Jose Alfaro

Jose Alfaro is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Practice at the School for Environment and Sustainability.  He has degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering and in Natural Resource Management and Policy.  
Dr. Alfaro’s scholarship revolves around three main efforts:

• Using Circular Economy at the small-scale to increase communities’ sustainability and well-being
• Deploying renewable energy for sustainable development of least industrialized countries, in particular using gasification of agricultural residues
• Developing tools for policy and decision-making through computer modeling of socio-technical systems

His work uses quantitative tools (such as Agent-Based Modeling, Life-Cycle Assessment and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis), and design tools for community development while also having expertise in prototyping and deployment of new technologies.  His applied focus has led him to work closely with communities, industry, NGO’s, and government organizations.  
He is also the founder and faculty director of Sustainability Without Borders, an interdisciplinary organization that works with communities to develop ethical partnerships that enhance sustainability.  This organization labors to provide students with a meaningful engaged experience that also increases the capacity of the communities and NGO’s it works with and increases their well-being.