UC’s Endowment Chair announces academic vacancy opening
The first position co-financed by one of the UC Endowment Chairs has a strong interdisciplinary focus around a critical issue for the country. The call also specifies the vision of collaboration between industry and university, which -it is projected- will bring many fruits in terms of research, teaching and extension.
Desalination is a topic that is gaining more interest every day in Chile, a country severely affected by drought and water scarcity. In order to contribute to the development of this topic, the Institute for Sustainable Development (IDS) and the School of Engineering recently opened applications for an academic vacancy in water desalination technologies and systems, which will be 50% financed. by the Antofagasta Minerals Water Sustainability Chair , which has been created from the UC Endowment Project.
This is the first position that is directly supported by one of the three existing chairs -to that of Water Sustainability is added that of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development CMPC and that of Entel Sustainable Digital Transformation- and will allow the hiring of a full-time professor or professor , which is precisely the purpose and main commitment of this initiative, given that it will allow further research on this topic going forward.
“The objective is to be able to contribute to a discussion that is very much in vogue, and that will continue to be so in the long term, which is how we have access to additional sources of water, given the complicated water scenario that has been observed in recent years, particularly in the central-northern zone of Chile”, says Jorge Gironás, academic director of the chair. The also professor of the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, highlights the contribution made by the Antofagasta Minerals Chair of Water Sustainability, created in 2020 with an endowment format. “It is an additional step that concretizes a vision of collaboration between industry and academia, and that has a notable projection (…
“The objective is to be able to contribute to a discussion that is very much in vogue, and that will continue to be so in the long term, which is how we have access to additional sources of water, given the complicated water scenario that has been observed in recent years, particularly in the central-northern zone of Chile”- Jorge Gironás, academic director of the chair
The deputy rector of Institutional Management, Patricio Donoso, for his part, points out that “indeed, this endowment format has a long-term perspective, through the interest and contribution of a company like Antofagasta Minerals, a reserve fund is generated which is only used their income to, as a first priority, finance the hiring and work of a professor or teacher on a topic of mutual interest, in this case, Water Sustainability. It also implies deepening the relationship and joint work, with a common intention of creating knowledge and supporting the development of relevant issues for the company, academia and society”.
Chile, a natural laboratory
The mega-drought that mainly afflicts the central-northern and central-south areas -the most populated in the country- has undoubtedly revealed the need to seek alternative sources of the vital element. In this sense, it has been the industry, particularly the mining industry, that has advanced the most, but there are still many opportunities to evaluate and eventually take advantage of, such as desalination for human consumption and the treatment of brackish groundwater, among others. “Chile is a natural laboratory of great interest to the scientific community,” says Jorge Gironás, also citing the scarcity of fresh water sources in the north.
Professor Gironás points out that a good candidate is someone who has technological knowledge in this field, and who has experience in practical applications, because these are the ones that show many of the challenges of desalination. He also points out that the plaza has the concept of “systems” incorporated, which points to the territorial perspective and the water and energy nexus. Along with this, he underlines the importance of transversality, which is something new and specific to the profile being sought. For example, it is expected that, while taking disciplinary courses in Engineering, the new professor will participate in the training of students from other faculties through the IDS, in order to reach students from other schools with the topic of water sustainability. fields of knowledge.
How to apply
Those interested in the vacancy can obtain more information on the website of the School of Engineering , section “Faculty position in Water Desalination Technologies and Systems”. The application period is until September 30, 2023. Any additional information to that mentioned on the website can be addressed to Professor Jorge Gironás.