Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini | Hydrometeorological modelling and forecasting

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of La Frontera, where I lead the Water Resources Observatory Kimün-Ko. I hold a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Trento (Italy) and completed postdoctoral training at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

I have more than 20 years of experience in water resources research and have previously served as an Associate Researcher at the Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2 and as a member of the Earth Sciences Assessment Group of the Chilean National Research and Development Agency (ANID).

My research lies at the interface of hydrology, data science, and environmental sciences, with a particular focus on the use of gridded datasets and open-source tools to investigate droughts, extreme events, and water-related impacts of global change.

I work across spatial and temporal scales to improve the understanding of catchment-scale hydrological processes and to translate this knowledge into operational modelling, forecasting, and early-warning systems that support robust environmental decision-making.

Please reach out to collaborate 😃

My current research focuses on advancing the understanding and practical application of hydrological and hydrometeorological processes through the integration of data, models, and open-source tools. My main research interests include:

hydrometeorological modelling and forecasting based on large-scale and gridded datasets;
development of open-source, data-driven tools for the operational monitoring of droughts, floods, and other extreme events;
global optimisation, uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis of hydrological models; and
assessment of catchment-scale responses to extreme precipitation under climate variability and change.

These research activities have supported the establishment of a novel network of in situ precipitation and soil-moisture monitoring sites across five experimental catchments in Chile. The catchments span a wide range of hydrometeorological and geomorphological conditions, from the Mediterranean climate of Valparaíso to the humid environments of the Araucanía region. Within these experimental basins, I test hypotheses on hydrological behaviour using multiple data sources and complementary modelling approaches.

Across all projects, my overarching goal is to deliver reliable estimates of the impacts of global change and extreme events at the catchment scale, generating actionable knowledge to support robust water management and environmental decision-making.

Please reach out to collaborate 😃