Faculty Profile for Dr. Osvaldo A Muniz Solari

Biography Section

Biography and Education

I am originally from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile where I obtained my bachelor from the University of the North (Antofagasta). Two initial areas of research interest attracted me to pursue research on sustainability related to population survival: mining operations and agricultural development.
My continuous field work to study population and farming in the Andes paved the way to pursue a M.A.’s degree in Geography at Michigan State University, East Lansing, that I completed with the thesis titled Highland Rural Migration in Northern Chile.

Afterwards, I had the special opportunity to be part of the CEMIG project for energy expansion funded by the World Bank. I investigated the development of electrical grids from several dams Brazil to provide energy to farmers. In the process of developing my Ph.D. in Geography at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I had a full-year field work in the State of Minas Gerais which allowed me to complete my doctoral dissertation titled Diffusion Innovation of Agricultural Equipment in the Triângulo Mineiro.

Before joining the faculty in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University, I worked as an international consultant to study mining operations in Peru and electrical expansion in Argentina; all of them related to environmental impacts. Finally, I completed my academic work in Chile as a full professor at the University of La Serena, Chile, before moving to the U.S. in 2006.

Teaching Interests

World Population, World Geography, Transportation Models, Theories and Methods in Geographic Education, and Geographical Analysis.

Research Interests

International Flows (migration and labor, FDI), Geographical Analysis for Sustainability (mining operation, agricultural exploitation, water distribution), Geography Education (international collaboration in teaching and learning).