Dr Alejandra María CARMONA DUQUE (Colombia)

Over the past years Alejandra has been studying climate change and climate variability in tropical South America with particular emphasis on Colombia and the Amazon River basin. Throughout her research career, she has worked with engineers, biologists and ecologists towards understanding and modelling hydrological variables and predicting their fluctuations at different time scales.

PhD in Water Resources Engineering

Current position: Researcher at Constructora Conconcreto, Colombia

Research focus: climate change and climate variability in tropical South America

Alejandra has, thus, helped to update and strengthen evidence for natural climate variability and possible signs of climate change in Colombia and the Amazon River basin. One of her goals is to contribute to the design of adaptation strategies and programmes that mitigate the effects of climate change through their orientation towards more sustainable and eco-friendly practices.

Alejandra has received a scholarship for her doctoral studies from Colciencias and a summa cum laude distinction for her PhD dissertation. In addition, she has also worked as an adjunct professor, teaching hydrology to undergraduate students.


CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2016):

Universidad Nacional de Colombia/Constructora Conconcreto, Colombia

Research focus: climate change and climate variability in tropical South America

For the past seven years, Carmona has dedicated her research to studying climate change and climate variability in tropical South America with particular emphasis in Colombia and the Amazon River basin. She started her research at Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín while working on her master’s thesis and then continuing with her PhD dissertation.

Throughout her research career, Carmona has worked with engineers, biologists and ecologists towards understanding and modelling hydrological variables and predicting their fluctuations at different time scales. For this reason, she has helped to update and strengthen evidence for natural climate variability and possible signs of climate change in Colombia and the Amazon River basin.

For her sound knowledge in her field, Carmona received a scholarship for her doctoral studies from Colciencias and a summa cum laude distinction for her PhD dissertation. In addition to these recognitions, she has also obtained experience as an adjunct professor while teaching hydrology to undergrad students of both civil and environmental engineering.

Carmona would like to expand on the methods developed within her PhD studies. One of her goals is to contribute to the design of adaptation strategies and programs that mitigate the effects of climate change through their orientation towards more sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Thus, she would like to develop connections with the researchers and professors within the Green Talents forum. She highlights that economic and technological resources in Latin America are scarce. Carmona expresses her clear wish to participate in the Green Talents forum by asserting, ‘We need the help of developed nations such as Germany by means of the transfer of technology, knowledge, abilities and experiences’.

The jury valued Carmona’s outstanding enthusiasm and passion for both research and teaching. Being a Green Talents awardee will expand her horizons in an effort to accomplish her goals.