Hi, I'm Julio.

I am an interdisciplinary scientist interested in the physical and transitional risks that businesses and governments face related to climate change, climate policy, and energy policy. To quantify these climate risks, I develop statistical and machine learning models using data from sources such as satellite imagery and climate models. Currently, I am a Vice President in the Sustainability Research and Modeling team at BlackRock. In the past, I have worked at Descartes Labs as an Applied Scientist, at Stanford University's Department of Earth System Science as a Postdoctoral Scholar, and at The World Bank's Disaster Risk Management and Urban Development Unit as a Short-term Consultant. 

I hold a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a certificate in Environmental Policy from Princeton University, as well as a BS in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University. My academic research focused on the causes and impacts of droughts under current and future climates, and my research findings have been featured in media outlets including National Geographic, Scientific American, and Bloomberg.

I enjoy traveling and learning about other cultures through their food, art, and music. In the upcoming years, one of my goals is to learn more languages to be able to connect better with others when I travel abroad. I also like to run in my spare time and, in the winter, ice skate and ski. I am originally from Mexico City, Mexico -- a warm, lively, and colorful city.

The header image displays a fraction of Lake Kariba and Zimbabwe as seen by NASA's Landsat 8 satellite on November 25, 2018. Lake Kariba is an important transboundary lake between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and a key source of water and hydropower for the region. Southern Africa has recently experienced a prolonged drought that has caused the Lake's levels to decline, leading to a range of cascading impacts including more frequent blackouts. Source: NASA Earth Observatory.