A native of Puerto Rico, Carlos received his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in 1993. He completed his Ph.D. from the Watershed Sciences program at Colorado State University in 2004. Carlos joined the faculty of the Department of Geography and the Environment and the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2013. His areas of research include watershed sciences and applied hydrology and geomorphology. His work has a strong applied component, addressing how human modification of landscapes for the purposes of urbanization, agricultural production, or recreation affects their hydrologic behavior, resulting in accelerated soil erosion, degraded water quality, and impoverished habitats such as coral reefs. He has been principal investigator and collaborator on several NOAA, NASA, NSF, National Park Service, and the National Fish and Wildlife funded projects in the Eastern Caribbean and Latin America, as well as author of journal articles in Scientific Reports, Water Resources Research, The Journal of Geophysical Research, and others. His current work engages with characterizing the magnitude and geomorphic impacts of tropical cyclones in the Caribbean and providing technical assistance to communities suffering from climate change-driven water scarcity problems in Latin America.