Project Manager, Research and Innovation

 

Mauricio spent all his free time at his father’s auto repair shop in Medellín, Colombia. It was a family business where his mother worked as a secretary, his father was the shop manager, and Mauricio and his brother were employees.

He grew up in a close-knit family, fascinated by the technical aspects of manufacturing and mechanical processes: “When I grow up, I’m going to be an engineer!”

Mauricio brilliantly fulfilled the dream he’d had as a young man, but he had no idea that it would lead him to embark on a long journey that would take him far, far away from his loved ones.

"Life as a Great Adventure"

 

After completing a year of mandatory military service, Mauricio finished a college program in electromechanics before beginning his university studies in industrial engineering. He was 22 or 23 at the time and was studying while working as an assembly mechanic.

It was, however, while leafing through the engineering journals his father received from Germany and the United States that dreams of travel began to take root in his mind, prompting him to take the necessary steps to continue his studies abroad.

After completing his high school diploma, Mauricio was delighted to learn that he had been accepted into the master’s program in Design, Innovation, and Industrialization at the École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Metz in France. “That’s when I set off on this great adventure,” he says, beaming.

“Two years in Europe! I discovered a new culture, learned French, and traveled everywhere—Italy, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands—it was like a dream,” he adds.

When he was offered the chance to complete his final-year project at the University of Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Mauricio had only one answer.

"Wow! North America… why not! Plus, they speak French there!"

And so, one beautiful day in February 2011, with his nose pressed against the airplane window, Mauricio discovered that vast white expanse that is Quebec. “There was snow everywhere… ‘I’ve made it to the North Pole,’ I thought to myself!”

 

Science and nature: a beautiful balance!

“In Trois-Rivières, the snow, the cold! Oh! Why am I here?” he says with a laugh. But the warmth of the people of Quebec made up for the cold! And he got used to it. He even came to enjoy it.

“When I was offered the chance to pursue a Ph.D., I decided to continue the adventure in Quebec!” The die was cast, and one thing led to another: Mauricio completed his Ph.D. and found a job at Nergica—in Gaspé!

 

Finding Balance

 

Encouraged by his parents to continue his education, Mauricio built his life around his academic journey. Now filled with a sense of accomplishment, he approaches each day as a learning experience where all discoveries are welcome. From diving with seals to hiking and sailing, he’s even tried snowshoeing and ski touring!

“Here, I have the scientific environment and I have friends. When you’re abroad, friends become like family. And then there’s nature’s magic touch.”

It is, among other things, this magical touch that gives meaning to his work. From technological development to the integration of clean and renewable energy, he dreams of contributing to research aimed at reversing the tide of pollution, building a better world, and “leaving our children a beautiful, cleaner piece of Earth,” he admits dreamily.

What about your personal life? “Life had another surprise in store for me! I found a wife and four children in Gaspé,” says Mauricio with a twinkle in his eye. “Now I have a beautiful, big family of my own!” Does this profile speak to you, and are you interested in a job at Nergica?