Oliver Saavedra, Ph.D.
"Fostering trust within the team is of vital importance to get the best out of everyone"
From UPB to Germany, Japan, Egypt, and back to Cochabamba: what common thread connects your entire career?
An academic career across different cultures.
After researching and teaching at world-class universities, why did you decide to return to Bolivia and especially to UPB?
Those of us who have had the opportunity to go abroad have a duty to give back and contribute. In particular, in higher education, we have plenty of room for improvement.
Water, hydrogeology, and climate change have shaped much of your work. Why are these topics strategic for the future of Bolivia and the world?
Water is vital for the development of the country; from knowing precipitation patterns to flow variability in river courses, understanding the variability of the water cycle is of vital importance for decision-making such as new reservoirs, watershed management, water balances, floods, droughts...
You directed the Civil and Environmental Research Center at UPB. How do you ensure that university research does not just end up in publications, but generates a real impact on the community?
With applied research by establishing strategic alliances with public and private institutions.
As Vice Rector of the Julio León Prado Campus, what does it mean to lead a university at a time when education is changing so rapidly?
Being at the forefront of innovation, identifying the human talent necessary to nurture the skills required today by our students, who tomorrow will be professionals committed to the country's development.
What is UPB doing today to train professionals with critical thinking who can research and solve today's challenges?
Exposing them to situations and exercises that develop those skills in particular.
After having worked at top-tier universities in Asia and Africa, what strengths do you see in Bolivian talent and what do we need to strengthen more?
Human talent in general has a lot of potential to be harnessed, and therefore Bolivian talent. In particular, motivation, consistency, and a passion for doing things well are required.
If you had to define the legacy you want to leave on the campus and in the new UPB generations, what would it be?
That students believe in their own talent and potential; there are no limits to creating the startup of their dreams, the ideal job, in the place of their choosing.
You trained as a civil engineer at UPB. What do you consider to be the greatest contribution you received during your training at UPB?
Professional internships, a teaching staff with international exposure, and the modular system.
What message would you give to young people studying engineering or dreaming of transforming the country through science and technology?
STEM careers are challenging and require commitment, but they are also very rewarding in terms of impact and satisfaction.
INSIGHTS:
A book or movie that has influenced you?: One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Someone you deeply admire?: Those who do not give up.
A phrase or principle that guides your life?: If you are going to do it, do it well.
Your most precious possession?: My health.
A fear you learned to transform or that left you with a lesson?: The urge to quit can be channeled into achieving goals.
A favorite flavor or culinary experience?: Anything that has a balance with the senses.
