About Me

Director of the Research Centre on the Alpine Environment

Sion, Valais, Switzerland | Institutional website

Antonio is the new director of the Research Centre on the Alpine Environment (CREALP). He is in charge for establishing the roadmap and vision to help guiding, motivating and inspiring an outstanding team of more than 20 collaborators dealing with diverse environmental applications, supported by the CF and GATS structures at the CREALP. Feel free to find here my contact details, Linkedin website and Google Scholar

Career

Summary

As the CREALP’s director, Antonio is in charge of overseeing the different projects carried out by the organisation, supported by the managers of the different thematic areas and the nominated project leaders. Antonio is also in charge of securing the fiscal health of the organization: planning the company annual budget (more than 2 Million Swiss Francs per year) and taking any corrective actions necessary to secure the journey according to plan, being supported by an excellent middle management team. Other responsibilities include providing technical expertise building capacity and securing the necessary funding on his skillset, in addition to oversee recruiting, selecting and training team members with excellent capabilities, guide, accompany and tutoring younger members of staff to secure career development and professional recognition, etc.
Antonio’s vision aligns with providing innovative solutions to pressing challenges in the alpine environment, including answering to pressing societal questions under a changing climate scenario in diverse aspects related with diverse institutional strengths, including groundwater, geo-resources and environmental hazards.

Prior to his current role, Antonio was involved in several academic positions in world leading universities, including an assistant professorship in Engineering Geology & Geohazars in the UK (University of Leeds), a senior research position at the Scott Polar Research Institute (University of Cambridge), a post-doc at the Risk Analysis Group (University of Lausanne), an adjunct assistant professorship in the department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering (Queens University) and a guest professorship at Eichstätt University. During his previous academic career, Antonio published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals dealing with Natural Hazards, Engineering Geology and Remote Sensing. He hold responsibilities on the Editorial Board of Computers & Geosciences journal (Elsevier) and have been invited to participate in several guest talks, editing diverse special issues, convening scientific sessions, project evaluation, etc. Antonio has secured more than 2 million CHF in diverse competitive scientific schemes through several projects successfully funded by Science Foundations at European, National and regional levels in Switzerland, Spain and the UK. Also, he’s been involved in the organization and scientific committee of multiple workshops and conferences, including more than 50 conferences proceedings.

Research interests:

PhD Engineering Geologist interested in monitoring, modelling and predicting gravity-driven instabilities in rock and ice cliffs using high resolution remote sensing techniques from terrestrial, UAV and satellite platforms. I’m interested in investigating gravity driven instabilities, both in rock and in icy media, in order to predict the occurrence of (catastrophic) Rock Slope Failures (RSF). My previous research interestswhile I was in the academia ranged from the use of high resolution techniques and methods for 3D experimental data collection (remote sensing techniques, Structure-from-motion, new dynamic sensors, etc.), to the development of innovative algorithms for the characterization, monitoring and modelling of progressive failures, including the influence of external forces (precipitation) on the dynamics of the phenomena. I’m fluent in different languages (English, French, Spanish and Catalan) and highly motivated in learning and developing new 4D research methods and techniques. Also, I love outdoors sports, photography, nature and most importantly, I am married with a wonderful woman and our family is growing up… that’s great ! ^^

Background Education

  • 2009 | PhD in Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona (Spain)
  • 2003 | BSc + MSc in Engineering Geology, University of Alicante (Spain) – First Class Honours

Antonio gained his European Doctorate at the RISKNAT group (University of Barcelona) in 2009 with honours (summa cum laude), carrying out research stays in the UK (Durham University) and Switzerland (University of Lausanne). His MSc studies were in Geological Engineering at the University of Alicante graded with distinction (1st class honours), were he also was awarded with a prize to the 2nd-highest-ranking student at national level.

Antonio Abellán, PhD.