Doctoral students Divar Castro Rodas and David Freire Granda, researchers at the Geoinformation and Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Faculty of Geosciences Engineering (FICT) at ESPOL, were awarded an international scholarship by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), an agency under the Brazilian Ministry of Education, as part of the Programa de Estudantes-Convênio de Pós-Graduação (PEC-PG).
The scholarship will allow both researchers to undertake a sandwich-type doctoral program between August 2026 and May 2027 at internationally recognized Brazilian universities. Engineer Divar Castro will conduct his research at the Federal University of Pará, while engineer David Freire will carry out academic and research activities at the Federal University of Ceará.
Divar and David are conducting their research under the guidance of Andrés Velastegui, Ph.D., head of the Geoinformation and Remote Sensing Laboratory, who encouraged the researchers to apply for the CAPES and PEC-PG programs as part of ESPOL’s initiatives to promote training and academic internationalization.
During their stay in Brazil, the researchers will strengthen their scientific expertise in areas related to remote sensing, geoinformation, environmental monitoring, and analysis of urban growth using geospatial technologies. These lines of research contribute to the development of technological solutions applied to environmental and territorial issues in Latin America.
This achievement represents international academic recognition for the researchers and strengthens scientific cooperation and internationalization for FICT and ESPOL. Furthermore, it will expand collaboration networks between higher education institutions in Ecuador and Brazil, promoting knowledge transfer, the development of applied research, and the creation of tools for sustainable land management and environmental monitoring in the region.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 4: Quality Education
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
