Mohammad Ayaz Alam

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Geospatial and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH). Before joining USACH, I worked for some time as an Associate Professor at the Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB) at its Santiago campus for its Geology Program. I worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at the Universidad de Atacama (UDA) until November 2022, which I joined in April 2017 on returning to academia after working in the industry for several years as a professional, consultant, and manager. At UDA, I taught core courses in Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, Environmental Geology, and Geological Hazards; also, elective courses in Hydrochemistry and Environmental Geochemistry, Geothermal Energy, and Geothermal Geochemistry in different semesters.

As Director of the Geology Department of the UDA between April 2018 and March 2021, I led the process of approval and implementation of the new academic curriculum of the Geology program based on the development of "generic and specific competencies" in the students with measurable "learning outcomes" and a greater emphasis on discipline-specific courses.

I obtained a Ph.D. and a Master of Science in Applied Geology from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay). I was awarded the Professional Title of Geologist and Doctor in Geology by the Universidad de Chile in recognition of his academic career. I also hold an MBA (Finance) from Universidad de Chile.

Following my Ph.D., I worked as a Research Associate at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India. Then, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geology at the Universidad de Chile under the Bicentennial Program of Science and Technology (PBCT) of CONICYT (now ANID), Chile. Later, I worked as a Geochemist for the leading geothermal energy company, Energy Development Corporation (EDC). As a Special Consultant for Chile and Senior Consultant on Geothermal Energy & Energy Project Development for Transcarbon International, I contributed to the Chilean section of the World Bank’s RISE (Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy) project.
Besides teaching and guiding student theses, I am working on environmental issues associated with exposure to Arsenic and other toxic metals and metalloids in Chile. I am also involved in the geological, geochemical, geophysical, and hydrological studies of closed basins to investigate the role of geothermal fluids in lithium enrichment of brines to develop environment-friendly mining methods having minimal impact on salt flat ecosystems.

I am an Associate Editor of the Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) and the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (Springer). Also, I am the guest editor of the special issues of three scientific journals, namely, Groundwater for Sustainable Development (Elsevier, "Micro- and nanoplastic pollution in global groundwaters: Perspectives and challenges for human and ecological health risks"), Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health (Elsevier, "Modern Geospatial Technologies for Water Quality and Risk Assessment"), and Sustainability (MDPI," Sustainable Water Resources Management under environment changes: Progresses, Challenges and Opportunities"). Besides, I regularly review the manuscripts submitted to well-known scientific journals like the Journal of Hydrology, Groundwater for Sustainable Development, Science of the Total Environment, etc., and have done almost 300 reviews.

I was awarded Chilean nationality in March 2019 and was presented a citation of the Letter of Nationalization at the Presidential Palace La Moneda in recognition of my services to the country. On October 17, 2021, I was bestowed a Diploma of Honor by the Colegio de Geólogos de Chile in recognition of completing 25 years of my professional career and contributing to the development of the Geology of Chile. I was invited for a public hearing during the constitutional process to present a point of view to the Constitutional Council with the talk "Importance of geothermal energy for our country and the carbon and environmental footprint of the so-called clean energy such as solar and wind energy". I was also invited to the 25th session of the Committee on the Environment, Rights of Nature, Natural Assets and Economic Model of the Constitutional Convention to talk about the "Constitutional Statute of Energy", also by the Committee on Water Resources, Desertification, and Drought of the Senate of the Republic of Chile to participate in the discussion on the bill about use of seawater for desalination. I am also a Senior Member of the UNESCO Chair on Groundwater Arsenic within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Besides, I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Geological Society of Chile (2024-26), Colegio de Geólogos de Chile (2024-27), and the Center for Strategic and Critical Minerals Studies of Chile (CEMEC) since 2024.