About us

We are an engineering research and development (R&D) center comprised of professionals with expertise in the fields of applied mathematics, computational engineering, computer science, industrial automation, energy efficiency and project management.

Our mission:

To bring together diverse professionals in the fields of engineering, research and development to provide innovative solutions to practical problems.  The Center is also a bridge that links science, research and development with economic, governmental and civil society sectors, leaving its mark by complementing its organizational culture with the themes of innovation and technological development. This through the synergistic work of researchers, engineers and managers in multiple areas of technical and technological knowledge.

Our vision:

To be a transformer of the way of thinking and practicing engineering at national and regional level. Particularly, including research and development topics in practical and applied problems.  Mainly, achieving a transformation of industry and society towards the themes of Industry 4.0. The Center will be the recognized voice of civil society on the analysis and solution of engineering problems that directly affect Colombia and Latin America.

Our team

Lorena Salazar Llano, PhD-MSc.       

Lorena has a PhD in Sustainable Development with extensive experience in the formulation and execution of research and consulting projects in different fields. With her ability to apply analysis and visualization of large volumes of data, she has identified patterns and supported decision-making processes in our projects. In addition, her experience in the coordination of research projects and the design of buildings with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability strategies has been key in our commitment to sustainable development.

Chief Scientific Officer

Our Chief Scientific Officer is a PhD in engineering with a creative mind for science, technology and innovation. With extensive experience in the management and execution of research and development projects, he has led high-performance teams and has generated productive synergies in the achievement of our objectives. His ability to lead concrete conversations and communicate effectively has been key in the accomplishment of our projects.

Juan Guillermo García Navarro, PhD-MSc.      

Research, Development and Innovation

I am an aeronautical engineer, with a master's degree in energy systems and a PhD in engineering from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. My field of work and research focuses on computational mechanics, mainly in the area of fluids and structures. In addition, I have knowledge and experience in mechanical design, programming, wind turbine design, composite materials manufacturing and use of CAD/CAM/CAE tools.

Ricardo Reyes Sotomayor, PhD.       

Research, Development and Innovation

I am a PhD in Civil Engineering and a mechanical engineer. I am a postdoctoral researcher at EPFL in the MCSS group of Prof. Jan S. Hesthaven. Currently, I am working on the development of basis reduction methods for time-evolving problems with applications in digital twins. This involves the use of reduced models, Laplace transforms and harmonic analysis.

Alex Tello Guerra, PhD-MSc.       

Research, Development and Innovation

I have a PhD in Structural Analysis and I am a mechanical engineer. I have experience in mathematical modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and elastodynamics of solids. I have also done research on multiphysics problems, especially in fluid-structure interaction and its optimization through order reduction methods. Currently, I work as a data scientist, developing different types of analysis (time series and classification algorithms) in which I apply my knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to make predictions that generate value in the industry.

Daniel García Lozano, PhD-MSc.       

Research, Development and Innovation

I am a mechanical engineer with master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. I obtained my PhD in applied mathematics, statistics and operations research at the University of the Basque Country. His research interests include computational fluid dynamics, transport phenomena, wave propagation, computational optimization and finite element analysis, among others.

Ernesto Castillo, PhD-MSc.

Research, Development and Innovation

Ernesto Castillo is currently working in the area of fluid dynamics, heat transfer, turbulence and numerical methods. His current project focuses on the development of efficient stabilized finite element formulations for thermally coupled non-Newtonian turbulent flows, using adaptive meshing and reduced order modeling techniques.

Edgar Patiño, PhD-MSc.

Research, Development and Innovation

Edgar Andrés Patiño Nariño is a researcher with expertise in the SPH method and parallel CFD coding, his research focuses on the behavior of multiphase and microfluidic flows under extreme conditions, including liquid-liquid, liquid-gas and fluid-structure interactions. His study integrates continuous and multifluid modeling using new numerical approaches with mesh-free/particle-free methods.

Adel Fernando Sarmiento Rodríguez, PhD-MSc.

Research, Development and Innovation

Mechanical engineer with master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. D. in Engineering from KAUST.  He is an expert in the area of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), mathematical modeling and partial differential equation discretization methods.

Cristian Ramírez Vargas, MSc.

Research, Development and Innovation

I am a civil engineer and master in engineering with experience in structural analysis and design. I have worked as a structural designer of buildings, bridges, retaining walls and foundation slabs. In addition, I have developed computer programs to analyze, model, design and generate automatic reports of structures in Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS. I also have teaching experience in the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Colombia.

Laura María Sanchez Marulanda, BEng.

Research, Development and Innovation

I am a mechanical engineer with technical experience in the area of generation, specifically in the design of thermal cycles for the generation of electricity from geothermal energy with the company CHEC-GRUPO EPM (Central Hidroeléctrica de Caldas). 

With experience in the design, implementation and operation of public programs for innovation and digital transformation of micro, small and medium enterprises. With experience in the qualification of foreign workers in Colombia and in the design, implementation and administration of occupational health and safety management systems.

Luis Gustavo Maldonado Archila, BEng.

Data Scientist 

I am a data analyst with experience in maintenance processes for the medical, telecom and petrochemical industries. I have skills in deploying machine learning algorithms/techniques and statistical modeling for pattern and insight identification, and improving data culture in the organization. With a strong data driven analytical personality, leadership skills and always a focus on automation and optimization of the current process.

Certifications and Qualitications

Certification by ICONTEC

As a consulting services company and strengthening our position as a player in the energy efficiency and energy management market in the region. This program aims that the linked companies increase the number of potential customers, strengthening its business model, the capabilities of its business management becoming a company with greater confidence in the market.  In addition, CIAID will be able to participate in different spaces of relationship and networking with potential customers becoming part of a directory of suppliers visible to the CCB.