IHCantabria’s postdoctoral researcher, Moisés Álvarez, has obtained one of the 20 Leonardo 2024 Grants

The postdoctoral researcher at the of Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria), Moisés Álvarez Cuesta, has been chosen as the recipient of one of the 20 Leonardo Scholarships in Physics, Chemistry and Engineering 2024, awarded by the BBVA Foundation. These grants support the work of researchers who, being in the intermediate stages of their career, are characterized by a highly innovative scientific, technological or cultural trajectory.

In the extraordinary call for 2024, 493 applications were received, of which 226 belonged to the Engineering area. The selection was made by an evaluation committee made up of leading experts in various engineering disciplines. The evaluation committee has decided to award 10 grants, one of which is for Moisés Álvarez Cuesta, for his project entitled: “Risk analysis and adaptation of coastal systems to climate change based on stress tests: a paradigm shift (CoTEs)”. This research proposes a new approach to assess the risks faced by coastal areas in the face of climate change and design adaptation strategies to ensure their resilience and sustainability.

CoTEs seeks to transform the traditional approach to risk analysis and overcome its limitations. Whereas top-down methods rely on often uncertain and imprecise future climate scenarios to assess the response of systems, CoTEs takes a bottom-up approach. Its analysis focuses on understanding the response and vulnerabilities of coastal systems to any possible combination of forcings, without relying on climate projections. This provides insight into the conditions under which the functioning of coastal systems is no longer acceptable, facilitating interpretation by coastal managers and reducing uncertainties associated with future climate scenarios.

The impact of CoTEs is expected to be significant socially, economically and scientifically. From a social perspective, it will help reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities. Economically, it will help define cost-effective adaptation strategies for key infrastructures such as ports and beaches. Scientifically, it will promote new interdisciplinary methodologies, combining physics, engineering, economic modeling and social sciences, with the expectation of generating impactful scientific publications and a broad transfer of knowledge at a global level.

In the words of Moisés Álvarez Cuesta, “obtaining a Leonardo grant is a source of great pride, as it is the first scientific project he leads, as well as a unique opportunity to advance in the analysis and management of coastal risks associated with climate change”. Moisés Álvarez thanks the BBVA Foundation for the trust placed in the CoTEs project, through the Leonardo grant. He also expresses his gratitude to IHCantabria, especially to his thesis directors ─AlexandraToimil and Íñigo Losada─and to the Climate Risks, Adaptation and Resilience group ─especially to its head, Javier López Lara─, where he carries out his research activity. From these people, Moisés Álvarez affirms “having received all the support in the preparation of the proposal, which is based on the wide experience of IHCantabria in the analysis of coastal risks and coastal management”.

Characteristics of the Leonardo 2024 Scholarships

The BBVA Foundation created the Leonardo Scholarships in 2014, as a strategic and differential commitment to achieve its goal of supporting science and culture of excellence, as well as its projection to society. The program offers wide margins of flexibility for the realization of personal and innovative projects, which often represent a turning point in the career of the researchers and creators who receive it.

In the 2024 call, 10 grants have been awarded in Physics and Chemistry, and another 10 in Engineering. In addition, the BBVA Foundation has increased the maximum endowment of the selected projects to 50,000 euros for each grant, which is 25% more than the amount awarded so far.

IHCantabria, with its recognized track record in international projects on coastal adaptation, will contribute to the implementation and dissemination of the results of the CoTEs project, whose research represents a key advance in coastal risk management in the face of the challenges of climate change.

For more information about the BBVA Foundation’s Leonardo Scholarships, please visit the following website: https://www.redleonardo.es/noticias/adjudicadas-becas-leonardo-fisica-quimica-ingenierias-2024/