About
Santiago is a Research Associate in the Energy Program researching on energy access for equitable development in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia who has focused his work on the nexus of energy, environment, and development. He works to build and enhance the Energy Access Explorer (EAE) tool, which is currently used for Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, States in India, and Nepal.
His primary research is working with geospatial data and models for GIS-based energy demand assessments in powering healthcare facilities, integrated energy planning through least cost electrification models, and cost-benefit analysis for clean cooking solutions.
Prior to WRI, Santiago worked in Chile on local energy planning, climate change mitigation plans, carbon management, and sustainability strategies. Santiago is an Environmental Engineer and holds a Master of Environmental Management in Energy from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
