Francisco Martínez

Senior Hydraulic Engineer | PhD | Expert in Free-Surface Flows, Complex Fluids & Granular Materials

Chile

About

Senior Hydraulic Engineer and Researcher specializing in the physics and modeling of complex free-surface flows, including granular transport, non-Newtonian fluids, and solid-liquid interactions. Often work at the interface between academia, industry, and consulting. Experience bridging fundamental research and practical problems in civil engineering, supported by experimental flow measurements, articles in journals and conferences, and multidisciplinary collaboration in R&D projects as well.

Experience

  • Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
    May 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 2 mos

    • Permanent appointment since 2022. • Managed hydraulic laboratory operations (instrumentation, calibration, data acquisition) and supervised engineering deliverables. • Regular advisor of final engineering projects spanning hydraulic modeling of free-surface flows, granular/fluid mechanics, and problems at the interface with soil mechanics.

  • Technical Consultant at Riverine
    Dec 2021 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

    • Flood risk assessments for riverine and urban projects (HEC-RAS, FLO-2D), including fluvial mechanics analyses. • Developed technical basis documents, and the preparation of technical proposals as well.

  • Visiting Professor at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)
    Jul 2025 - Jul 2025 · 1 mo

    Invited short-term appointment at the Department of Civil Engineering, focused on advanced topics in hydraulics and fluid mechanics.

  • Senior Hydraulic Engineer at Instituto Nacional de Hidráulica
    Feb 2015 - Feb 2018 · 3 yrs 1 mo

    • Led hydraulic engineering studies for public and private-sector infrastructure projects, combining physical scale models and numerical/CFD modeling of free-surface flows. • Served as Project Engineer and Project Manager for flood risk, river hydraulics, and scour-related studies. • Technical lead for major projects including: Hydrodynamic and scour analysis for the Chacao Bridge — River hydraulics study of the Mapocho River (Vitacura sector) — Design and technical specifications of hydraulic flumes for scour studies — Coordinated the project “Strengthening the Technological Capabilities of the National Institute of Hydraulics”, funded by CORFO (Chile). • Delivered technical reports and design recommendations to the Chilean Ministry of Public Works and other public agencies.

  • Engineering Instructor – Fluid Mechanics at Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello
    Aug 2017 - Dec 2017 · 5 mos

    Delivered lectures in fluid mechanics, including laboratory sessions and tutorial sessions for civil engineering students.