Management team

Pilar Moraga 
Director

Tenured Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Chile. She is a lawyer from the same university and holds a master’s and doctorate in Law from the University of Lille 2, France. She is currently the Director of the Environmental Law Center at the Faculty of Law, University of Chile, and an associate researcher at the Solar Energy Research Center (SERC-Chile). She has numerous publications in environmental law, climate change, and energy

Email: pmoraga@derecho.uchile.cl

René Garreaud
Deputy Director

Tenured Professor in the Department of Geophysics at the University of Chile since 2011. He served as the department’s director between 2008-2009. In 2000, he obtained a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Washington, Seattle, United States, working on tropical-extratropical interaction and modeling the climate of South America. He holds a Civil Engineering degree and a Master’s in Geophysics from the University of Chile (1993). His research areas include climate change and vulnerability, emphasizing South America. He has also contributed to coastal synoptics and mountain meteorology, as reflected in his over 50 publications in specialized journals in those fields. In 2019, he was named a corresponding Chilean Academy of Sciences member.

Email: rgarreau@dgf.uchile.cl

Susana Bustos
Management and Outreach Director

Industrial Civil Engineer from the University of Chile, Project Management of European-funded projects from ESADE Business School. She has recently participated in preparing proposals for Horizon Europe at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. She has 22 years of experience in various sectors’ project management and strategic planning processes. Throughout her professional career, she has served as a project director in sustainability management, stakeholder mapping, and sustainability reporting. She has been part of the CR2 team since 2015, where she has been in charge of coordinating national and international projects and as the executive deputy director. She is currently responsible for coordinating and supervising the fulfillment of objectives and tasks of the management team. Additionally, she supports the board in the strategic management of the center, is responsible for strengthening ties with the public-private sector and academic actors and creating new relationships with strategic actors at the national and international levels. She is currently a member of the Foundation for Technology Transfer (UNTEC) board.

Email: susana.bustos@uchile.cl

Jimena Cortés
Head of Administration

General Accountant at the Professional Institute INACAP, with over 10 years of experience in management and administration at universities and technical training centers. At the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, she served as a postgraduate assistant at the School of Architecture and as an administrative assistant at College UC, while at the Technical Training Center Tarapacá, she was the Secretary of the Rectory. At CR2, she coordinates and directs the work of the administration area, manages purchase orders, contracts, payment of fees and incentives for the Center’s staff, and coordinates logistics for travel and field trips, among other tasks.

Email: jimenacortes@uchile.cl
Phone: +56 229 777 466

Jessica Bustos
Executive Secretary

Executive Secretary with 20 years of experience. She worked professionally in various National Andrés Bello University units, such as the Postgraduate Academic Directorate, the Research Directorate, and the General Basic Education program. At the CR2, she performs tasks associated with purchasing, per diems, settlements, document and correspondence management, as well as managing the agenda of the Center’s management team.

Email: jessica.bustos@uchile.cl
Phone: +56 229 777 466

Carla Sánchez
Universidad de Concepción

Execution Engineer in Wood from the University of Bío Bío. She worked at Conaf during the 2012-2013 fire season as a Dispatcher at the Operations Center of the Eighth Region. In her work experience, she also highlights her work in service companies, such as Compañía General de Electricidad and ESSBIO, where she served for 5 years as Coordinator of the Complaints Management Unit of the Customer Management Division. She joined the CR2 in 2020, in charge of the Administrative Coordination of the Center for the University of Concepción.

Email: carlasanchez@udec.cl
Phone: +56 412 661278

Marcia Millas
Universidad Austral de Chile

Business Administrator specializing in quality management, computer operator, and executive secretary, with 30 years of experience in administrative and computer training tasks. She began her professional experience at the Universidad Austral de Chile, later joining the Technical Training Organization (OTEC) J & M Servicios Computacionales Ltda., fulfilling teaching and administrative duties (1988-2004). She joined the CR2 in 2014, where she oversees the administrative coordination of the Center for the Universidad Austral de Chile.

Email: marcia.millas@uach.cl

Ignacio Ruz
Budget Control and Reporting Officer

Holds a degree in Industrial Civil Engineering from the University of Chile, with experience in positions of responsibility, leading and managing multidisciplinary work teams and resources, serving as a facilitator, and having a customer service orientation at the internal and external levels. At CR2, he is responsible for the coordination of internal projects, budget control, and the generation of indicators and reports related to the Center’s results.

Email: ignacioruz@uchile.cl
Phone: +56 229780668

Nicole Tondreau
Head of Communications

Journalist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso and a master’s in advanced design from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She has worked as a communications officer in various scientific centers, specializing in topics related to climate change. At CR2, she oversees the communications strategy and coordinates the team in press management, scientific outreach, and graphic design actions.

Email: ntondreau@uchile.cl
Phone: +56 2297 84446

Michael Lieberherr
Press and Social Media Officer

A journalist who graduated from the University of Chile and is a lecturer at the same institution, he has specialized in the journalistic investigation and coverage of socio-environmental conflicts and issues related to climate change. He was a fellow of the Climate Tracker organization and a winner of Switzerland’s Pacte de l’Enquête et du Reportage fund. At CR2, he is responsible for writing press releases, media relations, press management, and social media strategy.

Email: michael.lieberherr@uchile.cl

José Barraza
Scientific Outreach Officer

Journalist and Licentiate in Social Communication from the University of Viña del Mar, Master’s in Wild Areas and Nature Conservation from the University of Chile, and currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History at the same institution. His areas of interest are environmental and climate history in Chile. He has worked and collaborated as a communications officer in various research centers and projects related to the environment and archaeology, developing outreach activities and working with communities. At the CR2, he is in charge of developing scientific outreach products.

Email: jbarrazam@uchile.cl

M. Giselle Ogaz
Graphic Designer

Graphic Designer with a specialization in Visual Communication. Graduated in 1992 from the Professional Institute of Santiago, now UTEM. She is a founding partner of the company Trimage, where she works on design and graphic production applied to merchandising, promotion, websites, and POP, among others. At CR2, she is in charge of the Center’s graphic line, creating products such as infographics, documents, and promotional materials, as well as designing and updating web platforms.

Email: maria.ogaz@uchile.cl

Francisca Muñoz
Head of Data and Computing

Civil Engineering with a specialization in Computer Science from the University of Chile and a master’s in computer science from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. She has worked in applied research and development at both academic and private institutions. At the Center for Mathematical Modeling, she worked with emissions databases and inverse climate modeling. She worked with biometric systems at the Civil Registry, while at Elsevier, she worked on workflows and management of large academic databases. At CR2, she oversees quality control and publication of data related to meteorology, as well as the cluster infrastructure and storage in support of modeling and research conducted at the center. She participates in the development of climate services in coordination with other institutions and is responsible for the intranet and management of administrative databases in general.

Email: cr2sysadmin@dgf.uchile.cl – franmuno@uchile.cl

Sebastián Villalón
Data Engineer and Web Platforms

Civil Chemical Engineer from the University of Chile with an interest in meteorological sciences, where he has acquired programming knowledge focused on web development. At the CR2, he maintains and creates platforms based on gridded data or time series, and updates and monitors the center’s climate databases, including their online publication.

Email: sebastian.villalon@ug.uchile.cl

Pablo Flores
Computer Engineer

Computer Engineer from Duoc UC. He is part of the team of the National Laboratory for High-Performance Computing (NLHPC) at the Center for Mathematical Modeling. At the CR2, he is in charge of configuring and administering the Center’s servers, and the CR2 and NLHPC Linux clusters, as well as configuring networks, equipment, and communication services, installing and integrating scientific libraries, and supporting project development, among other functions.

Email: pabflore@uchile.cl

Bárbara Morales
Head of Dialogue and Interdiscipline

Social Anthropologist from the University of Chile, Master’s in Sociology and Ph.D. in Social Sciences, specializing in Social Anthropology and Ethnology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. Her professional and research experience has allowed her to specialize in environmental and participation issues, as well as to develop specific skills in the design and implementation of qualitative projects and methodologies. At CR2, she is in charge of facilitating dialogue and participation processes, supporting internal and external workshops, developing interdisciplinarity, and strengthening the science-policy interface.

Email: barbmorales@uchile.cl
Phone: +56 229777467

María Ignacia Silva
Dialogue and Interdiscipline Professional

Social Anthropologist from the University of Chile and master’s in human Settlements and Environment from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She has experience in coordinating academic networks and in interdisciplinary research. At CR2, she supports the implementation of internal and external workshops, the development of interdisciplinarity, and the strengthening of the science-policy interface.

Email: maria.silva@uchile.cl

Benjamín Carvajal
Head of Projects

Mechanical Civil Engineer in Energy from the Federico Santa María Technical University with a master’s in management for Sustainable Impact & Consulting from Audencia Business School in France. He has previous experience working in organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) in France, GIZ, and various consulting projects. His work has focused on energy transition, climate change, carbon markets, international negotiations, and public policies. He is also the founder and president of the NGO Uno Punto Cinco and a Goalkeeper ambassador for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he has participated in projects and initiatives at the national and regional levels. At the CR2, he is responsible for defining, planning, and executing projects, coordinating various activities between principals, technical counterparts, research and management teams, as well as in the development of funding applications.

Email: benjamin.carvajalp@uchile.cl

Macarena Salinas
Head of Training Initiatives

Licentiate in Natural Resources Sciences from the University of Chile. Her professional and research experience is linked to issues associated with climate change and water governance, integrating a gender perspective. She collaborates with NEST-R3, Redlama, and the NGO CEUS Chile. At CR2, she oversees coordinating and designing training initiatives such as courses, workshops, and training programs with researchers and the management team.

Email: macarena.salinas.c@uchile.cl

Tamara Oyarzún
Training Initiatives professional

Psychologist with a Master’s in Community Psychology from the University of Chile. Her work experience focuses on the issues of energy poverty and territorial energy vulnerability, with an emphasis on their link to people’s physical and mental health and their intersection with factors such as gender and age. At the CR2, she supports the design and execution of training initiatives for students, the scientific community, public institutions, and society.

Email: tamara.oyarzun@uchile.cl

Christian Segura
Data Analyst

A geophysicist from the University of Concepción, his areas of interest are extreme events and climate change, numerical modeling of the atmosphere, and ocean-atmosphere interaction. He is one of the data analysts at the Biogeochemistry Laboratory located at the University of Concepción, supporting the Coastal Zone line and the integrative issue of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).

Email: chsegura@udec.cl