Dr. Luis Velazquez-Araque received his Mechanical Engineering degree from the National University of Tachira, Venezuela in 2003. He has experience in the oil industry having worked for Petroleos de Venezuela and also in the cement industry having worked for Lafarge Group. He received his Ph.D. in Thermodynamics and Fluid Dynamics at the Czech Technical University in Prague in 2011 and has been a university professor for more than 10 years at the National University of Tachira and visiting professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague during 4 years. After returning from Czech Republic he founded the Aerodynamics Laboratory at the National University of Tachira and started the course named "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics". He is member of the following societies: American Society of Thermal Fluid Engineers ASTFE, American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, International Institute of Informatics and Systemics IIIS, Venezuelan Society of Engineers CIV and Rotary Club International.
He has been part of the "Prometeo Project" from Ecuador, an initiative of the Ecuadorian Secretary of Higher Education Science and Technology, sharing his expertise in the field of teaching and research in biofuels. Luis also began his career as a motivational speaker in 2012, basing his conferences on people development key areas such as leadership, perseverance and attitude. Dr. Luis Velazquez-Araque has published more than 20 papers at international conferences and journals in countries such as USA, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Netherlands, Austria, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela. He is currently associate professor at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador.
The main role given to engineering research and innovation towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the world, means that academic and scientific institutions make full use of their human capital, thereby involving both men and women. Evidence shows that promoting gender equality at all levels contributes to achieving excellence and efficiency in research and innovation performance. Although some initiatives have been developed in Europe and the US for several years, they have proved to be insufficient and have not helped to address the structural barriers contributing to the leaky pipeline phenomenon. This has led to a shift in focus towards addressing the structural transformation of institutions, using a systemic, comprehensive and sustainable approach.
An exhaustive analysis of the role that scientific and academic institutions must play in order to enhance integration of academy and society for a structural change is made, so that decision making is more transparent, unconscious bias is removed from institutional practices, human resources management is modernized, excellence is promoted through diversity, and research and innovation are improved by the integration of diverse perspectives. While a lead is required from government institutions, a wider range of actors also need to play an active role in renovating the way in which research and innovation is conducted in all countries.
