Ambassador Spotlight: Juan Portela on Turning Research into Real-World Impact



Juan Portela, being our third ambassador for this year holds a PhD in Geomatics Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and currently works as a Hydrographic Surveyor at Jan de Nul in Belgium.

He was recognised with a 2024 CLGE Young Surveyors’ Contest prize for his outstanding doctoral research, a project that blended academic depth with practical relevance in the field of hydrography.

For Juan, receiving this recognition was more than a personal milestone. It served as a powerful affirmation that his years of dedicated research had real value – not only in academic circles, but in the eyes of professionals across the geospatial sector. This boost of confidence helped him successfully defend his thesis and transition into his professional role.

His journey reminds us that behind every great project is perseverance, teamwork, and a spark of belief – and that the CLGE Young Surveyors’ Contest is an excellent place to showcase that.

If you’re passionate about shaping the future of surveying, we invite you to be part of this year’s Contest. Finalists will be chosen from all submissions and invited to present their work online. Three winners will be selected in each of the two categories: Bachelor’s & Master’s, and PhD & Research. All six of these successful people will not only receive a financial prize, but will also have the chance to present at INTERGEO 2025.

Important Dates:

  • Submission Deadline: 28 July 2025, 23:00 CEST
  • Announcement of Finalists: 8 September 2025
  • Contest Online Finals: 22 September 2025
  • Awarding Ceremony: 8 October 2025

Read the full rules in the following link:

Contest Rules 

And apply after filling in the application form below: 

Application Form (A template in Word document) 


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