UC Centers
Center for Astroengineering
The UC Center for Astroengineering (AIUC, Spanish acronym) was founded in 2009 and has the mission of serving as a channel for cutting-edge research and to create new technological and computational opportunities within the environments of astronomy and engineering.
This center specializes in three macro-areas: Astronomical Instrumentation; Advanced Core Computing; and Services. The AIUC includes faculty and researchers from the Institute of Astrophysics and the UC School of Engineering, as well as a group of professionals from the field of technological management.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for Global Change
The UC Center for Global Change is an alliance of five faculties: Agronomy and Forestry Engineering; Biological Sciences; Engineering; Economic and Administrative Sciences; and History, Geography, and Political Science. The center is focused on conducting basic and applied research related to the biophysical and human dimensions of global change.
The mission of the UC Center for Global Change is, “to promote academic collaboration (national and international) on researching phenomena related to global change, comprehensively addressing the biophysical and human dimensions.”
For more information, please visit the center website.
UC Center for Water Rights and Management
The objective of this center is to influence the underlying principles and constitutive instruments of water regulations, doing so through research, continuous education, and outreach initiatives. This center was born out of a joint project and the efforts of the Faculty of Law; Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering; Faculty of History, Geography, and Political Science; School of Engineering; and Institute of Economy.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for Energy
The Center for Energy aims to provide solutions to a diverse array of energy-related problems, achieving this aim by applying an interdisciplinary approach that applies the technical, technological, social, and/or economic factors that influence the generation and adoption of energy. The Faculty of Engineering; Faculty of Chemistry; Faculty of Social Sciences; and Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urban Studies participate in this center.
Center of Excellence in Production Management
The purpose of this center is to improve management practices and production technologies within the mining, engineering, and construction industries. This aim is accomplished through training activities, research, and business-oriented development. This combined approach seeks to achieve cultural changes that facilitate the introduction of innovations, serving as a guide for businesses that desire permanent progress in their internal and external processes.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for Innovation in Timber
This center conducts research and develops constructive timber solutions, the aim of which being to share and promote innovative, quality solutions using Chilean-produced wood as a primary element. This goal is jointly shared by the principle national and international players in the timber construction industry, creating value and sharing opportunities related to the development of this sector to the community.
The School of Engineering actively participates through research conducted by faculty within the Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, the Department of Construction Engineering and Management, and the Department of Mechanical and Metallurgic Engineering.
For more information, please visit the center website.
UC Center for Biomedical Imaging
The UC Center for Biomedical Imaging specializes in processing images obtained using magnetic resonance, interventional radiology, computerized tomography, x-rays, nuclear medicine, and optic microscopy, among other methods. This specialization contributes to advancing the healthcare sciences. This center was founded in 2000 through joint efforts between the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine.
The mission of the UC Center for Biomedical Imaging is to develop new technologies for capturing, reconstructing, and analyzing images, thereby supporting the advancement of the healthcare and life sciences from a multidisciplinary perspective.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Research Center in Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials
The Research Center in Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, affiliated with the UC Faculty of Physics, conducts basic and applied research in these areas through interdisciplinary collaboration among investigators in the fields of physics, chemistry, and engineering.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for Down Syndrome
This center was founded with the objectives of providing comprehensive prenatal-to-old-age support for individuals with Down Syndrome and their families and of contributing to the corpus of knowledge available for Down Syndrome.
This center is supported by various units within the Universidad Católica, including the School of Engineering.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for the Atacama Desert
The goal of this center is to conduct scientific and technological research related to understanding and comprehensively developing the arid and semi-arid northern zones of Chile. This center is supported by professors from the Department of Mechanical and Metallurgic Engineering and, as part of the center’s Advisory Board, Dean Juan Carlos de la Llera.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Center for Cultural Heritage
This center is an interdisciplinary organism that promotes understanding of the transient and fixed cultural values present in Chile. This is achieved through academic programs and initiatives that contribute to consolidating and strengthening the cultural identity and heritage of Chile that has been built over time. Faculty from the Department of Construction Engineering and Management and the Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering participate in this center, which is additionally supported by Dean Juan Carlos de la Llera, who sits on the Advisory Board.
For more information, please visit the center website.
Latin American Center for Economic and Social Policies
The objective of this center is to study, create, and share knowledge on subjects related to the economic and social characteristics of policies in Chile, Latin America, and the developing world. The School of Engineering, Faculty of Law, School of Medicine, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, and Faculty of Social Sciences and History participate in this center.
For more information, please visit the center website.
UC Center for Public Policies
The UC Center for Public Policies provides proposals and solutions that are political, social, and economically sustainable. These perspectives come into play when public policies are being formed, providing opinions, evidence, and studies on subjects of public interest. This center collaboratively works with and connects distinct actors across society.
The UC Center for Public Policies falls under the direction of the Office of the Pro-Rector and is guided by an Academic Board conformed by representatives from nine faculties, including the School of Engineering.
For more information, please visit the center website.