Garcia-Becerra, Dr. June
Biography
I have a background in chemical engineering (BEng and PhD) and biotechnology (MBiotech), with an emphasis on ecological engineering. My current research lines include both engineering and inter/transdisciplinary projects. At UNBC, I lead the Water and Sanitation Holistic Technologies (WASH-T) research group, which aims to develop sustainable and resilience-building decentralized water and sanitation solutions.
In addition, I have industry experience in the municipal and biopharmaceutical sectors. I have collaborated on sustainable and resilient community-based urbanization projects, process design of municipal wastewater treatments, and asset management. I have also worked in the downstream purification of biopharmaceuticals.
Research and Expertise
In the WASH-T group, we research, design, and foster sustainable and resilient engineering and interdisciplinary strategies to maintain balance within economic, community, and natural ecosystems.
In the engineering field, we study fungal-bacterial consortia for their application in the removal of micropollutants in wastewater. We also research nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands (in silico and in the lab). We also study the upgrade and valorization of waste biomass.
In the interdisciplinary space, we base our work on collaborative partnerships between the scientific community, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and communities who share a vision for change and innovation. We focus on developing circular economy projects that respond to the global challenges of the 21st century.
Some topics currently being studied are sociotechnical transformations required to adopt disruptive on-site ecotechnologies; sociohydrological resilience assessment and building in marginalized communities; and the implementation of ecopreneurship activities to generate circular economies.
Research Fields:- Climate Change
- Community
- Engineering
- Environment
- Sustainability
- Urban Planning
Ecological engineering and on-site nature-based solutions and biotechnologies focused on water and sanitation, innovative water and sanitation socioecosystemic-based solutions for cities and peri-urban areas. Sustainable and resilient socio-technological adaptation processes to the urban and peri-urban megatrends of the 21st century, such as climate change. Community, environment, natural resources, sustainability, urban planning.
Languages Spoken:- English
- Spanish
Postdoctoral Researcher: Gómez Borraz, T.L. (Mexican Researcher ID: CVU 347764). Evaluation of three peri-urban treatment wetland systems, through the characterization of microbial communities using molecular biology tools (2019 to date), UAM-C. Master’s thesis: Cruz-Rangel C. Biodegradation of carbamazepine as a wastewater micropollutant by a microbial consortium from the Lerma River (2018 to date). PCNI, UAM-C. Co-supervised with Ortiz I. Soto-Guzmán C. Design of fungal/bacterial granules for wastewater bioremediation (2014–2017). PCNI, UAM-C. Co-supervised with Revah-Moiseev S. Molina-Flores O. Analysis of the potential for implementing decentralized waste to energy biodigesters in urban residential areas in megacities like Mexico City (2016–2017). REAP Master Program, HafenCity University, Hamburg. Co-supervised with Dickhaut W. I supervise students interested in engineering and interdisciplinary work at the laboratory and pilot scale. I can also supervise studies conducted on-site and with communities.
Selected Publications
Luwe K, Sindall RC, Garcia-Becerra F.Y., et al. (2022) Perceptions of Inclusivity and Sustainability in Urban Sanitation in Global South Cities. Environmental Health Insights. 2022;16. doi:10.1177/11786302221139964
Alfie-Cohen, M., Garcia-Becerra, F. Y., Salinas-Toledano, M. A., & Reyes-Perez, J. (2022). Socio-hydrological vulnerability and adaptive capacity in Cuajimalpa municipality, Mexico City. Economía, sociedad y territorio, 22(70), 865-892. https://doi.org/10.22136/est20221903
Alfie-Cohen, M., Garcia-Becerra, F. Y. (2022). A multi-stakeholder participatory methodology to facilitate socio-ecological climate change vulnerability–adaptation–resilience strategies: application of the Q Method. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 27(2), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-021-09988-9
Garcia-Becerra, F.Y., Alfie-Cohen, M., Pérez Reyes J. (2021). The Socio-technical Adoption of Dry Toilets at a Public University in Mexico City (prototype). Sociedad y Ambiente 24 (2021):1-29. https://doi.org/10.31840/sya.vi24.2394
Garcia-Becerra F.Y., Ortiz I. (2018). Biodegradation of emerging organic micropollutants in nonconventional biological wastewater treatments: a critical review. Environmental Engineering Science 35(10):1012-1036. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2017.0287
