Assistant Professor, Engineering
sphv3q@jmu.edu
Contact Info
Education
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan (2025)
- Graduate Teaching Certificate (2025)
- M.S. Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan (2015)
- Graduate Certificate in Industrial Ecology (2015)
- B.S. Chemical Engineering at San Francisco de Quito University, USFQ (2013)
Experience
- Graduate Research Assistant (2020-2025)
- Graduate Student Instructor (2021, 2022)
- Full-time lecturer at the University of the Armed Forces of Ecuador (2017-2020)
- Public policy analyst at the Coordinating Ministry of Knowledge and Human Resources of Ecuador (2015-2017)
Research Interests
Professor Puente’s research focuses on advancing resource recovery from organic waste streams—including food waste, fats, oils, grease, and sewage sludge—using anaerobic digestion. He brings expertise in designing, building, and operating bench- and pilot-scale anaerobic systems, as well as modeling co-digestion processes using the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1). Professor Puente’s also makes use of life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) to rigorously evaluate renewable technologies. His overarching aim is to mitigate carbon emissions from landfills by diverting organic waste streams into engineered processes to recover valuable products.
Professional Networks
