Meet our new researcher: Claudia Ruz Vargas

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Earlier this month, Claudia Ruz Vargas joined the IGRAC team as our Researcher. After obtaining her joint master’s degree in Groundwater and Global Change, the Chilean decided to apply for the junior groundwater specialist position. “I look forward to participate in projects that contribute to an improved and more sustainable management of groundwater resources, at a regional and international level”, Claudia says.

What do you expect from your time at IGRAC?

“First of all, I expect to learn the most I can from my colleagues”, Claudia says. “All of us have different backgrounds, and I am convinced that a combination of knowledge is necessary to work in the field of water, which is by definition multidisciplinary.”

“At the same time, I expect my work to be a real contribution to the society, through different projects and activities. I feel enthusiastic about collaborating with different countries to manage better their groundwater resources, through knowledge sharing and cooperation.”

What is your academic background?

“I graduated in civil engineering from the University of Santiago, Chile, in 2013”, Claudia recalls. “In 2017, I obtained a joint master’s degree in Groundwater and Global Change – Impacts and Adaptation, from IST (Lisbon), IHE (Delft) and TUD (Dresden).”

What is your work experience?

“I have two years of working experience as a project engineer: after finishing my civil engineering studies I started working in the area of road safety, and later on I worked in environmental projects, mainly related with the design and closure of landfills.”

“At the same time, I worked for the University of Santiago, giving lectures of Applied Hydraulics for the Civil Engineering Department, for one year”, she says. “The latter experiences gave me the motivation to learn more about the characterisation and management of water resources, especially groundwater, so I decided to obtain a master degree in this topic.”

Claudia's main responsibilities

Currently, Claudia’s main responsibility is the continuation of IGRAC’s Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN), but she will soon be involved in other activities as well. “I am very motivated to develop myself as a professional in the international and interdisciplinary environment that IGRAC has.”