Laura Gil García, a researcher at IMDEA Agua in the Economic and Institutional Analysis Group, has been awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize at the University of Salamanca for her thesis entitled Robust and actionable hydroeconomic modeling for water resources management under uncertainty. An application to the Duero River basin, Spain. The study, defended last September 20, was supervised by Professors Dionisio Pérez-Blanco, from IMDEA Agua, and Carlos Gutiérrez Martín, from the University of Córdoba.

The research combines hydrological and economic models to propose sustainable strategies that integrate environmental, economic and social aspects in water management. Among its accomplishments, the development of hydroeconomic decision support systems that were successfully applied in the hydrological planning of the Duero River basin is noteworthy.

The methodology is replicable in other river basins, with practical and adaptive solutions to water scarcity and the effects of climate change. This innovative approach allows analyzing uncertainties in water resources management and designing more robust strategies for future scenarios. The results have been adopted for robust decision-making by both the Duero River Basin Authority and agricultural communities, the main water users in the areas studied.

The thesis is part of several national (SWAN, IRENE, ATACC) and international (TALANOA-WATER) projects, as part of which the results have been used in the design of more robust strategies for future scenarios.

The award recognizes not only the quality and originality of the work, but also its impact on the search for sustainable solutions for water resources management at regional and global levels.