Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm has more than 30 years of experience as an ecosystem hydrologist, combining academic leadership with a distinguished career in government, the private sector, and international organizations. He is currently President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences (UMCES) and Vice Chancellor for Sustainability of the University System of Maryland.

Throughout his career, he has led research projects worth more than $300 million, funded by institutions such as NASA, NOAA, NSF, and the World Bank. His work has promoted water resource management projects in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, with a focus on generating applied science that supports decision-making at a global level.

Additionally, Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm has held key positions as Dean at George Mason University and Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Earth System Sciences at the University of Maryland. He was also a Senior Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, where he contributed to strategic planning at the intersection of water, energy, and food in the Amazon Basin.

He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is certified as a Professional Engineer in the states of Massachusetts and Florida. He holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT, a Master of Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela.