Research Scientists

Dr. Vargas-Moreno is a MIT Research Scientist leading and managing researcher on MUSIC's Everglades Climate Change project. He is also a Lecturer at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Dr. Vargas-Moreno holds a Dip. in Architecture from University of Costa Rica and both Masters and Doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he studied Landscape Planning and Ecology under Prof. Carl Steinitz. He is also an alumni of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Doctoral Fellows Program in Sustainability Science where he conducted research for the Science Environmental Planning Group under the supervision of Prof. William Clark.
Dr. Vargas-Moreno's prior research was focus in the development rapid and participatory stakeholder-based appraisal methods employing geospatial information systems and technologies. His scholarly interest expands on the areas of environmental and development planning in highly contested and rapidly changing landscapes.
Dr. Vargas-Moreno serves as international moderator for the Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies. He served as Lecturer and Visiting Critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Department of Landscape Architecture, and Visiting Professor at the Environmental Management and Tourism Planning Postgraduate Program of the University of Costa Rica.  His teaching is primary concentrated in the theories and methods of regional landscape planning, visual assessment and Geographic Information Systems. Mr. Vargas Moreno has served as member for both Harvard and MIT transdisciplinary research teams in several international locations, and works as a private consultant on environmental regional landscape, and visual landscape assessment.