Rubén Contreras Lisperguer has more than 27 years of experience working in energy, agriculture, water, and climate change with various international organizations. He has led numerous numerical and techno-economic modeling studies, as well as field missions and program implementations, supporting the development of environmental policies.
He began his career in 1996 at the Meteorological Directorate of Chile as a specialized atmospheric scientist. In this role, he processed complex geophysical variables and mathematical models, providing support for environmental issues, early warnings, and forecasts. He also contributed to the creation of specialized products to protect agricultural activities and the environment. From 2002 to 2004, he conducted research in Antarctica, deploying meso-scale numerical models and supporting field operations. In 2007, he was a research fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
From 2007 to 2015, he served as an energy and climate change specialist in the Department of Sustainable Development at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. There, he led the implementation of the U.S.-Brazil agreement on bioenergy and oversaw numerous cooperation projects in sustainable agriculture, climate change, and metrology for energy technology.
Between 2015 and 2017, he served as the lead program officer at the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in the United Arab Emirates, where he implemented activities related to the Central America Clean Energy Corridor and promoted the global adoption of renewable energy.
From 2018 to 2022, he was an economic affairs officer leading the energy portfolio at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). In this capacity, he oversaw regional initiatives such as the Technical Forum for Energy Planners, the Energy Efficiency Database, and the development of energy poverty indicators. He also conducted complex techno-economic studies and analyses on the costs associated with the regional energy transition.
Since 2023, he has been the senior officer and head of the climate change section in the Department of Sustainable Development at the OAS in Washington, D.C., where he promotes the implementation of the Inter-American Action Plan on Climate Change 2023–2030 and supports the mandates of member states.
Contreras holds an engineering degree in atmospheric sciences and meteorology, a master’s degree in solar energy sciences, a master’s degree in risk prevention engineering, and a Ph.D. in renewable energies and material flow from the University of Jaén.
Contreras was an event speaker at the Dialogue.
