Personal information
Biography
By training I am a geological engineer (Venezuela, 2003) with a Master's degree in Geochemistry (Venezuela, 2006) and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences (Orogenic Gold Deposits - France, 2012). Extensive experience in university teaching and scientific research in Earth Sciences, attained during more than 10 years of work at the Central University of Venezuela and as head of the Geology department of the Earth Science Institute of this university (since 2014).
I have taught undergraduate courses on ore deposits, igneous and metamorphic petrology, and a graduate course in igneous petrogenesis. My research mainly focuses on the study of Paleoproterozoic orogenic gold deposits in South America and West Africa. I am interested in how and why native gold precipitates within sulphides in these settings, and my principal approach is detailed investigation of textural and crystallochemical relationships between gold and the associated metals and metalloids in the hosting sulphides. My field areas include the El Callao mining district, which is the most important gold-producing region in Venezuela (>2,000 tonnes Au), focusing on the Colombia deposit, the largest deposit in the district. I have also collaborated with the West African Exploration Initiative (WAXI) international project, which is focused on the mineral potential of the Leo-Man Craton of West Africa.
I collaborate with several Research Laboratories internationally, including the Géosciences-Environnement-Toulouse (GET) Laboratory, the G2R Laboratory (Nancy) and the Geoscience Laboratory (Montpellier), all in France and, in Australia, the Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits (CODES) at the University of Tasmania and the Center for Exploration Targeting (CET) in Perth.