Hey, I’m Eduard Puig i Montellà, a Civil Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). If you’re curious about my professional journey, you’re in the right place. But, if you’re itching to know more about my life outside of research, head over here.
Before research even popped up on my radar, back when I was still doing my bachelor's, I totally fell for subjects where water was present: hydrology, hydraulics, fluid mechanics... But it wasn't until I followed that specialization track at Politecnico di Milano as part of an Erasmus program, that I realized I was in the right field. That experience got me deep into the scientific side of water management, treatment, and fluid mechanics. Besides, during my Erasmus I had the chance to learn Italian. I've always had a thing for languages and cultures, so soaking up life in different countries has been a very fulfilling experience. Moreover, during my bachelor's I was part of AUCOOP (Student Association for Cooperation of UPC) which gave me the chance to move to Argentina and work on the design of a septic system to treat wastewater in order to improve the quality of life of the population living in a rural community.
After finishing my degree I moved to France and got my Master's in Hydraulics at Grenoble Institute of Technology. I still felt I had so much to learn. So, I jumped into a joint PhD at the 3SR lab, Grenoble-Alpes University, along with UPC. My thesis aimed to have a better understanding of water flow in unsaturated granular materials at the pore scale. Following that, I extended my research at the LEGI lab, focusing on the modeling of sediment transport with special emphasis on the particle-fluid interactions at the micro and meso scales.
Teaching has always been on my radar, but I never had the guts to stand in front of a class until my PhD and postdoc days. I decided to go for it and step outside my comfort zone, there was no turning back. Sure, those initial classes were a bit difficult and shaky, but quickly the nerves went away and it turned out to be a great decision and I loved teaching. Sharing my passion and sparking curiosity in students was, indeed, a pretty rewarding experience.
My life beyond research
I love research but in my free time I also like to bike, rock climb, go into the wilderness, spend some time with friends and do some woodwork.
You can find out a bit more about my interests and hobbies by clicking on My adventures section.