Frank Loge Receives Endowed Professorship from Mexican Research University to Advance Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Frank Loge Receives Endowed Professorship from Mexican Research University to Advance Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Frank Loge, Professor in the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received an endowed professorship from the Institute Technólogico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM or Technólogico de Monterrey) to help advance work related to water, energy, and agricultural systems using an integrated, nexus approach. Loge, who is also Director of the UC Davis Center for Water-Energy Efficiency, is recognized as a leading authority in these areas.

“Latin America and Caribbean Countries are facing complex water, energy, and food challenges with a growing need for more integrated solutions,” said Loge. “I am excited to work with the Technólogico de Monterrey and their partners as they build their research in this important area.”

A Nexus Approach

Water, energy, and food resources are increasingly stressed by expanding demand, diminished supply, and environmental degradation, all of which occur within the broader context of complex economic and regulatory challenges. Historically, these resources have been treated separately, but they are inextricably linked. A nexus approach, considers the intertwined and interdependent nature of water, energy, and food systems, which is critical to achieving long-term economic, environmental, and social goals.

Action Plan

Over a decade ago, Technólogico de Monterrey, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the FEMSA Foundation created the Latin America & Caribbean Water Center to help advance the sustainable management of water in the region. Since its inception, the Center has made important contributions to water resource management.

With a goal to shift their focus to the larger water-energy-food nexus, the Center is holding a series of workshops with world-renowned experts to help define their work in this critical area. Loge was one of a select number of speakers at their workshop on February 14, where he provided a California perspective on the water-energy nexus, and discussed with other experts how the Center could make the most impact with its work. This workshop is one of several steps that Loge will be involved with as the Center works to define its mission, vision, goals, and actions.

Long-term Partnership

With his endowed professorship, Loge and his research team will continue to advance their work at UC Davis, while partnering with Technólogico de Monterrey for three years. One of their first collaborative projects involves developing a computational modeling framework that addresses the water-energy-food nexus and governance. This framework will be tested in real-life scenarios to assess current and future nonlinear dependencies in the face of climate change.

UC Davis–Mexico Collaborations

Loge’s appointment adds to the growing number of research projects that UC Davis is conducting in collaboration with Mexico. In 2018, UC Davis received three awards from Mexico’s Ministry of Energy and its National Council for Science Technology to work in partnership with Mexican research institutions on energy efficiency research, development, and demonstration. These projects are investments in capacity building which will help Mexico meet its ambitious clean energy goals.