BORIS FERNANDO OCHOA TOCACHI
Skempton Building, Room 411Imperial College London, UK
SW72AZ
(Telf.) +44 (0)20 7594 6018
(Mobile) +44 (0)7463263232 /
Skype ID: topicster / December 10th, 1987
Single
Ecuadorian
Passport: 0105365589
Civil Engineer / Hydrologist
PERSONAL PROFILE
Hydrologist, Civil Engineer, with experience in both academic and professional fields concerning Andean ecosystem hydrology, hydrological monitoring, and water resources management. I have been international consultant for the Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems (iMHEA), researcher in the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN) in projects such as the Project for Adaptation to the Accelerated Retreatment of Glaciers in the Tropical Andes (PRAA), and assistant researcher in the Earth and Environmental Science Research Group (GCTA) of the Research Office in the University of Cuenca, Ecuador. I hold a Civil Engineer degree with greatest distinction (2011), and an MSc in Hydrology and Water Resources Management with distinction (2014) receiving the Victor Appleby Prize in Engineering Hydrology and the Letitia Chitty Centenary Memorial Prize at Imperial College London (2015). Currently, I am pursuing my doctorate studies co-founded by an Imperial College President’s PhD Scholarship and the SSCP DTP of the Grantham Institute – Climate Change.
EDUCATION
PhD Research Student / 2015 – 2018· Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
· Research topic: Optimisation of the use of multi-source data for water resources management in remote mountain environments.
· Supervisor: Dr Wouter Buytaert,
MSc in Hydrology and Water Resources Management / 2013 – 2014· Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
· Graduation mark: 86.30/100 with distinction. Honors & Awards. September 2014.
· Main subjects: Hydrometry, Meteorology and Climate Change, Hydrological Processes, Stochastic Hydrology, Rainfall-Runoff Modelling.
· Dissertation project: “Regionalisation of hydrological indices to assess land-use change impacts in the Tropical Andes”.
Civil Engineer / 2005 – 2011· Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca, Ecuador.
· Graduation mark: 95.31/100 with highest distinction and special recognition. October 2011.
· Main subjects: Hydrology, Hydraulics, Soil mechanics, Environmental engineering, Geology.
· Graduation thesis: “Asphalt concrete modelling and parameter determination using back-analysis”.
Bachelor in Sciences with specialization in Physics and Mathematics / 1999 – 2005· Experimental High School “Manuel J. Calle”, Cuenca, Ecuador.
· Graduation mark: 19.96/20 with highest distinction. July 2005.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Graduate Teaching Assistant / October 2015 – present· Hydro-informatics (MATLAB) (MSc) and Environmental and water resource engineering (UG).
· Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK.
International consultant in Hydrology / October 2014 – December 2015· Specialized assistance in hydrology of Andean ecosystems.
· Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN).
· Ecuador and Peru.
University lecturer in Hydrology / March 2015 – August 2015· Surface Hydrology (3rd year, 50 students) and Advanced Hydrology (5th year, 10 focus students).
· Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca, Ecuador.
Civil and Environmental Engineering consultant / February – August 2015· Land planning and development: Biophysical and Mobility, Energy & Connectivity components.
· Southern Community Tourism Network “Pakariñan”, Ecuador.
International consultant in Hydrological Monitoring / December 2011 – September 2013· Technical assistance in participatory hydro-meteorological monitoring.
· CONDESAN and Regional Initiative for Hydrological Monitoring of Andean Ecosystems (iMHEA).
· Andean Region (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela).
Assistant researcher / October 2011 – July 2013· Earth and Environmental Sciences Research Group. University of Cuenca, Ecuador.
Civil and Environmental Engineering consultant / February – October 2011· Mapping and evaluation of community tourism centres in rural Ecuador.
· Southern Community Tourism Network “Pakariñan”, Ecuador.
Pre-university teacher and assistant teacher / July 2007 – September 2011· Algebra, Mathematics and Logic. Tutoring Institute “Edgar Coronel”, Cuenca, Ecuador.
· Mathematical Analysis. Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca, Ecuador.
· Geometry. Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca, Ecuador.
CONFERENCES, TRAINING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
American Geophysical Union AGU Fall Meeting 2016, San Francisco, US.· Poster: Mapping hydrological signatures in the tropical Andes using a network of paired catchments.
· Poster: Improving the effectiveness of interventions and investment in Andean watersheds through a participatory network of research basins. / December 2016
DTP Conference 2016: Perspectives on Environmental Change.
· Presentation: Improving water resource management in data-scarce regions under environmental change, NERC, Imperial College, King’s College, UK. / September 2016
AGU Chapman Conference: Emerging Issues in Tropical Ecohydrology.
· Poster: Human Impacts on the Hydrology of Tropical Andean Catchments, American Geophysical Union, Cuenca, Ecuador. / June 2016
Perth III: Mountains of Our Future Earth.
· 2 Oral presentations delivered.
· Centre for Mountain Studies, Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), Perth, Scotland. / October 2015
Macro-regional Workshops: “Ecosystem Services Retribution Mechanisms for Water Supply Companies”.
· (Invited) Lecturer, MINAM, SUNASS, Lima, Peru. / August 2015
International course: “Andean hydrology and the application of the Rapid Hydrologic Diagnostic”.
· (Invited) Instructor, CONDESAN, Lima, Peru. / November 2014
Course of hydrological monitoring
· Imperial College, Escuela Politécnica Nacional de Quito, Ecuador. / August 2014
OxFID 2014 - Oxford Forum for International Development.
· University of Oxford, United Kingdom. / February 2014
International course: “Hydrology and hydrological monitoring of Andean ecosystems”.
· (Invited) Instructor, CONDESAN, Piura, Peru. / June 2013
Workshop: Intervention feasibilities in the Páramo through reforestation.
· (Invited) Lecturer, GIZ, Quito, Ecuador. / September 2013
VII Ibero-American Seminar of Scientific Journalism.
· UTPL, Loja, Ecuador. / May 2013
National meeting of youth: Water, extractive activities, and climate change.
· (Invited) Instructor, Cuenca, Ecuador. / February 2012
SKILLS
Information technologies:
· Good programming skills: MATLAB, R, Python.
· Geographical Information Systems: Quantum GIS, GRASS GIS.
Languages:
· Spanish: native.
· English: advanced (PhD studies since 2015, MSc studies 2013-2014). International English Language Testing System (IELTS, March 23, 2013), Overall Band Score: 7.5/9. Test Report Form Number: 12CO304478OCHB001A; (2012 – 2013) Private Tutorship; (2012 – 2013) Intensive, (2007 – 2008) Technical, (2006 – 2007) Basic, University of Cuenca.
Communication:
· Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP.Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London. / October 2015 - present
· Workshop for spokespersons and media management.
UNFPA, AECID, Quito, Ecuador. / September 2011
· School for Political and Social Management.
UDAFE, Cuenca, Ecuador. / July – August 2006
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Seed Funding / 2016 – 2017· GCRF Frontiers of Engineering for Development Seed Funding Grant £20,000.
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Early Career and Student Grant / 2016· To attend the AGU Chapman Conference: Emerging Issues in Tropical Ecohydrology.
Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet,Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship for PhD studies / 2015 – 2019
· Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment
· UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Imperial College President’s PhD Scholarship / 2015 – 2019· Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
“Letitia Chitty Centenary Memorial” Prize / 2015· Awarded to the student(s) whose performance is judged to be top in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London.
“Victor Appleby” Prize in Engineering Hydrology / 2015· For annual award to the MSc student who submits the best dissertation on Hydrology as part of the Hydrology for Environmental Management Course, Imperial College London.
SENESCYT Scholarship “Universities of Excellence” for MSc studies / 2013 – 2014· National Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ecuador.
“Benigno Malo” Prize / 2012· Best graduate with outstanding grade, Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca.
Special recognition for outstanding academic record / 2011· Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca.
Higher Education Scholarship / 2006 – 2009· Faculty of Engineering, University of Cuenca.
“Víctor Gerardo Aguilar” Prize / 2005· Best academic record, Experimental High School “Manuel J. Calle”.
INTERESTS
Research, technology and teaching. Water resources, land use chance and climate change. Hydro-economics, ecosystem services and natural capital. Clean energies and alternative technologies. Citizen Science. Politics and social organisation. Ecology and agroecology. Ancestral identity and cultures, and foreign cultures. Visual arts, painting, and photography.
PUBLICATIONS
· Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., W. Buytaert, and De Bièvre B. (2017), Participatory Monitoring of the Impact of Watershed Interventions in the Tropical Andes. Book chapter in: Rivera, D., Lillo, M. and Godoy, A. (eds.), Andean Hydrology, Universidad de Concepción, Chile. In press.
· Manz, B., Paez-Bimos, S., Horna, N., Buytaert, W., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Lavado-Casimiro, W., and Willems, B. (2017), Comparative ground validation of IMERG and TMPA at variable spatio-temporal scales in the Tropical Andes. Journal of Hydrometeorology. In press.
· Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., W. Buytaert, and B. De Bièvre (2016), Regionalization of land-use impacts on streamflow using a network of paired catchments, Water Resour. Res., 52, 6710–6729, doi:10.1002/2016WR018596.
· Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Buytaert, W., De Bièvre, B., Célleri, R., Crespo, P., Villacís, M., Llerena, C. A., Acosta, L., Villazón, M., Guallpa, M., Gil-Ríos, J., Fuentes, P., Olaya, D., Viñas, P., Rojas, G., and Arias, S. (2016) Impacts of land use on the hydrological response of tropical Andean catchments. Hydrol. Process., 30: 4074–4089. doi: 10.1002/hyp.10980.
· Crespo, Patricio; Célleri, Rolando; Buytaert, Wouter; Ochoa, Boris; Cárdenas, Irene; Iñeguez, Vicente; Borja, Pablo; De Bièvre, Bert: (2014) Impactos del cambio de uso de la tierra sobre la hidrología de los páramos húmedos andinos. In: Cuesta F, Sevink J, Llambí LD, De Bièvre B, Posner J, Eds. Avances en investigación para la conservación de los páramos andinos, CONDESAN.
· Célleri, Rolando; De Bièvre, Bert; Ochoa, Boris: (2012) Clima e hidrología del páramo. In Ecología, hidrología y suelos de páramos. Proyecto Páramo Andino, August 2012.
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST