Newcastle University

Background 

I am an engineer with a broad interest in understanding and interacting with the social side of complex technical, environmental and natural resources challenges. Most of my research is focused on policy and institutional analysis in sustainable water, land use and energy management. I am an experienced coordinator of interdisciplinary and multinational research projects involving research groups in Europe, Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Typically, my projects include stakeholder involvement and establishment of reseach/policy interfaces. I am always keen to work with PhD students interested in interdisciplinary reserch in socio-techical or socio-natural issues both in the UK and internationally. My teaching role is directly connected to my research experience. I lead the Human and Management Systems Theme of the Civil Engineering Degrees. I lecture on sustainability, engineering ethics and public policy in our undergraduate programme and in water policy and asset management in our postgraduate programmes.  Currently, I have an overaching coordinating role as acting leader of the Water Theme of the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS) 

Roles and Responsibilities

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Policy and Sustainability 
Human and Management Systems Theme Leader, Civil Engineering Degrees 
Water Theme Acting Coordinator Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS)Member of Newcastle University Environment and Sustainability Committee

Qualifications

MSc Chemical Engineering IQS Barcelona (Spain)
MSc Environmental Science and Technology IHE Delft (The Netherlands)
PhD School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University (UK)

Memberships

Member of the Association of Chemical Engineers IQS, partner of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering.
Member of the International Mine Water Association

Industrial experience  

Partnership development in the framework of the Northumbrian Water Limited and Newcastle University Concordat for collaboration (2011-present) 

Professional consultancy “Technical Review of the mine closure plan and mine closure implementation at Minerales Entre Mares San Martin mine, Honduras”,  CAFOD (2009)

Partnership development on coal mining environmental technology with Coal India Limited (Chairman and Technical Director) and CMPDI in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi  (2008-present). 

Deputy to the HSBC Professor of Energy and Environment for the delivery of Newcastle University's participation in the HSBC "Partnership in Environmental Innovation" with direct links to HSBC Holdings plc Corporate Social Responsibility function and reporting to the HSBC Holdings Adviser on the Environment (2005-8) 

Technical advisor to WWF Global Freshwater Programme - Europe c/o WWF European Policy Office (EPO) on mining waste and water (2002-05) 

Professional consultancy "River Ouseburn Strategy Scoping Study", Newcastle City Council (2002) 

Senior Consultant with NuWater Consulting on asset management, regulation and global issues in the water industry (2000-2001) 

Strategic review of asset mananagement practices in Northumbrian Water Limited,  “Towards Continuous Strategic Asset Management”, (1999-2000).

Professional consultancy “Evaporation/ Climate Data Service Scoping Project”  North West Region of the Environment Agency (1998-99)

Research Interests

• Sustainable management of natural resources and infrastructure
• Integrated land and water management
• Environmental management: institutions, regulation and policy
• Interface research/policy
• Sociotechnical systems and transitions
• Developing countries
• Stakeholder involvement
• Management of multidisciplinary research 

Postgraduate supervision

• Ruth Kennedy-Walker,"Planning and implementation of wastewater collection, treatment and re-use in peri-urban areas" EPSRC, Civil Engineering (2011-expected 2014)
• Misgun Kahsu, "Promoting Education on Science for Sustainability in Africa: Role of the Private Sector" NIReS/Planet Earth Institute (2011-expected 2014)
• Ed Byers, “Long Term Interdependent Infrastructure Planning”, Civil Engineering (2010-expected 2013)
• Gerardo Gonzalez, “Environmental Assessment of Underground Coal Gasification”, Swan Institute (2007- expected 2011)
• Mukhtar Hashemi, “A Socio-technical Framework for Implementing the Integrated Water Resources Management Paradigm in Iran”, Civil Engineering Sandwich Programme with Iran (2007-2012)
• Jen Harrison, “Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy in Developing Countries”, Interdisciplinary Civil Engineering and Geography under staff regulations  (2006-2011)
• Pablo Mendez, “Managing Transitions towards the Adaptive Management of Wetlands”, IMEDEA/University of Baleares (Spain) (2006-expected 2011)
• Floriane Clement,” A Multi-level Analysis of Forest Policies in Northern Vietnam: Uplands, People, Institutions and Discourses”, Interdisciplinary Civil Engineering and Geography (2004-2008) External Examiner: Prof Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Prize of Economy 2009

Research Projects 

"A Global Solution to Protect Water by Transforming Waste", EPSRC, 886K (total), 2011-2015, (Glasgow, Sheffield, IDS, Cranfield, Ulster, Newcastle), PI.

"Bio-desalination: from cell to tap", EPSRC, 999K (total), 2011-2014, (Glasgow, Robert Gordon, Sheffield, Imperial College London, Newcastle), PI.

"Mitigation of risks from emerging hazards: Integration of field training, energy-conserving waste treatment and next-generation sequencing technologies" EPSRC Impact Award (Newcastle University)£27.8 K. 2011-12, Co-I.

Re-Impact “Rural Energy Production from Bioenergy Projects”, EC EuropeAid £1.2M, 2007-2010, (South Africa, Uganda, India, China, Austria, UK), Project Coordinator and PI

CAMINAR “Catchment Management and Mining Impacts in Arid and Semi-Arid South America”, EC 6^th Framework Programme INCO Dev £1.2 M, 2007-2010, (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Portugal, Spain, UK), Project Coordinator and PI

“Environmental Engineers of Tomorrow: Developing a Shared Tool Box through collaboration” EPSRC, 180 K, 2007-2009, (IITD, Glasgow, Newcastle), Project Coordinator and PI.

EPIC FORCE “Evidence-based Policy for Integrated Control of Forested River Catchments in Extreme Rainfall and Snowmelt” EC 6^th Framework Programme INCO DEV £1.13M, 2005-2008, (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Italy, UK), Co-I and support to Project Coordination.

CARACOLES: “Supporting the implementation of Adaptive Management in the Lower Guadalquivir and Doñana Natural Reserve through the restoration of the Finca Caracoles” IMEDEA, 2005-2008, PI.

ERMISA “Environmental Regulation of Mine Waters in South America”, EC 6^th Framework Programme INCO DEV £67K, 2006, (Peru, UK), Project Coordinator and PI.

“Socio-economic impacts and market opportunities associated with land use and hydrological change in tropical montane cloud forest areas in Arenal, Costa Rica” FRP Project funded by DFID Renewable Natural Resources Strategy £352K, 2003-2006, Co-I.

LOWFLOWS “Low Base Flows and Livelihoods in India” FRP Project funded by DFID Renewable Natural Resources Strategy £340K, 2002-2006, (IITD, Winrock International, Newcastle), Co-I and Project Manager.

FLOWS Coordination Unit funded by DFID Renewable Natural Resources Strategy as DFID's contribution to the UN Year of the Mountain 2002, 2002-2006, (South Africa, Tanzania, Grenada, Costa Rica, India, The Netherlands, UK) Co-I. 

URBEM “Urban River Basin Enhancement Methods” European Commission Fifth Framework £56K, 2002-2005, PI.

ERMITE “Environmental Regulation of Mine waters in the EU”. European Commission Fifth Framework £830K, 2001 -2004, (Sweden, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, UK), Project Coordinator.

ToCSAM “Towards Continuous Strategic Asset Management” Northumbrian Water Limited 67K, 1999-2000, PI.

“River Ouseburn Strategy Scoping Study” Newcastle City Council £5K, 2002, PI.

“Evaporation/ Climate Data Service Scoping Project” for the North West Region of the Environment Agency £5K, 1998-1999. Co-I      

Esteem Indicators

Member of the Global Scientific Committe of the Planet Earth Institute (2012-date) 

Invited speaker "Value of water in a sustainable future environment", Waterloss UK Workshop, Seminar and Exhibition, Crowne Plaza Hotel, NEC, Birmingham, 27 March 2012. 

Invited keynote speaker "El agua en la gestion sostenible de la mineria: Retos para el sector y las instituciones", AGUA 2011, Ecosistemas y sociedad: Visiones. limites y aplicaciones de los servicios ecosistemicos en un mundo cambiante, Cali (Colombia) 15th November 2011

Best Paper Award from the International Water Resources Association for papers published in Water International in 2010: Bathurst, J.C., Amezaga, J., Cisneros, F., Gaviño Novillo, M., Iroumé, A., Lenzi, M.A., Mintegui Aguirre, J., Miranda, M. and Urciuolo, A. 2010. Forests and floods in Latin America: science, management, policy and the EPIC FORCE project. Water International, 35(2), 114-131.

Invited keynote speaker “Sustainable Water Management for Mining”, Sustainable Mining Africa Round Tables (SMART), Angolan Ministry of Geology, Mining and Industry, Planet Earth Institute and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, Luanda (Angola) 19^th November 2010.

Invited expert by Colciencias (Government of Colombia) and Universidad del Valle to run a "Thematic Workshop on Environmental Technology-Health and the European Commission Framework Programmes" Cali (Colombia), 12-15 October 2010.  

Invited Expert by the European Commission to the "Latin American-European Workshop on Environment" EULARINET, Bogotá (Colombia), November 18-20, 2009

“Technical Review of the mine closure plan and mine closure implementation at Minerales Entre Mares San Martin mine, Honduras” for CAFOD, May-September 2009

Deputy to the HSBC Professor of Energy and Environment for the delivery of the group's participation in the HSBC "Partnership for Environmental Innovation" with direct links to HSBC's Corporate Social Responsibility function (2005-8)

Deputy Head of HERO Group, Winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2005 for Newcastle University.

Technical advisor to WWF Global Freshwater Programme - Europe c/o WWF European Policy Office (EPO) on mining waste and water (2002-05)

Invited speaker to the meeting of the Dialogue Group "Mining and Sustainable Development", Lima (Peru), 21 September 2006. The Group includes around 60 representatives from industry, government, NGOs and international organisations involved in the mining sector in Peru.

Co-organizer of the State Workshop "Towards Implementing Sustainable Watershed Management Strategy for Madhya Pradesh", MP Ministry of Rural Development, Bhopal (India), 6-7 February 2006, attended by the Chief Minister of MP, Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development and more than 300 participants.

Invited speaker in the Science-Policy Interface Workshop of “Linking community and ecosystem ecology: recent advances and future challenges” Final Conference of the Linkecol Programme of the European Science Foundation, Palma de Mallorca (Spain), May 18-21, 2004.

Co-organizer and key note speaker in the State Workshop "Towards Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Water Policy in Himachal Pradesh", HP State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Shimla (India) 28th August 2004 attended by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradresh, Minister of Water Resources and 140 participants from State and Central Organisations.

Invited technical expert to the exchange of views on the proposed directive on management of waste from the extractive industries (COM (2003)319) between Council Presidency, Commission DG Environment and DG Enterprise, Environmental Committee European Parliament, NGOs and Industry. European Parliament, Brussels, 3 November 2003.

Undergraduate Teaching

BEng/MEng Civil Engineering
Human and Management System Theme Leader
CEG 3003 "Engineering Ethics and Sustainability" (module leader)
CEG 3502 "Sustainability and Water Resources" (module leader)
CEG 8003 "Public Policy and Sustainability" (module leader)

Postgraduate Teaching

MSc Sustainable Management of the Water Environment
CEG 8502 "Sustainability and Water Resources" (module leader)
CEG 8512 "Integrated River Basin Management"

• Méndez PF, Isendahl N, Amezaga JM, Santamaría L. Facilitating Transitional Processes in Rigid Institutional Regimes for Water Management and Wetland Conservation: Experience from the Guadalquivir Estuary. Ecology and Society 2012, 17(1), 26.
• Oyarzún J, Castillo D, Maturana H, Kretschmer N, Soto G, Amezaga JM, Rötting TS, Younger PL, Oyarzún R. Abandoned tailings deposits, acid drainage and alluvial sediments geochemistry, in the arid Elqui River Basin, North-Central Chile. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 2012, 115, 47-58.
• Espejo L, Kretschmer N, Oyarzún J, Meza F, Núñez J, Maturana H, Garrido M, Guido S, Oyarzo P, Suckel F, Amezaga J, Oyarzun R. Application of water quality indices and analysis of the surface water quality monitoring network in semi-arid North Central Chile. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2012, 184(9), 5571-5588.
• Amezaga JM, Rotting TS, Younger PL, Nairn RW, Noles AJ, Oyarzun R, Quintanilla J. A Rich Vein? Mining and the Pursuit of Sustainability. Environmental Science & Technology 2011, 45(1), 21-26.
• Lostarnau C, Oyarzun J, Maturana H, Soto G, Senoret M, Soto M, Rotting TS, Amezaga JM, Oyarzun R. Stakeholder participation within the public environmental system in Chile: Major gaps between theory and practice. Journal of Environmental Management 2011, 92(10), 2470-2478.
• Bathurst JC, Amezaga J, Cisneros F, Gavino Novillo M, Iroume A, Lenzi MA, Mintegui Aguirre J, Miranda M, Urciuolo A. Forests and floods in Latin America: science, management, policy and the EPIC FORCE project. Water International 2010, 35(2), 114-131.
• Amezaga JM, Maltitz G, Boyes S, ed. Assessing the Sustainability of Bioenergy Projects in Developing Countries: A Framework for Policy Evaluation. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Newcastle University, 2010.
• Harrison JA, Von Maltitz G, Haywood L, Sugrue A, Diaz-Chavez R, Amezaga JM. Mechanisms for Driving Sustainability of Biofuels in Developing Countries. Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review 2010, 2, 197-211.
• Amezaga JM, Boyes SL, Harrison JA. Biofuels Policy in the European Union. In: 7th International Biofuels Conference. 2010, New Delhi: Winrock International India.
• Loredo J, Marques AL, Beggs C, Venegas M, Amezaga JM, Roetting T, Younger PL. Water Catchment and Mining Impact Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones: An Integrated Approach. Paris, France: UNESCO, 2010.
• Jiménez P, Amezaga J, Roetting T, Guzmán E, ed. El Rio Chili: Cuenca Árida con Presión Minera. Arequipa, Peru: IRECA-UNSA, 2010.
• Clement F, Amezaga JM. Afforestation and forestry land allocation in northern Vietnam: Analysing the gap between policy intentions and outcomes. Land Use Policy 2009, 26(2), 458-470.
• Rotting T, Amezaga J, Younger P, Loredo J, Marques AL, Beggs C. The Guidelines for Water Management in arid and semi-arid Zones with Mining, produced by the CAMINAR project. In: Securing the Future and 8th ICARD. 2009, Skellefted, Sweden.
• Loredo Perez J, Marques Sierra AL, Beggs C, Venegas M, Amezaga JM, Rötting TS, Younger PL. Agua y minería en cuencas áridas y semiáridas: guía para la gestión integral. Montevideo: UNESCO, 2009.
• Méndez PF, Santamaría L, Amezaga J, Hearns G. Transfer of Adaptive Strategies for Natural Resources and Ecosystems Management in Canada. Opportunities and Constraints for Implementation in Europe. Majorca, Spain: Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, 2009.
• Clement F, Amezaga JM. Linking reforestation policies with land use change in northern Vietnam: Why local factors matter. Geoforum 2008, 39(1), 265-277.
• Clement F, Amezaga JM, Orange D, Duc Toan T. The impact of forest land policies on land use in Northern Vietnam: an institutional approach for understanding farmer decisions. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute, 2007. 112.
• Amezaga JM. European regulation of mine water and waste. Afinidad 2007, 64(528), 177-181.
• Hope RA, Porras I, Borgoyary M, Miranda M, Agarwal C, Tiwari S, Amezaga JM. Negotiating Watershed Services. London, UK: IIED, 2007.
• Amezaga JM. Inter-Institutional links in land and water management. In: Anderson MG; McDonnell JJ, ed. Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2005, pp.3003-3012.
• Amezaga JM, Baresel C, Destouni G, Göbel J, Gren I-M, Hannerz F, Larsén L, Loredo J, Malmström M, Nuttall CA, Santamaría L, Veseliè M, Wolkersdorfer C, Younger PL. Mining Impacts on the Fresh Water Environment: Technical and Managerial Guidelines for Catchment-Focused Remediation. Mine Water and the Environment 2004, 23(supplement 1), 2-80.
• Amezaga JM, Kroll A. European Union Policies and Mine Water Management. In Wolkersdorfer C; Bowell R (eds.) Contemporary Reviews of Mine Water Studies in Europe, Part 1. Mine Water and the Environment 2004, 23(4), 162-164.
• Calder IR, Amezaga JM, Aylward B, Bosch J, Fuller L, Gallop K, Gosain A, Hope RA, Jewitt GPW, Miranda M, Porras Borloz IT, Wilson VMS. Forest and water policies: The need to reconcile public and science perceptions. Geologica Acta 2004, 2(2), 157-166.
• Amezaga JM, Santamaria L, Green AJ. Biotic wetland connectivity - supporting a new approach for wetland policy. Acta Oecologica 2002, 23(3), 213-222.
• Kroll A, Amezaga JM, Younger PL, Wolkersdorfer C. Regulation of mine waters in the european union: The contribution of scientific research to policy development. Mine Water and the Environment 2002, 21(4), 193-200.
• Amezaga JM, Santamaria L. Wetland connectedness and policy fragmentation: Steps towards a sustainable European wetland policy. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth Part B: Hydrology, Oceans & Atmosphere 2000, 25(7-8), 635-640.
• Santamaria L, Amezaga JM. Improving the management of large protected wetlands: Learning the lessons from the Donana nature reserves. In: 2nd International Conference on Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (ECOSUD 99). 1999, ISL LEMNOS, GREECE.