UP Campus: Aguascalientes

"Professor Pia Berger holds a PhD in Science from the Institute of Geophysics at UNAM and a Master's degree in Geology/Geophysics from the University of Würzburg, Germany. She has conducted research at institutions in France, Italy, Germany, Australia, the United States and Mexico.

Experience in the professional environment: Consultant in the fields of environmental remediation and energy technology in Munich, Cologne and Hanover, Germany.

He has published several papers in national and international Conferences and Journals in the area of Geophysics, Biomaterials and Circular Economy.

She is currently a Professor-Researcher at the School of Engineering at Universidad Panamericana, Campus Aguascalientes. She is coordinator of the Dual Program of the international Master's Degree: Master in Engineering in Circular Economy.

Research in Circular Economy including the study of Renewable Energies, carbon capture and the Development of new biomaterials such as biochar and biopolymers."

Research Areas

• Biochar
• Energy Efficiency
• Water Resource Utilization

Dr. María Teresa earned a degree in Electronics and Digital Systems Engineering from Bonaterra University, graduating with honors for her thesis titled “Electronic Design of a Digital Pulse Oximeter.” She later earned a specialization in robotics from the Universidad Panamericana. She pursued a Master of Science degree, conducting research on microelectromechanical systems, and subsequently earned her Ph.D. by studying the optimization of mechanism balancing using natural coordinates, graduating with honors.

She has been a professor in the School of Engineering since 2002, where she has taught various courses in the departments of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Electronics. She has also taught graduate-level courses at the Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in India and undergraduate-level courses at the Rzeszów University of Technology in Poland.

He has participated in research projects such as the 2020 Research Promotion Fund and the 2021 Research Promotion Fund. He also carried out the project “Analysis and Optimization of Mechanisms Using Natural Coordinates,” funded by the State Fund for Technological Innovation of the Aguascalientes State Institute of Science and Technology (INCyTEA) in 2024.

She has supervised graduate theses at the Aguascalientes campus of the National Institute of Technology ( Universidad Panamericana ) and has also served as a co-advisor for graduate theses at the Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in India.
Her research interests include: instrumentation, automation, robotics, mathematical modeling, and computer vision.

Research Areas

• Robotics
• Mathematical Modeling
• Instrumentation
• Computer Vision

Dr. Gabriela Durán Aguilar, a distinguished product designer. Since 2007, she has been an entrepreneur as a founding partner of Corporativo APR y Diseño. In the academic sphere, she serves as Head of the Academy of Innovation and Design and as a professor in the School of Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Aguascalientes ( Universidad Panamericana), Aguascalientes Campus. She is also a Candidate-level member of the National System of Innovation and Innovation (SNII). Her solid academic background is supported by a Ph.D. in Engineering, with a focus on innovation, design, and technology.

Previously, he earned a master’s degree in Industrial and Intellectual Property and a master’s degree in Exhibition Design and Management, both of which complemented his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design.

The primary objective is to promote research and product development, with a deep specialization in medical and ergonomic design. Its goal is to improve patients’ quality of life by addressing health issues through the design of medical devices.

This is reflected in her commitment to projects such as the treatment of lymphedema secondary to breast cancer, the redesign of the hemodialysis catheter, and the Nura breast pump. To achieve her goals, she employs applied research and healthcare ergonomics.

It uses methodologies such as Experience Design to improve user interaction with medical devices, such as urinary catheters. It also integrates advanced technological and analytical tools, such as the simulation of biological environments.

Her ability to combine industrial design with the health sciences has led her to file two patent applications for an artificial lymphatic vessel.

His work has received international and national recognition, including awards such as the NTT Data 2023 Mexico Award, the National Design Award in multiple editions (2020–2024), and being a finalist in the 2025 Mobile World Capital Awards and Seoul Design 2025.

Research Areas

• Health Design and Product Development
• Design and Technology

Ramiro Velázquez Guerrero is a full-time professor in the School of Engineering at the Aguascalientes campus of the Universidad Panamericana . He has served as director of the Mechatronics Engineering program, dean of the School of Engineering, and vice president for research. He is currently the academic vice president at this campus.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Aguascalientes ( Universidad Panamericana , Aguascalientes, MX), a Master’s degree in Automatic Control Systems from the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon (INSA-Lyon, FR), and a Ph.D. in Robotics from Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris, FR) in 1999, 2002, and 2006, respectively. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Magdalena (Colombia), ASKSiM (Poland), and La Salle University (Colombia).

Dr. Velázquez is recognized as an expert reviewer by the European Commission, the Swiss National Science Foundation, CONACYT (Mexico), COLCIENCIAS (Colombia), FONCyT (Argentina), CONCYTEC (Peru), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (Israel). He serves on the editorial board and as a reviewer for numerous indexed journals and international conferences.

He is the author or co-author of more than 200 articles in indexed journals and at international and national conferences. His research interests include assistive technologies for people with physical disabilities, robotics and mechatronics, image processing, and human-computer interaction. His research has been covered and featured by IEEE Spectrum, CNN, CBS News, and the BBC.

Dr. Velázquez is a Level I member of the National System of Researchers.

Research Areas

• Assistive technologies
• Mechatronic Systems
• Image Processing

Dr. Pedro Manuel Rodrigo Cruz studied industrial engineering at the University of Navarra and holds a Ph.D. in Renewable Energy from the University of Jaén, Spain. He was awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize at the University of Jaén. For 13 years, he has worked as a professor and researcher in the School of Engineering at the Aguascalientes campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( Universidad Panamericana ), where he currently holds the position of Tenured Researcher C. He previously served as Secretary of Research for that school and is currently the campus’s Director of Research.

A researcher in the field of solar photovoltaics, he is the author of 86 scientific publications indexed in Scopus (h-index: 25, number of citations: 1,905). He is also the author of four book chapters and two patents. He is a Level 1 member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) of Mexico’s Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI). He serves as a reviewer for high-impact journals such as *Applied Energy*, *Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells*, *Energy Conversion and Management*, etc.

He collaborates with several solar energy research networks both in Mexico and internationally. He has participated in various research projects in Spain and Mexico. He received the European Union’s Seal of Excellence for a project submitted under the Marie Skłodowska Curie calls for proposals. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Jaén with funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science. He teaches courses on Energy and Research Methodology at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels at the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( Universidad Panamericana ).

Research Areas

• Photovoltaic solar energy

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering in 2006 and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 2010, both from the Technological Institute of Ciudad Madero. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Sciences in Control and Dynamic Systems from the Potosí Institute for Scientific and Technological Research (IPICYT) in 2017. He won second place nationally at the doctoral level in the 2017 National Thesis Competitions.

He was a full-time professor in the Electronic Engineering program at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Pánuco in Veracruz from 2015 to 2018. He completed a SECIHTI postdoctoral fellowship at the Tecnológico de Monterrey from 2018 to 2020.

He is currently at Level 1 in the National System of Researchers. He has served as a research professor at the National Autonomous University of Aguascalientes ( Universidad Panamericana ), Aguascalientes campus, since 2020. He is currently a Tenured Research Professor (C).

His research interests include the development of electronic power converters, power quality, and control applied to power systems. His academic experience at the university level includes teaching courses in electromagnetism, electrical circuits, analog electronics, control systems, and power electronics.

Research Areas

• Power Electronics: Design and Control
• Microcontroller Programming
• Energy Processing
• Signal Processing Converters and Filters