Leonardo David Donado

I am a professional specializing in the integrated management of water resources. My multidisciplinary approach encompasses teaching, research, innovation, and strategic planning. My work focuses on groundwater engineering and its interaction with surface water, promoting sustainable solutions for environmental conservation, the transition to clean energy, and the development of physical infrastructure. I have led projects that integrate these hydrological dynamics, contributing to the strengthening of water sustainability and resilience in various contexts.

Additionally, I have extensive experience evaluating the quality of higher education and teaching civil engineering, shaping new generations of professionals who drive academic and technical advancements in these fields. My career includes collaborations with international institutions, enabling me to transfer advanced knowledge to the Colombian context and develop innovative tools for water management and the analysis of complex systems.

Full Professor in Exclusive Dedication at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia at the Bogotá Campus. He is part of the Department of Civil and Agricultural Engineering of the School of Engineering. He is also the leader and Senior Researcher of the Hydrodynamic Research Group of the Natural Media - HYDS (Category A in the classification of the Colombian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation).

Civil engineer with a minor in Water and Environment and a Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Doctor with a European mention in Civil Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Barcelona Tech), specializing in hydrogeology.

Lecturer of the courses of Groundwater Hydraulics, Environmental Hydrogeology, Groundwater Modeling, and Stochastic Methods in Water Resources in the Graduate Program in Water Resources Engineering and among other undergraduate courses of the Hydrosystems Modeling Workshop: Hydrology, Uncertainty Analysis, Numerical Methods for Civil Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Basic Hydraulics and Hydraulic Structures of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has directed master's and doctoral theses in hydrogeology and water resources. He has publications in the highest-impact international journals, such as Water Resources Research and the Journal of Hydrology, where he is also a permanent reviewer. 

With a wealth of experience, he has served as the coordinator of the Undergraduate and Doctoral Programs in Civil Engineering and the Director of Academic Programs in Civil and Agricultural Engineering. He has also overseen the Hydraulic and Hydraulic Testing Laboratories of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, demonstrating his strong leadership skills and commitment to academic excellence.

He has also held significant roles in international organizations, serving as Vice President of the Permanent Technical Commission of Water Resources Engineering of the Colombian Society of Engineers and as a member of the Board of the Colombian Association of Hydrogeologists. His global reach is further evidenced by his membership in the American Geophysical Union, the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the International Association for Research and Hydroenvironmental Engineering, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, and the International Society of Porous Media INTERPORE, where he leads the Colombia Chapter.

From the early days of his engineering career, he has been deeply committed to modeling processes and phenomena of flow and contamination of underground and surface water resources. His dedication is evident in the numerous models he has developed, from those applied to the analysis of hydro systems like the Morroa Aquifer for the Colombian Geological Service and the Valle del Cauca Aquifer for the CVC, to theoretical models of transport of reactive substances and models of highly complex systems such as fractured massifs. His passion for his work is further demonstrated in his applications in works premises such as the Line Tunnel and the Sumapaz Tunnel for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. He has also shared his expertise through consulting for the UNDP and the Development Bank of Latin America, CAF, INVÍAS, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in Hydrogeological Modeling. His dedication to his research is evident in his role as the lead researcher of the MEGIA Research Project, which aims to carry out the Hydrodynamic Model for Water Governance in the North of the Middle Magdalena Valley.