INCAR² Researcher Carlos Molinet Promoted to Highest Academic Rank at Universidad Austral de Chile
Dr. Carlos Molinet Flores, Principal Researcher at the INCAR² Center for Applied Research, has been promoted to Full Professor, Category I, the highest academic rank awarded by Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh).
The promotion recognizes Molinet’s long-standing contributions to scientific research, higher education, academic leadership and engagement with coastal communities and productive sectors. The official investiture ceremony was held on September 8 at UACh’s Puerto Montt campus as part of the university’s 72nd anniversary celebrations.
A marine biologist with a PhD in Sciences from UACh, Molinet has built his research career around coastal socio-ecological systems, sustainable coastal management, benthic fisheries and mussel farming. At INCAR², he is Principal Researcher in the Sustainable Interactions between Aquaculture, Fisheries and Ecosystems research line.
His work has contributed to understanding the complex interactions between marine ecosystems, coastal communities, fisheries and aquaculture, generating scientific evidence to support decision-making and the sustainable development of southern Chile’s coastal areas.
Throughout his career, Molinet has led more than 30 research projects, published 67 scientific papers and supervised 39 undergraduate and graduate theses.
He has also held several academic leadership positions at UACh, including Director of the Environmental Engineering program, Director of the Institute of Aquaculture and Environment, Director of the Graduate School at the Puerto Montt campus, and head of the Fisheries Research Program.
Dr. Cristian Gallardo-Escárate, Director of INCAR², said the promotion recognizes Molinet’s broad contribution to the university, combining scientific excellence with student training, academic management and sustained engagement with coastal territories and productive sectors.
The appointment highlights a career focused on connecting marine science with real-world environmental and socioeconomic challenges, particularly those facing fisheries, aquaculture and coastal communities in southern Chile.
