CV
You can also view my online interactive CV.
Education
- M.Sc. Program in Project Management, Universidad de Viña del Mar, 2024-Present
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Chile, 2013-2019
- Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Informatics, Universidad de Chile & University of Heidelberg, 2011
- B.Sc. in Electronic Civil Engineering, Universidad de Concepción, 2003-2009
- Industrial Electronics Technician, CEAT Liceo Mauricio Hochschild, 1998-2002
Work experience
- Sep 2025 - Present: I&F Decision Science Assoc. Manager
- Accenture, Santiago, Chile
- Senior Data Science Lead & Technical Project Lead @ MinCo-Hidro CODELCO
- End-to-end data science initiatives for mining process optimization
- Internship supervision: geotechnical risk prediction system industrialization (2026)
| Jan 2025 - Sep 2025: **Data Processing Specialist | Senior Lead Data Scientist** |
- Minera Centinela, Antofagasta, Chile
- Advanced analytics system for SAG mill operations
- Recommender system generating actionable operational strategies
- Jun 2024 - Dec 2024: Business & Technology Delivery Associate Manager
- Accenture, Santiago, Chile
- Advanced analytics and ML projects for national mining companies
- Generative AI initiatives for process improvement and operational communication
| Jan 2022 - May 2024: **Project Leader | Senior Data Scientist** |
- CODELCO, Santiago, Chile
- Flotation, milling, and thickening optimization (+100 TPH throughput gains)
- Pollution mitigation via computer vision (24-stream monitoring) and Generative AI
- ML initiatives on Azure Databricks, Data Factory, Power BI, Kedro
- Aug 2021 - Dec 2021: Head of Analytics and Development Teams
- Alaya Digital Solutions, Santiago, Chile
- Projects across mining, aquaculture, retail, and brewing (10-15% production improvements)
| 2021 - 2023: **Principal ML/AI Engineer | Research Scientist** |
- ALGES - AMTC, Universidad de Chile
- Geometallurgical models integrating spectral and laboratory data
- Exploration models for brownfield and greenfield operations
- Aug 2017 - Aug 2021: Senior ML/AI Engineer - Scientific Researcher
- ALGES, Universidad de Chile
- Non-parametric Bayesian strategies with hyperspectral data for geometallurgical estimation
- Jul 2017 - Jul 2021: Image Processing Instructor
- Universidad San Sebastián
- Medical Informatics and Digital Pathology
- Jun 2013 - Mar 2016: ML Expert - Electronic Engineer
- BNI - SCIAN-Lab, Universidad de Chile
- Scientific computing software for biomedical microscopy and super-resolution techniques
Skills
- Programming: Python, MATLAB, C++, IDL, CUDA, SQL
- ML/Data Science: Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Kedro, Spark
- Cloud & MLOps: Azure (Databricks, Data Factory), AWS, CI/CD, Model Registry
- Image Processing: OpenCV, FIJI/ImageJ, Hyperspectral analysis
- Geostatistics: Spatial analysis, MPS, Compressed Sensing
- Project Management: Agile, cross-functional team leadership
Selected projects
- Mine Pile Visualizer — Stockpile & circuit topology explorer (Next.js 16, React Three Fiber, Apache Arrow)
- FeelIT 2.0 — Haptic accessibility workbench: 4 workspaces (3D Explorer, Braille Reader, Haptic Desktop, Workspace Manager) with 49 tests
- Mining Process Optimization Platform — End-to-end ML for SAG milling, flotation, and thickening (+100 TPH throughput gains)
- Real-Time Material Tracking & Blending — Digital twin for ore flow, stockpile management, and blending optimization
- Environmental Monitoring & Mitigation — Computer vision (24-stream) + GenAI for pollution forecasting and natural-language recommendations
- Geotechnical Risk Prediction — ML-based rockburst and slope instability prediction from seismic data and 3D block models
- Crusher Liner Wear Management — 3D point cloud profiling, cylindrical wear analysis, and remaining-life forecasting
- Hyperspectral Mineral Classification — ML platform for mineral ID from VNIR/SWIR imagery (XGBoost, CNN, compositional constraints)
- HIDSAG — Hyperspectral Image Database for Geometallurgy (Scientific Data, Nature)
- SOFI Super-Resolution Microscopy — Quantum dot fluorescence via higher-order cumulants (up to 2.45x resolution)
- GrainSight — Particle size distribution from RGB-D data (watershed segmentation, Rosin-Rammler PSD, D-values)
- 3D Distance Profiler — RGB-D depth maps for granulometry enabling (ISO 4287 roughness, surface curvature)
- Optimal Spatial Sampling — Information-theoretic AdSEMES algorithm for well placement (PhD thesis companion)
- 3D Haptic Simulation — Octree collision detection and spring-damper force feedback
- Cellular Potts Model — Zebrafish embryonic cell migration with deformable bodies
- 3D Embryo Cell Migration — Collective cell migration on spherical embryo surface
- Holographic Optical Tweezers — Real-time phase mask computation via Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm
- Dual Photography Lab — Light transport matrices, SVD analysis, and compressed sensing
- Robotic Writer — 5-DOF robotic arm kinematics, trajectory planning, and simulation
- Micromundo — Virtual microscopy & science education platform (3D-printed microscopes + web app, team site)
Publications
Santibañez-Leal, F.A., Ehrenfeld, A., Garrido, F., Navarro, F., & Egaña, A. (2023). "HIDSAG: Hyperspectral Image Database for Supervised Analysis in Geometallurgy." Scientific Data, 10, 167.
Felipe A. Santibáñez-Leal, Alejandro Ehrenfeld, Felipe Garrido, Felipe Navarro and Álvaro Egaña (2022). Geometallurgical estimation of mineral samples from hyperspectral images and topic modelling. 18 International Conference on Mineral Processing and Geometallurgy, Sept 2022.
Comte, D., “Analysis of seismic tomography and geological data to identifying spatial relationships between large ore deposits in northern Chile using machine learning methods: Preliminary results”, vol. 2021, Art. no. H35M-1172, 2021.
Alvaro F. Egaña, Felipe A. Santibáñez-Leal, Christian Vidal, Gonzalo Díaz, Sergio Liberman, and Alejandro Ehrenfeld. (2020). "A Robust Stochastic Approach to Mineral Hyperspectral Analysis for Geometallurgy." Minerals, Special Issue: Advanced Spectral Techniques for Mineralogical and Elemental Analysis in Mining and Mineral Processing. Online first.
Cristian F. Jara, Alejandro Ehrenfeld, Álvaro F. Egaña, Christian Vidal, Felipe A. Santibáñez-Leal. (2020). "Multi Pixel Stochastic Approach to Mineral Samples Spectral Analysis for Geometallurgical Modeling." Procemin Geomet. pp 1 - 17.
Felipe A. Santibáñez-Leal, Julián M. Ortiz, and Jorge F. Silva. (2020). "Ore-Waste Discrimination with Adaptive Sampling Strategy." Natural Resources Research. 29. pp 3079 - 3102
Santibáñez Leal, Felipe Andrés. (2019). "An information-theoretic sampling strategy for the recovery of geological images:modeling, analysis, and implementation." Doctoral dissertation, Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Chile. pp 1 - 153.
Hernan Calderon, Felipe Santibañez, Jorge F. Silva, Julián M. Ortiz, and Alvaro Egaña. (2015). "Geological Facies Recovery Based on Weighted ℓ1-Regularization." Mathematical Geosciences. 52. pp 593 - 617.
Felipe Santibañez, Jorge F. Silva, and Julián M. Ortiz. (2019). "Sampling Strategies for Uncertainty Reduction in Categorical Random Fields: Formulation, Mathematical Analysis and Application to Multiple-Point Simulations." Mathematical Geosciences . 51. pp 579 - 624
H. Calderón, F. Santibañez, J. F. Silva, J. Ortiz and Á. Egaña. (2015). "Channelized facies recovery based on weighted compressed sensing." 2016 IEEE Sensor Array and Multichannel Signal Processing Workshop (SAM). Rio de Janerio, pp. 1-5.
Castañeda V, Cerda M, Santibáñez F, Jara J, Pulgar E, Palma K, Lemus CG, Osorio-Reich M, Concha ML, Härtel S. (2014). "Computational methods for analysis of dynamic events in cell migration." Current Molecular Medicine. 14(2). PMID: 24467201.
Anja Huss, Omar Ramírez, Felipe Santibáñez, Andrés Couve, Steffen Härtel, and Jörg Enderlein. (2013). "SOFI of GABAB neurotransmitter receptors in hippocampal neurons elucidates intracellular receptor trafficking and assembly." Proc. SPIE 8590, Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Superresolution Imaging VI. 85900N.
Talks
October 01, 2022
Conference presentation at 18th International Conference on Mineral Processing and Geometallurgy (Procemin Geomet 2022), Santiago, Chile
December 13, 2021
Conference poster at AGU Fall Meeting 2021, New Orleans, USA (hybrid)
November 17, 2020
Conference Talk at Procemin Geomet 2020, Santiago, Chile
March 07, 2020
Dissertation defense at Doctoral Electric Engineering Program of the University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
July 13, 2016
Conference presentation at 2016 IEEE Sensor Array and Multichannel Signal Processing Workshop (SAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Teaching
Professional memberships
- IEEE Young Professionals (2016-present)
- IEEE Student Membership (2016-present)
Honors & Awards
- ANID FONDECYT Postdoctoral Grant (2022-2025)
- Valentín Letelier Fund, Universidad de Chile (2020)
- Start-Up Chile Seed Funding, CORFO (2017)
- Scientific Seed Fund, BNI (2017)
- Imagine Lab Startup Funding, Microsoft Chile (2016)
- CONICYT Ph.D. Scholarship (2013-2019)
- Enrique Molina Garmendia & Bicentenario Scholarships
- Seed Capital “Capital Arranque”, Región del Biobío (2011)
