José Gaspar assumes the role of CTO/Executive Director of the Forest and Fire CoLAB starting from March.
The Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management announces the nomination of José Gaspar as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO)/Executive Director of CoLAB ForestWISE, succeeding Carlos Fonseca, who has held the position since 2020. José Gaspar assumes the position at a time of strategic consolidation for CoLAB ForestWISE, reinforcing its role as a national and international benchmark in the promotion of innovation and the development of solutions and technologies for the challenges of the forest and fire, provided by a path of sustainability, focused on creating value, and based on the multidisciplinary skills of its human capital.
José Gaspar has extensive experience in research applied to changes in land use and landscape, forest planning and management, and the use of prescribed fire. He is a professor at the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, has a PhD in Applied Environmental Sciences from the University of Aveiro, a Master’s degree in Environmental Remote Sensing from the University of Aberdeen and a degree in Forestry Engineering from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. He teaches and does research in the areas of Forestry Sciences and Earth and Environmental Sciences. He was Vice-President of the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra between 2007 and 2008, President of the same school between 2010 and 2014, Vice-President of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra between 2017 and 2023, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of FlorestGal – Empresa de Gestão e Desenvolvimento Florestal, S.A. between June 2023 and February 2025.
With a solid background in innovation and knowledge transfer, José Gaspar will now lead the ForestWISE CoLAB team, strengthening its competitive position in promoting innovation and developing solutions and technologies for the challenges of the forest and fire, as well as consolidating internationalization through the creation and management of international cooperation relationships.
