Dr. Mateo Acosta

FACULTY AFFILIATE   |   Global Change Center

Geosciences

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acosta [at] vt.edu

Dr. Mateo Acosta is an assistant Professor of geomechanics for the energy transition at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on understanding the coupling between mechanical deformation and fluid flow in the subsurface, with the goal of mitigating natural hazards and developing clean energy activities. He uses a variety of techniques, including experimental methods, theoretical and numerical modeling, and natural observations, to study how fluids flow through rocks and how this flow can affect the mechanical deformation of Earth's crust. Mateo holds a Doctorate of Science in mechanics and geophysics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and an M.Sc. in engineering from Grenoble Institute of Technology. He has worked at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) since 2020 first as a postdoctoral scholar and then as a research scientist. In addition to his research, Acosta serves as working leader and webmaster of the Ecuadorian Geothermal Association, his home country. Mateo also serves as organizer of the technical congress for geothermal energy in Latin America.