Julio Herrera Estrada is a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University's Department of Earth System Science working with Prof. Noah Diffenbaugh. His research focuses on the impacts that climate extremes have on water resources and electricity systems. For example, he has quantified the increases in greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector in the western U.S. driven by decreases in hydropower due to droughts. Moreover, Julio is interested in developing recommendations for sustainable and resilient management of complex water-energy-food systems, and implementing risk identification, prevention, and management mechanisms for climate extremes, particularly in developing countries.

Prior to arriving at Stanford, Julio obtained his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources from Princeton University in 2017. As a graduate student, he also pursued a certificate in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. During his Ph.D., Julio studied various aspects of droughts, showing that they can travel across continents, and that they may generally increase in frequency and severity across the U.S. due to climate change.

Julio is also passionate about science communication and in 2015 he co-founded Highwire Earth, an ongoing interdisciplinary online publication on sustainable development where the Princeton University community can share their related work and insights. At Princeton, he also served as President of the Latino Graduate Student Association and President of the Graduate Student Representatives of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Julio was awarded the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship in 2014, and in 2015 he participated in the Young Scientists Summer Program at the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria. He has presented at several conferences including the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, and has also given talks at the World Bank Group.

In 2012, Julio received his B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University. At Columbia, he was involved with the Columbia International Relations Council and Association and the Engineers Without Borders student chapter. Julio is originally from Mexico City, Mexico.