Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in Digital Heritage and Heritage at Risk
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at TU Delft working on digital heritage, heritage at risk, and machine learning-supported seismic vulnerability assessment. Over seven years of research across Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, combining field damage surveys and materials testing with GIS, ontologies, and open-source software. Author of 21 journal articles (14 as first author), 6 book chapters, and 4 open datasets and software releases; secured over €260k in competitive research funding.
Distinction “Very Good”. Thesis: “Towards an integrated vulnerability-based approach for evaluating, managing and mitigating earthquake risk in urban areas”. Supervisors: Dr Tiago M. Ferreira and Dr Paulo B. Lourenço.
Second-Level Master in Heritage and Intervention Design
University of Basilicata · Italy
Practical training in the Sassi di Matera (UNESCO World Heritage Site); internship at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.
MSc in Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions
University of Minho · Portugal
Structural analysis, seismic and dynamic behaviour, inspection and diagnosis, repair and strengthening, and material conservation.
Degree in Architecture
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) · Mexico
Mention of Honour. Dissertation: “Conservation, valorisation and adaptive reuse of the historic complex Pensil Mexicano”.
Work experience
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) · Netherlands
Developing a Memory Twin theoretical and technical framework for digitising Cultural Heritage at Risk, bridging community-contributed memories and standardised metadata schemas to ensure long-term interoperability and preservation. Implemented in partnership with the University of Lisbon.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL · ETH Domain · Switzerland
Developed an open-source ontology for standardising 3D urban planning regulations. Researched the management of Swiss historic sites under the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach. Outputs include articles in Land Use Policy, Cities, and The Historic Environment.
PhD Researcher
University of Minho · Portugal
Designed a reconnaissance, damage-oriented GIS database, performed field damage surveys, characterised adobe materials through laboratory and in-situ tests, and developed open-access machine learning software for damage prediction using 2017 Mexico earthquake data.
Consultant in Historic Structures
TARES — Taller de Arquitectura y Restauración · Mexico
Performed damage surveys and structural diagnosis for six historic temples damaged by earthquakes. Led two restoration projects as project manager, coordinating architecture and engineering teams.
Architectural Designer
TO — Amozurrutia + Facio · Mexico
Contributed to the design and execution of three executive residential projects in historic constructions. Participated in the Hermès Pavilion project for Salone del Mobile 2016 in Milan.
Catalogue Assistant
National Coordination of Historical Monuments · Mexico
Surveyed and documented more than 150 buildings for the National Catalogue of Historical Monuments. Mentored and trained new interns in heritage documentation protocols.
Design Assistant
ARQ Studio Mexico · Mexico
Designed and developed 3D models for architectural executive projects.
Funding and fellowships
European Commission — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship
CORDHISK (Community-driven Digitisation for Heritage at Risk), grant ID 101149833. Grant record ↗
Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology — Doctoral grant PD/BD/150385/2019
Analysis and Mitigation of Risks in Infrastructures (INFRARISK) project.
Programme for Global Heritage and Development
Seed funding for “Seeing in Context: Reflecting on Ethical Use of Sensitive Photographs in Media Practices”, with Dr Lise Zurné (EUR), Dr Charlotte Bruns (UL), and Dr Seyed Abolfazl Shobeiri (UL).
TU Delft — Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Grant
Led a data acquisition campaign in partnership with the University of Lisbon and the Museum of Luz.
European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) services
Access and expert support for “Community-led digitisation of the spirit of place of heritage at risk”.
Study scholarships
European Commission — Erasmus+ Masters grant
Euro-Latin America partnership in Risk mitigation and protection of the Cultural Heritage (ELARCH).
UNAM — DGECI Mobility Grant
Financial support for courses at the University CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain.
Awards
Mention of Honour to the best doctoral thesis (2024) — Francisco de la Maza Prize in Conservation of Architectural and Urban Heritage, Mexican National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH).
Award for Best Contextual Approach & Team Collaboration (2023) — “From Temporary Shelter to Semi-Permanent Homes”, Smart Shelter Foundation.
Diploma as one of the top three grades in the 2011–2015 generation (2017), Faculty of Architecture, UNAM.
Mention of Honour in the FIVS 2013 “Density: thinking housing for making the city” contest (2013), INFONAVIT.
Bernardo Quintana Arrioja Medal for Academic Excellence (2011), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).
Professional affiliations
SNII — SECIHTI: Mexican National System of Researchers.
ICOMOS: Member of CIPA (Heritage Documentation) and ISCARSAH (Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage).
ICOM: International Council of Museums.
Europeana Network Association (ENA).
Global Heritage and Development Programme (GHP-LDE), involving Leiden University, TU Delft, and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Skills
Data and semantics
Python, R, QGIS, SPSS, Protégé (OWL ontologies), Git/GitHub, Zenodo, and FAIR data practices.
Structural analysis
Finite Element Analysis (DIANA).
In-situ and laboratory testing
Elastic wave methods, rebound hammer, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), digital image correlation (DIC), universal testing machine, triaxial and pull-off tests.
3D surveying and modelling
UAV and close-range photogrammetry, LiDAR, SLAM, Agisoft Metashape, CloudCompare, and PointCab.
CAD and BIM
AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, and Artlantis Studio.
Design and layout
Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, LaTeX, and analogue and digital photography.
Languages
SpanishNative
EnglishC1
FrenchB2 · DELF
PortugueseB2
ItalianB1
GermanA1
Selected courses and training
Digital methods, AI, and research data
Training in Artificial Intelligence (TecNM, 2026); Elements of AI for Business (University of Helsinki, 2026); Data Carpentry for Social Sciences & Humanities with R, OpenRefine, and Quarto (TU Delft and partners, 2026); Python Advanced Tutorial (WSL, 2025); Reproducible research & data pipelines (WSL, 2024); Excel Tables and Pivot Tables (Ordem dos Engenheiros, 2023); Artificial Intelligence (MexicoX, 2022).
Heritage documentation, 3D surveying, and geospatial analysis
3D Surveying and Modelling Workshop for Cultural Heritage (Politecnico di Torino, ICOMOS CIPA, 2026); Introduction to Geospatial Information (CentroGeo, 2022); Aerial Mapping with Drones (Ordem dos Engenheiros, 2022); Advanced QGIS (Ordem dos Engenheiros, 2022); Revit (UNAM, 2013).
Disaster risk and emergency management
Protecting our Future: War and Cultural Heritage (American University of Rome, 2023); The City and its Heritage (UNAM, 2023); four disaster-management MOOCs (CENAPRED, 2022); Introduction to emergency and risk management in cultural heritage (Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain, 2022); Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience (PEDRR, 2022); Disaster Risk Management Online Training Series (Coventry University, 2022).
Project management and professional development
Project management: methodologies and tools (Paul Scherrer Institute, 2025); Quarter Course on Professional Development (IMFAHE, 2023); Instructor training (UNAM, 2018); Management models for social projects (UNAM and Mexican Secretary for Social Development, 2018).
Structural engineering and conservation
Seminar on Conservation of Monuments and Historical Buildings (ICOMOS ISCARSAH, 2026); From Temporary Shelter to Semi-Permanent Homes (Smart Shelter Foundation, 2023); Soil-structure interaction for Professional Practice (2022); masonry strengthening specialisation (2018); structural engineering workshops at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (2018) and University of Minho (2016); structural rehabilitation of historic buildings (ENCRyM, 2015).
Parameter-based assessment of the seismic vulnerability of adobe constructions in Morelos, Mexico
Primary database and Python scripts for data management and reproducibility. Zenodo record ↗
Invited talks
Standardization of Urban Land Use Planning Regulation — Expert Workshop on Digitalization in Land-Use Planning, Zürich, Switzerland (2026).
Characterisation of Earth-based Constructive Systems: cases in the State of Morelos — Iberoamerican Workshop “Advanced Techniques for Analysing Materials in Architecture”, Mexico City (2025).
Using the Mexican Catalogue of Historic Monuments as a guide for post-seismic reconnaissance — Exchange of Experiences on Methodologies and Technologies to Manage Emergency, Mexico City (2022).
On the use of the Catalogue of Historical Monuments for a parameter-based assessment of seismic vulnerability — Experiences in Risk Management for Cultural Heritage in Iberoamerica, Mexico City (2021).
Interaction between rammed earth walls and LC-TRM strengthening bond and shrinkage — International Congress on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies, Mexico City (2018).
Improvement of seismic performance of rammed earth building by using LC-TRM strengthening — The Concept of the Risk Chart of Cultural Heritage in Latin America, Rome (2018).
Other conference contributions and posters
From fair to FAIR: Communities co-creating metadata for preserving everyday heritage — poster, Digital Heritage Summit and Hackit!4EU Hackathon, Limassol (2026).
Integrating Historic Urban Landscapes into Urban Regulations — AESOP Congress, Istanbul (2025).
Advancing urban land change models at the intersection of land use planning and parcel-scale decision-making — Global Land Programme Open Science Meeting, Oaxaca (2024).
Enhancing Knowledge and Preservation of Vernacular Assets: A GIS-Based Approach for Surveys and Cataloguing — International Seminar on Vernacular and Earthen Architecture, Porto (2023).
Integrating the seismic vulnerability in the Catalogue of Historical Monuments for risk management — International Congress of Civil Engineering in World Heritage Cities, Puebla (2022).
Machine-Learning-based vulnerability analysis of the HUL — poster, CABE Research Forum, Newport (2022).
Towards an Integrated Vulnerability-Based Approach for Mitigating Earthquake Risk in Urban Areas — INFRARISK Summer Workshop, Lisbon (2021).
Diagnosis and Structural Assessment of the Fortress and Convent of Ínsua de São Isidro — Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions Congress, Cuzco (2018).
Sacbé, an urban-scale housing project for Mérida, Yucatán — International Forum in Sustainable Housing, Mérida (2013).
Teaching and mentoring
Knowledge and Innovation Facilitator
IMFAHE Global Talent Platform · Online
International Mentor Program; mentorship of a PhD candidate.
Workshop coordinator and facilitator
Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon · Portugal
“From fair to FAIR: Digitising cultural heritage to prevent loss”.
Invited Lecturer
Catholic University of Bolivia · Online
Seminar on GIS-BIM-HBIM integration for protecting cultural heritage.
Intern
National Coordination of Historical Monuments · Mexico
Mentored interns in the protocols and technical processes of historical-monument documentation.
Volunteer
Faculty of Architecture, UNAM · Mexico
Trained and guided 15 students in a survey of the temple of Cotija, Michoacán.
Scientific organisation and academic service
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Academic Culture teams (2026–present), CiTG, TU Delft; member of the Early Career Research and Supervision, and Research & Integrity committees.
Workshops & Technical Committees’ Meetings Co-Manager (2026), XV IAEG World Congress: Engineering Geology in a Rapidly Changing World, Delft.
Scientific Committee member (2026), 11th European Workshop on the Seismic Behaviour of Irregular and Complex Structures (EWICS), Seville.
Scientific Committee member (2026), XXII International Conference on Building Pathology and Construction Repair (CINPAR), Lisbon.
Workshop co-design (2018), “From the Concept to the Practice: Is it Possible to Talk about World Heritage and Cultural Authenticity?”, UNESCO Chair in Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes and Knowledge Communities, Matera.
Workshop co-design (2018), “The Ethics of Architecture and the Social Function of Art History”, UNESCO Chair in Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes and Knowledge Communities, Matera.
Publications
The bibliography includes 21 journal articles, 6 book chapters, and 9 peer-reviewed conference contributions, with original titles and bibliographic details.