Marco Antonio Vargas Suárez is currently a doctoral candidate at the Universidad de Antofagasta in the Doctorate Program in Mineral Process Engineering, focusing on sustainability assessments and water treatment technologies in the mining sector. He earned his Master’s degree from the Universidad de Antofagasta, where his thesis proposed a methodology to evaluate technologies and quantify water circularity in mineral processing. Marco holds a degree in Geological Engineering from the Universidad de Pinar del Río “Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca” in Cuba, where he completed a pioneering thesis on unconventional oil in his country.  Marco has contributed to several research projects as a co-investigator and student researcher, including Integrating Circular Economy Strategies in Mineral Processing (ANID/ACT210027) and FONDECYT initiatives. He has presented his work at multiple international and national conferences, disseminating research on life cycle analysis, circular economy, and sustainable process technologies.  Currently, MSc. Vargas collaborates with supervisors at his home institution and abroad, including Dr. Luis Cisternas (Universidad de Antofagasta) and Dr. Ana Carvalho (Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon), with his doctoral research applying circular economy and social life cycle analysis and stakeholder analysis to improve water treatment and reuse technologies in mining. He has published work on the socio-environmental assessment of tailings water softening technologies, connecting industrial ecology with sustainability practices in the mining context.  His research interests span circular economy, sustainability assessment, mineral processes, and the integration of environmental and social performance in industrial systems tied to the mining sector.