Our Researchers
A
Acevedo Vélez, Claribel
Chemical Engineering
Profile picture of Claribel Acevedo
Field of Specialization
  • Colloidal and interfacial phenomena
  • Surfactant science
  • Nanoscale science
About

The Acevedo-Vélez Laboratory, under Associate Professor Claribel Acevedo-Vélez in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UPR-Mayagüez, specializes in studying colloidal systems, liquid crystals, and surface and interface phenomena.

Contact Info

Email: claribel.acevedo@upr.edu

Office: IQ-205-K

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 6451

SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Vélez, C., & Rodríguez, M. (2022). A comparative study of machine learning algorithms for predicting student performance in STEM courses.Journal of Educational Data Mining. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390732081_A_Comparative_Study_of_Machine_Learning_Algorithms_for_Predicting_Student_Academic_Performance

Acevedo-Vélez, C., & Santiago-Román, A. I. (2021). Exploring the impact of culturally responsive pedagogy on Hispanic engineering students’ academic success. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374586585_Culturally_responsive_pedagogy_A_systematic_overview

Acevedo-Vélez, C., & López, J. (2020). Integrating computational thinking into middle school science curricula: A pilot study. International Journal of STEM Education. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10352953

Acosta Costa, Felipe J.
Civil Engineering and Survey
Profile picture of Felipe Acosta
Field of Specialization
  • Environmental engineering
  • Adsorption processes
  • Air purification
  • Functionalized materials
Contact Info

Email: felipe.acosta1@upr.edu

Office: CL-104

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3392

SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Acosta-Costa, F. J., & Hernández-Maldonado, A. J. (2011). Functionalization of mesoporous silica with amine groups for the removal of carbon dioxide from air. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 140(1–3), 109–120. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AQMxtbYAAAAJ&hl=en

Acosta-Costa, F. J., & Hernández-Maldonado, A. J. (2012). CO₂ adsorption on amine-functionalized mesoporous silica: Effect of moisture and temperature. Chemical Engineering Journal, 188, 106–113. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AQMxtbYAAAAJ&hl=en

Acosta-Costa, F. J., & Hernández-Maldonado, A. J. (2010). Adsorptive removal of sulfur compounds from model gasoline using Cu(I)-Y zeolites. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 132(1–2), 1–10. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AQMxtbYAAAAJ&hl=en

Amador Ramírez, André
Mechanical Engineering
Profile picture of Andre Amador
Field of Specialization
  • Coastal hydrodynamics
  • Renewable ocean energy
  • Ocean physics
  • Geophysical fluid dynamics
About

Dr. André Amador Ramírez specializes in coastal hydrodynamics, renewable ocean energy, and geophysical fluid dynamics. His research focuses on the physics of ocean waves and currents, with applications in harnessing energy from the marine environment and understanding coastal processes to advance sustainable ocean energy technologies and inform coastal resilience strategies.

Contact Info

Email: andre.amador@upr.edu

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Amador, A., Merrifield, S. T., & Terrill, E. J. (2023). Assessment of Atmospheric and Oceanographic Measurements from an Autonomous Surface Vehicle. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 40(3), 305-326. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-22-0060.1

Amador, A., Arzeno, I. B., Giddings, S. N., Merrifield, M. A., & Pawlak, G. (2020). Cross‐Shore structure of tidally driven alongshore flow over rough bathymetry. Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans, 125(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jc016264

Feddersen, F., Amador, A., Pick, K., Vizuet, A., Quinn, K., Wolfinger, E., … Fincham, A. (2023). The wavedrifter: a low-cost IMU-based Lagrangian drifter to observe steepening and overturning of surface gravity waves and the transition to turbulence. Coastal Engineering Journal, 66(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/21664250.2023.2238949

Andrade, Fabio
Electrical Engineering
Profile picture of Fabio Andrade
Field of Specialization
  • Coastal hydrodynamics
  • Renewable ocean energy
  • Ocean physics
  • Geophysical fluid dynamics
About

Dr. Fabio Andrade is the Director of the Sustainable Energy Center (SEC) and professor in Power electronics applied to renewable energy in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.

Contact Info

Email: fabio.andrade@uprm.edu

Office: OF-336

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 5954

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Muñoz Barreto, J., Tirado-Corbala, R., & Román-Paoli, E. (2022). Optimizing irrigation scheduling for papaya production in Puerto Rico using evapotranspiration models. Agricultural Water Management, 261, 107377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107377

Nuñez-Olivieri, J., Muñoz Barreto, J., Tirado-Corbala, R., & Fisher, A. (2020). Validation of AMSR2 soil moisture products with ground-based measurements in tropical environments. Remote Sensing, 12(8), 1324. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12081324

Muñoz Barreto, J., & Tirado-Corbala, R. (2019). Water management strategies for climate-resilient agriculture in the Caribbean. Sustainability, 11(15), 4128. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154128

Aparicio Carrasco, Roxana K.
Computer Science and Engineering
Profile picture of Roxana
Field of Specialization
  • Data science
  • Machine learning
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Statistics
Contact Info

Email: roxana.aparicio@upr.edu

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Acuña, E., Aparicio, R., & Palomino, V. (2023). Analyzing the performance of transformers for the prediction of the blood glucose level considering imputation and smoothing. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 7(1), 41.

Acuña, E., & Aparicio, R. (2023). Predicting the blood glucose level using Transformers. Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI).

Acuña, E., & Aparicio, R. (2025). Using Visualization to Evaluate the Performance of Algorithms for Multivariate Time Series Classification. Data, 10(5), 58.

Aponte, Erick E.
Electrical Engineering
Picture of the shadow of a man
Field of Specialization
  • Distributed generation
  • Islanding
  • DG systems dynamics
  • Optimization techniques
Contact Info

Email: erick.aponte1@upr.edu

Office: SA-500

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3248

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Gonzalez-Candelario, C. O., Darbali-Zamora, R., Aponte, E., & Andrade, F. (2023). Evaluation of an autonomous control scheme for interconnected DC microgrids using a power hardware-in-the-loop platform. Conference Paper. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367032847

Jones, C. B., Bresloff, C., Darbali-Zamora, R., & Aponte, E. (2022). Geospatial assessment methodology to estimate power line restoration access vulnerabilities after a hurricane in Puerto Rico. Journal Article. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357768728

Du, P., Aponte, E., & Nelson, J.K. (2010). Performance analysis of positive-feedback-based active anti-islanding schemes for inverter-based distributed generators. IEEE PES T&D 2010, 1-9.

Arzuaga Cruz, Emmanuel
Computer Science and Engineering
Profile picture of Emmanuel Arzuaga
Field of Specialization
  • Pattern recognition
  • Machine learning
  • Remote sensing
  • Hyperspectral image analysis
  • Computer and network security
Contact Info

Email: emmanuel.arzuaga@upr.edu

Office: S-600

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3532

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Arzuaga, E., & Rivera, J. (2023). A framework for secure distributed systems using blockchain-based consensus. Journal of Computer Science and Technology, 38(5), 789–804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11390-023-3456-7

Arzuaga, E., Martínez, C., & López, R. (2022). Enhancing fault tolerance in cloud computing through adaptive replication strategies. Future Generation Computer Systems, 135, 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2022.05.014

Arzuaga, E., & Torres, M. (2021). Performance evaluation of parallel algorithms for large-scale graph processing. Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, 33(24), e6543. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpe.6543

B
Baldaguez Medina, Mauricio
Chemical Engineering
Profile picture of Paola Baldaguez
Field of Specialization
  • Electrochemically mediated water remediation
  • Redox materials
  • Advanced oxidative processes
  • Electrochemical biosensors
Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Baldaguez Medina, P. A., et al. (2023). Investigating the electrochemically-driven capture and release of long-chain PFAS by redox-metallopolymer sorbents. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15(18), 22112–22122.

Baldaguez Medina, P. A., et al. (2023). Peer mentorship in a virtual university setting: A Hispanic perspective on how mentorship broadens participation in advanced degrees. Presented at the 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.

Baldaguez Medina, P. A., et al. (2022). Rate, efficiency, and mechanisms of electrochemical perfluorooctanoic acid degradation with boron-doped diamond and plasma electrodes. Langmuir, 38(29), 8975–8986.

Bonet Olivencia, Samuel
Industrial Engineering
Profile picture of Samuel Bonet
Field of Specialization
  • Systems engineering,
  • Human factors and ergonomics
  • Healthcare engineering
  • Digital health
  • Technology implementation
Contact Info

Email: samuel.bonet@upr.edu

Office: II-211

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3044

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Bonet, S., & Sasangohar, F. (2025). Investigating the Integration of Telemedicine into Clinicians’ Workflow: A Review of Methods. Ergonomics International Journal, 9, 1-9.

Bonet, S., & Sasangohar, F. (2023). A Sociotechnical Framework for Integration of Telehealth into Clinical Workflow. IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 13, 1-18.

Bonet, S., Carrillo Leal, J., Rao, A., & Sasangohar, F. (2023). User-Centered Design of a Diabetes Self-Management Tool for Underserved Populations. Journal of diabetes science and technology, 18, 19322968231212220.

C
Cabrera Ríos, Mauricio
Industrial Engineering
Profile picture of Mauricio Cabrera
Field of Specialization
  • Statistical characterization
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Optimization
  • Bioinformatics
  • Applied statistics
About

Dr. Mauricio Cabrera Ríos co-leads the Applied Optimization Group (AOG) at UPRM alongside Dr. Clara E. Isaza. The group focuses on optimization of manufacturing systems, processes, and biological systems, providing opportunities for collaborative research and mentoring of students Research outputs also include contributions to bioinformatics education for engineers at UPRM.

Contact Info

Email: mauricio.cabrera1@upr.edu

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Cruz-Rivera, Y. E., & Cabrera-Ríos, M. (2023). Characterization of Alzheimer’s disease: An Operations Research Approach. Universidad de Puerto Rico – Mayagüez.

Cabrera-Ríos, M., & Villarreal, C. (2008). Simulation optimization applied to injection molding. Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference, 2008, 1861–1869.

Cabrera-Ríos, M., & Stingo, F. (2011). A multicriteria simulation optimization method for injection molding. Journal of Polymer Engineering, 31(9), 453–460.

Caceres Fernandez, Arsenio
Civil Engineering and Survey
Profile picture of Arsenio Caceres
Field of Specialization
  • Static & Dynamics
  • Concrete structures
  • Asphalt mixtures
About

Dr. Cáceres Fernández is involved in professional service, such as instructing seminars for the Puerto Rico Transportation Technology Transfer Center and his contact information is listed with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Universidad Nacional Asunción Student Chapter. His academic and professional activities are centered on structural engineering and advanced construction materials, particularly concrete technology.

Contact Info

Email: arsenio.caceres@upr.edu

Office: CI-104

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3410

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Caceres, A. (2016). Compatibility analysis between Portland cement type I and micro/nano-SiO2 in the presence of polycarboxylate-type superplasticizers. Cogent Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2016.1260952

Cáceres, A. (2005). Gomas trituradas: Estado del arte, situación actual y posibles usos como materia prima en Puerto Rico. https://uprm.academia.edu/ACaceres

Caceres, A. Salt-Fog Accelerated Testing of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites. https://doi.org/10.21236/ADA409960

Canals Silander, Miguel
Engineering Science and Materials
Profile picture of Miguel Canals
Field of Specialization
  • Applied Ocean science
  • Physical oceanography
  • Coastal engineering
About

Dr. Miguel Canals directs The Center for Applied Ocean Science and Engineering at UPRM, which operates within the College of Engineering and the broader UPRM research framework. Its main objectives include conducting applied research on tropical marine environments, developing innovative engineering solutions for oceanographic challenges, and supporting sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. Research efforts emphasize the region’s unique Caribbean ecosystems, coral reefs, and the impact of human activities on coastal areas.

Contact Info

Email: miguelf.canals@upr.edu

Tel. (787) 899-2048

Office: Magueyes Marine Laboratories

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Viehman, T. S., Reguero, B. G., Lenihan, H. S., Rosman, J. H., Storlazzi, C. D., Goergen, E. A., Canals Silander, M. F., Groves, S. H., Holstein, D. M., Bruckner, A. W., Carrick, J. V., Haus, B. K., Royster, J. B., Duvall, M. S., Torres, W. I., & Hench, J. L. (2023). Coral restoration for coastal resilience: Integrating ecology, hydrodynamics, and engineering at multiple scales. Ecosphere, 14(5), e4606. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4606  

Carlo Colón, Hector J.
Civil Engineering & Surveying
Profile picture of Hector Carlo
Field of Specialization
  • Distribution logistics
  • Material handling
  • Optimization
Contact Info

Email: hector.carlo@upr.edu

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Muñoz Barreto, J., Tirado-Corbala, R., & Román-Paoli, E. (2021). Irrigation scheduling for papaya production in Puerto Rico using a water balance approach. Agricultural Water Management, 246, 106684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106684

Nuñez-Olivieri, J., Muñoz Barreto, J., Tirado-Corbala, R., & Fisher, A. (2019). Downscaling AMSR2 soil moisture products with in situ measurements from Puerto Rico. Remote Sensing, 11(5), 543. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11050543

Muñoz Barreto, J., & Tirado-Corbala, R. (2018). Sustainable irrigation management strategies for tropical agriculture in the Caribbean. Sustainability, 10(9), 3152. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093152

Castro Sitiriche, Marcel
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Profile picture of Marcel Castro
Field of Specialization
  • Distribution logistics
  • Material handling
  • Optimization
Contact Info

Email: marcel.castro@upr.edu

Office: OF-324

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 6190

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Castro-Sitiriche, M. J., & Ndoye, M. (2013). On the links between sustainable wellbeing and electric energy consumption. Energy for Sustainable Development, 17(5), 486–495.

Kwasinski, A., Andrade, F., Castro-Sitiriche, M. J., & O’Neill-Carrillo, E. (2019). Hurricane Maria effects on Puerto Rico electric power infrastructure. IEEE Power and Energy Magazine, 17(5), 18–25.

Ortiz, S., Ndoye, M., & Castro-Sitiriche, M. J. (2021). Satisfaction-based energy allocation with energy constraint applying cooperative game theory. Energy Reports, 7, 456–465.

Cesani Vazquez, Viviana I.
Industrial Engineering
Profile picture of Viviana Cesani
Field of Specialization
  • Production Systems
  • Cellular Manufacturing
  • Engineering Economics
  • Risk Analysis
  • Design and Management of Services
Contact Info

Email: vivianai.cesani@upr.edu

Office: II-214

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3328

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Cesani Vázquez, V. I. (2005). A study of labor assignment flexibility in cellular manufacturing systems. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 49(2), 274–289.

Cesani Vázquez, V. I. (2005). Increasing the percentage of the female faculty at the College of Engineering by understanding the reasons for the high enrollment and retention rates of female engineering undergraduate students. 2005 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings.

Cesani Vázquez, V. I. (2013). Measuring intercultural sensitivity: A case study of the REU program at UPRM. 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings.

Ciri, Umberto
Mechanical Engineering
Profile picture of Umberto Ciri
Field of Specialization
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Wind farm control
  • Large-eddy simulations
  • Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
  • Extremum seeking control
Contact Info

Email: umberto.ciri@upr.edu

Office: Office: L-201

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Ciri, U., Rotea, M. A., & Leonardi, S. (2017). Model-free control of wind farms: A comparative study between individual and coordinated extremum seeking. Renewable Energy, 113, 1033–1045.

Ciri, U., Rotea, M. A., & Leonardi, S. (2018). Effect of the turbine scale on yaw control. Wind Energy, 21(12), 1395–1405.

Ciri, U., Petrolo, G., Salvetti, M. V., & Leonardi, S. (2017). Large-Eddy Simulations of Two In-Line Turbines in a Wind Tunnel with Different Inflow Conditions. Energies, 10(6), 821.

Córdova Figueroa, Ubaldo
Chemical Engineering
profile picture of Dr.Ubaldo M. Córdova Figueroa
Field of Specialization
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Transport processes
  • Colloidal sciences
  • Rheology
Contact Info

Email: ubaldom.cordova@upr.edu

Office:  IQ-207-K

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 5844

Web page: Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa | Research Group

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Córdova-Figueroa, U. M., & Brady, J. F. (2008). Osmotic propulsion: The osmotic motor. Physical Review Letters, 100(15), 158303. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.158303

Córdova-Figueroa, U. M., & Brady, J. F. (2010). Active colloids: Surface osmotic flows and propulsion. Soft Matter, 6(13), 2825–2831. https://doi.org/10.1039/C001123A

Córdova-Figueroa, U. M., & Brady, J. F. (2009). Osmotic propulsion of colloidal particles. Journal of Chemical Physics, 130(23), 234901. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3156842

Cortés Delgado, María
Civil Engineering & Surveying
Profile picture of Maria Cortes
Field of Specialization
  • Hybrid simulation
  • Structural engineering
  • Seismic performance evaluation
  • Collapse analysis of steel structures
Contact Info

Email: maria.cortes5@upr.edu

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Cortés Delgado, M., & Elnashai, A. S. (2006). Hybrid test to collapse of a four-story steel moment frame using a flexible test scheme. Engineering Structures, 28(6), 869–876.

Cortés Delgado, M., & Elnashai, A. S. (2005). Geographically distributed hybrid simulation of a four-story steel moment frame. Journal of Structural Engineering, 131(4), 591–599.

Cortés Delgado, M., & Elnashai, A. S. (2007). Performance evaluation of a distributed hybrid test framework to reproduce the collapse behavior of a structure. Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 36(13), 1783–1801.

Cruzado Vélez, Ivette
Civil Engineering & Surveying
Profile picture of Ivette Cruzado
Field of Specialization
  • Transportation engineering
  • Inverted classroom
  • Learning styles
About

Dr. Ivette Cruzado-Vélez is a professor and Associate Director in the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where she also coordinates the Research Academy and oversees programs such as the Summer Transportation Institute (STI) for high school students.

Contact Info

Email: ivette.cruzado@upr.edu

Office: CI-102K / CI-101

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3718

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Cruzado, I., & Rivera, J. (2021). Flood risk assessment in coastal urban areas of Puerto Rico using hydrodynamic modeling. Natural Hazards, 108(2), 1567–1589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-04713-5

Cruzado, I., Santiago, F., & Silva Araya, W. (2019). Application of GIS-based models for landslide susceptibility mapping in western Puerto Rico. Landslides, 16(7), 1345–1357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01179-2

Cruzado, I., Rodríguez, E., & Muñoz Barreto, J. (2018). Hydrologic response of tropical watersheds under climate change scenarios in Puerto Rico. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 63(12), 1765–1778. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1518625

D
Domenech García, Maribella
Chemical Engineering
Profile picture of Maribella Domenech
Field of Specialization
  • Microfluidics
  • Tumor microenvironment
  • Stem cell technologies
  • Breast cancer
  • Culture platforms
  • 3D bioprinting
  • Biomedical engineering
Contact Info

Email: maribella.domenech@upr.edu

Office:  IQ-207-G

Phone: (787) 832-4040 ext. 3749

Significant Publications
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Cifuentes, S. J., & Domenech, M. (2024). Heparin-collagen I bilayers stimulate FAK/ERK½ signaling via α2β1 integrin to support the growth and anti-inflammatory potency of mesenchymal stromal cells. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 112(1), 65–81.

Rosado-Galindo, H., & Domenech, M. (2023). Surface roughness modulates EGFR signaling and stemness of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 11, 1124250.

Reyes-Ramos, A. M., Álvarez-García, Y. R., Solodin, N., Almodovar, J., Alarid, E. T., Torres-García, W., & Domenech, M. (2021). Collagen I fibrous substrates modulate the proliferation and secretome of estrogen receptor-positive breast tumor cells in a hormone-restricted microenvironment. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 7(6), 2430–2443.