ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL WORK

Portfolio

Research projects, open science, and water engineering work.

· NSF #2054444 · Since May 2023

Wildfire disturbances & downstream water quality →

This project investigates how far downstream wildfire disturbances propagate in fluvial networks.

· Open science platform

TIERRAS · Open river transport data →

I helped develop a global platform to search, download, and contribute solute transport data. The database brings together more than 450 experiments from more than 50 rivers worldwide.

· NSF #2142691 · Since January 2024

River corridor transport & machine learning →

At UNM, I work on river corridor transport modeling using community data and physics-aware machine learning.

· Research Assistant · January–December 2022

Hidroituango · Environmental & hydrologic assessment →

At the National University of Colombia, I contributed to a multidisciplinary assessment of the Hidroituango dam.

· Water Engineer Intern · May 2026–Present

Water engineering at HDR →

My internship at HDR Engineering in Albuquerque connects environmental datasets with practical water infrastructure analysis.

· Third Place · Lobo Hackathon · Spring 2026

Enviro-GPT →

Enviro-GPT is an AI agent for environmental data and solutions, recognized with Third Place at the Lobo Hackathon hosted by Lobo Rainforest Innovations in Spring 2026.

· NSF #2514528 · Since August 2025

Treated wastewater & arid river sustainability →

This project asks whether treated wastewater can mitigate water scarcity without compromising the ecological sustainability of arid rivers.

LET’S CONNECT

Interested in water,
data, or collaboration?

liroca01@unm.edu ↗

+1 (505) 975-4563 · Albuquerque, New Mexico