Dr. Hector A. Garcia is a Full Professor and Program Coordinator of the Water and Sustainable Development graduate program at the Universidad Tecnológica (UTEC) in Uruguay, a collaborative initiative with the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. A Fulbright Scholar with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Garcia also serves as an Affiliate Professor with IHE Delft in the Netherlands.

His leadership is central to international efforts in building capacity for water, sanitation, and hygiene. Dr. Garcia established the Latin American hub for the Global Sanitation Graduate School at UTEC, a flagship initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to scale advanced sanitation education worldwide. Since 2025, he has led the Division of Education and Research Coordination (DICEI) for the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS), coordinating research and educational initiatives across the Americas.

Dr. Garcia’s research addresses critical technical challenges in the developing world, focusing on engineered biological treatment and membrane systems for water reuse and resource recovery. A prolific mentor and scholar, he has supervised over 50 graduate researchers and authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. His professional footprint is truly global; he has led research and capacity-building projects worldwide—ranging from diverse international regions to specialized work in Antarctica—delivering sustainable water and wastewater solutions across a wide array of environments.