have been a member of the presidential commissions for innovation in water resources (CNID) and the electricity system (Ministry of Energy). In 2015, I was a member of the Chilean delegation for COP21, advising to Ministry of Finance for Paris Agreement. In 2019, I was a member of the scientific committee on Climate Change in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation advisory body, organizing the COP25.

 

I have also been a referee in peer-reviewed journals and environmental projects in CONICYT and CORFO (National Developing Bank). My career has provided me with the opportunity to combine my multidisciplinary experience with environmental, chemical, and social-environmental management and innovation. As a result, I have become very interested in using technological management applied to environmental management and green technologies in connection with public policies, environmental economics, society, and education.  My contributions are summarized in more than 90 presentations to national and international conferences, 40 publications indexed as author or co-author, one book, and six chapters, being also associate editor and reviewer in various journals indexed.

 

At the international level, I am very committed to Science Diplomacy. I am an alumnus of the Global Young Academy. The GYA is an international organization aiming to empower and mobilize young scientists to address early-career scientists' importance. My focus was on SDGs and WEF nexus. Further, I am a member of Nexus KAN of Future Earth organization, an international research program for global sustainability working on Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus. In Chile, he has contributed with the Proposal for Science Diplomacy about STIC Chile-United States as a member of the Chile-United States Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STIC) in the US Embassy.

 

Between 2017 - 2019, He was a member of the High-Level Panel of Experts Steering Committee on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE), Committee on World Food Security (CFS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations (UN), coordinating two main global reports.

• Agroecological approaches and other innovations for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition (2019)

• Multi-stakeholder partnerships to finance and improve food security and nutrition in the framework of the 2030 Agenda (2018)

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Since 2019, I am Review Editor of Chapter 13 titled "National and sub-national policies and institutions) for the Working Group III to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and lead author of Chapter "Moving from linear to a circular economy: What this means for business? For Global Environment Outlook (GEO) for Business at Science Division, United Nations Environment Programme. I have served as an expert reviewer of the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) prepared by the independent group of scientists appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General and for "10 New Insights in Climate Science 2019" report of Future Earth & The Earth League, Stockholm, 2019 for COP25. Also, I served as a Panel Member of the Water Quality Task Force (TF) for the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), working on the Water Quality Project: "Developing a Global Compendium on Water Quality Guidelines. 

 

Finally, in 2019, I was awarded as Doctor Honoris Causa - Doctor of Laws at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay to contribute to the creation of public policies and innovations in the private sector on sustainability issues. Today, He is a current mentor Mentors for the HBA Sustainability Certificate for Centre for Building Sustainable Value at Ivey Business School, Canada.