Portada > Personal Docente e Investigador
Dr. Gustavo Vargas-Silva was born in Medellin (Colombia). Dr. Vargas attained his Mechanical Engineer degree in 1997 at the Pontificia Bolivariana University, and he received the M.Sc. degree in Materials Engineering in 2003 at the same University. In 2005, he obtained the Diploma of Advanced Studies in New Automotive Technologies at the University of Zaragoza, in Zaragoza (Spain). In 2010, he achieved the Ph.D. degree at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. Dr. Vargas was also a professor at the same University. He was the Associate Chair and Mechanical Engineering Lead at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas (USA). Back in the Basque Country, he was an Associate Researcher at the research group caviar (Quality of Life in Architecture) of the University of the Basque Country. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the Public University of Navarra. His research interests are Engineering Mechanics, Materials Design, Mechanics of Materials, and Sustainable Materials.
Dr. Vargas is passionate about teaching and focuses on STEM education. He started as Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Pontificia Bolivariana University in Medellin (Colombia), and worked as a part time Lecturer at the EAFIT University, also in Medellin. He continued as Visiting Professor in the University of the Basque Country, in San Sebastian (Spain). After getting the PhD degree from 2011 to 2019, Dr. Vargas was an Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Basque Country, and researcher of the 'Materials + Technologies' Group. In Texas (USA), between 2019 and 2021, he was an Associate Professor of the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering at the Angelo State University. His current teaching practice is carried out as Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering at the Public University of Navarra, in Pamplona (Spain).
Dr. Vargas has published twenty-four scientific papers in JCR international journals, and six book chapters. He has presented more than 65 communications in international conferences and winning several R&TD&I awards. He has actively participated in several regional, national and European research projects, as well as in projects with industries, from which he has registered one patent. Regularly he also offers workshops related to materials, mechanics, biomimetics, engineering, architecture, and science & technology.
In addition to his experience in academia, he has two industrial work experiences. The first one, as Technical Director of the Research, Technological Development and Innovation Department at AH Associates Architects in Pamplona (Spain), between 2006 and 2010. In this work, he acquired a real-world industry understanding, putting in practice his theoretical background in mechanical and materials engineering. Moreover, he had the opportunity to work with local industries (building companies, material industries, and information and communication technology firms) and other universities, and to prepare projects / grants for obtaining external funding. The second one, as Engineering Researcher at Smart Urban Regeneration (SUR) S.L., in Pamplona (Spain), working in an EU Horizon 2020 Smart Cities research project towards models of smart, highly efficient, intelligent and citizen-oriented cities.
He is a passionate learner and teacher, and that is why he decided to become an engineer. He always has been interested in understanding how the physical world works: what are the main principles, the fundamental rules. At the beginning, in Medellín, he had the opportunity to start working as a researcher and a teacher in a research group of Engineering Materials where he discovered deeper Mechanics of Materials, Engineering Materials, and Manufacturing Processes.
On the personal plane, Dr. Vargas is a citizen of the world: he has lived in three countries, he has a broad vision of Latin American and European cultures, and he speaks four languages (Spanish, Basque, English, and Italian). Finally, his hobbies are literature, cinema, cooking, and history of science and technology. He has two citizenships: Spaniard (i.e. European Union citizenship) and Colombian.