Estanislao Pujades Garnes

Estanislao Pujades (EP) is geologist (UAB, 2005), holds a postgraduate in hydrogeology (UPC, 2006) and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering with speciality in groundwater hydrology (UPC, 2013). EP research lines are focused in large-scale groundwater modelling, quantity and quality aspects of urban hydrogeology and the interaction between groundwater and geo-energies. EP main scientific contributions have consisted of investigating (i) coupled hydro-mechanical processes in the context of underground structures to improve the efficiency of their construction and minimize their impact, (ii) coupled thermo-hydro-chemical processes that control the presence and behaviour of organic pollutants in urban aquifers, (iii) coupled hydro-chemical processes in the context of underground pumped hydropower (UPSH) plants to improve their efficiency and minimize their impact, and (iv) the development of large-scale hydrogeological models to predict the impact of climate change. EP has received meaningful awards for his scientific excellence, including the Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award 2020 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), the Award for Scientific Research into Urban Challenges in the City of Barcelona 2020 and the Prix des Amis de l’ULg 2017 of the University of Liège (ULg). For this reason, he was included in the Forbes Top 50 Awarded Spaniards in 2021. EP has been principal investigator (PI) of 5 R+D+i projects funded by the European Commission (EC), the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Barcelona City Council and the CSIC. In total, he has participated in 10 competitive R+D+i projects funded by public entities (4 of them international). The outcomes of these projects have contributed to the society by increasing water availability (enhancing groundwater quality), mitigating the climate change (promoting carbon free sources of energy) and contributing to climate change adaptation (providing tools for improving water management under a climate change context). Research developed by EP has transferred to society by participating in 19 research contracts funded by national and international companies. These contracts have had high social impact because they were focused on the safely construction of relevant underground infrastructures, such as the high-speed train tunnel in Spain or the subway in Toronto (Canada), Quito (Ecuador) and Barcelona (Spain), or the exploitation of strategic resources (lithium in Chile) in an environmentally friendly way.