About
I am a geological engineer with a PhD and over 20 years of experience investigating landslides, rockfalls and the processes that govern slope instability. I work across field investigation, applied research and engineering consultancy, helping public authorities and infrastructure operators assess hazards and develop practical risk reduction strategies.
My expertise combines engineering geology, applied soil and rock mechanics, hydrogeology and geospatial analysis. I use field observations, LiDAR, photogrammetry, monitoring data and numerical modelling to characterise unstable slopes, investigate failure mechanisms and assess their evolution under changing environmental conditions.
As former Director of CREALP in Switzerland, I led multidisciplinary teams and managed an institutional project portfolio of approximately CHF 2 million per year. Working with public authorities, researchers and engineering partners, I helped translate scientific findings into hazard assessments, monitoring strategies and operational recommendations. I also contributed to early warning and decision-support platforms integrating geological, meteorological, hydrological and instrumental data.
I develop and lead projects from the initial scientific or operational question through funding proposals, partner coordination and technical delivery. My academic career includes research and teaching at the universities of Cambridge, Lausanne and Leeds, alongside international collaborations, researcher supervision and professional training. I have authored more than 40 scientific publications and serve on the Editorial Board of Computers & Geosciences.
I work as an independent consultant, alone or within project teams assembled for the mandate at hand. Assignments range from a two-day expert opinion to multi-year monitoring programmes.
Credentials
- PhD — Earth Sciences / Geological Engineering, University of Barcelona, 2009
- MSc + BSc — Geological Engineering, University of Alicante, 2003
- Memberships: Swiss Geologists Association (CHGEOL), Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA)
A full publication record is available here: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-6049 LinkedIn