Dr. Pabel A. Cervantes Avilés is a Professor¿Researcher at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he leads research and innovation in sustainable water technologies. He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, an M.Sc. in Water Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Water Science and Technology, and completed a 2.5-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
His work integrates environmental engineering, nanotechnology, and circular economy principles to address critical challenges in water pollution and scarcity. His research focuses on the fate and effects of emerging contaminants, the safe application of nanomaterials, and the recovery of valuable resources from wastewater (minerals, clean water, and energy), advancing technology scale-up and transfer to the industrial sector. He is also a dedicated educator, training future professionals in environmental chemistry, bioprocesses, and sustainable process design.
Dr. Cervantes maintains active academic collaborations with leading institutions such as Soka University (Japan), UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), as well as Mexico¿s top universities including UNAM and the University of Guanajuato. He also strengthens strategic partnerships with Arizona State University (ASU) and The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) to advance innovation and water security through joint strategic projects. Additionally, he collaborates with industry leaders including Grupo Modelo, TIF-certified meat processing plants, MAIXICO, and SOLENA to develop water treatment and waste management solutions.
He has been recognized nationally and internationally, receiving the Award for the Best Ph.D. Thesis in Environmental Engineering (2017), the Young Water Professional Mexico Award (2014), and two consecutive Best Platform Presentation awards at international conferences (2014 and 2017). From 2021¿2023 he received competitive funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). In 2023 and 2024, he was awarded the IWA¿Grundfos Fellowship to advance the Water Action Agenda within multilateral and diplomatic forums, including the United Nations Water Conference.
Dr. Cervantes currently serves on the Global Steering Committee of the IWA Nano & Water Specialist Group and has held leadership roles at major international events such as the IWA Young Water Professionals Conference (2019), ACS Fall Conference (2019), Latin American IWA YWP Conferences (2019 and 2021), and the World Water Congress (2024 and 2026). He is a Level-2 member of the Mexican National System of Researchers, has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, delivered over 20 invited talks, organized more than 10 academic and outreach events, registered 2 patents, supervised more than 20 theses, and actively collaborates with key stakeholders in the global water sector, while leading funded projects in Mexico and abroad.
pabel.cervantes@tec.mx
