Eduardo
Chávez Navarrete

Biography

He is Ecuadorian by birth and graduated as an agricultural engineer, earning his PhD from the University of Florida in 2015. His research focused on the identification and mitigation of cadmium (Cd) in cacao-growing soils in southern Ecuador. Since 2016, he has been a professor and researcher at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in the Faculty of Life Sciences (FCV) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Dr. Chávez leads the soil and plant nutrition research group at ESPOL, working on the identification and mitigation of contaminants in agricultural fields, with an emphasis on metallic contaminants. In recent years, the group has led research on cadmium (Cd) in cacao through several projects. Currently, Dr. Chávez is the regional coordinator of the Cacao Platform 2030–2050, funded by FONTAGRO. Additionally, he is the director of several research projects related to this topic. His scientific work includes eight articles published in indexed journals and over 10 presentations at scientific conferences. Finally, one of his research priorities is nutrient transfer and the environmental management of fertilizers. The Soil and Plant Nutrition Laboratory at FCV, coordinated by Dr. Chávez, offers analytical services to the industry, including nutrient testing in soils, leaves, and fruits.

Projects