I am a full-time Ph.D. candidate in the School of Management and Governance linked to the Scientia Scholarship project "Identifying transformative policies to improve well-being in Australia". My research focuses on how policymakers' mental models and urban planning decision-making impact cities' societal well-being.

I have researched cross-disciplinary topics combining social, economic, and environmental sciences and operations research tools such as systems dynamics, agent-based modelling, and optimization models. I have applied in-depth analysis and systems modelling and simulations in projects examining Colombia's complex socio-economic challenges related to the digital divide, the electricity market, and energy security. 

I have worked as a researcher at the National University of Colombia and in an interdisciplinary research team at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) of Colombia to understand the digital divide across the different regions of Colombia. Also, I have taught as a lecturer at the University of La Sabana and the Metropolitan Institute of Technology, in Colombia, as a tutor at UNSW Sydney, and Guest Lecture at UNSW Canberra and the National Univerisity of Colombia. I hold a BS in Economics and ME in Systems Engineering from the National University of Colombia.

Research Interests

• Systems Thinking and System Dynamics simulation modelling.
• Mental models.
• Urban dynamics.
• Societal progress and Well-being.
• Energy policy.

Dissertation title

Growth mental models and societal well-being in Australian urban areas.

Supervisors

• Prof. Shayne Gary
• Prof. Graciela Metternicht
• Prof. Kerry Humphreys

Journal articles

• Ríos-Ocampo J; Gary MS, 2022, 'Using analytical equations to represent nonlinear relationships', System Dynamics Review, vol. 38, pp. 354 - 370, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sdr.1718, ROS ID: 1922993
• Ríos-Ocampo JP; Olaya Y; Osorio A; Henao D; Smith R; Arango-Aramburo S, 2022, 'Thermal districts in Colombia: Developing a methodology to estimate the cooling potential demand', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 165, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112612, ROS ID: 1863285
• Ríos-Ocampo JP; Arango-Aramburo S; Larsen ER, 2021, 'Renewable energy penetration and energy security in electricity markets', International Journal of Energy Research, vol. 45, pp. 17767 - 17783, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/er.6897, ROS ID: 1642099
• Arango-Aramburo S; Ríos-Ocampo JP; Larsen ER, 2020, 'Examining the decreasing share of renewable energy amid growing thermal capacity: The case of South America', Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 119, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109648, ROS ID: 1501468
• Arango-Aramburo S; Turner SWD; Daenzer K; Ríos-Ocampo JP; Hejazi MI; Kober T; Álvarez-Espinosa AC; Romero-Otalora GD; van der Zwaan B, 2019, 'Climate impacts on hydropower in Colombia: A multi-model assessment of power sector adaptation pathways', Energy Policy, vol. 128, pp. 179 - 188, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.12.057, ROS ID: 1497445
• Ríos-Ocampo J; Olaya Y, 2017, 'Sustainability of the domestic consumption of construction materials in Colombia, 1990-2013', Lecturas de Economia, pp. 127 - 151, http://dx.doi.org/10.17533/udea.le.n86a05, ROS ID: 1642219
• Ríos Ocampo JP; Olaya Morales Y; Rivera León GJ, 2017, 'Proyección de la demanda de materiales de construcción en Colombia por medio de análisis de flujos de materiales y dinámica de sistemas', Revista Ingenierías Universidad de Medellín, vol. 16, pp. 75 - 95, http://dx.doi.org/10.22395/rium.v16n31a4, ROS ID: 1642220
• Ríos-Ocampo J-P; Vélez-Gómez L-D, 2015, 'Efectos fiscales de los asentamientos hidroeléctricos: el caso de la cuenca de los ríos Negro y Nare en Colombia', Semestre Económico, vol. 18, pp. 137 - 160, http://dx.doi.org/10.22395/seec.v18n38a5, ROS ID: 1642221

Conferences

• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (speaker); Gary, Shayne; Metternicht, Graciela; and Humphreys, Kerry "Growth mental models and societal well-being in Australian urban areas" – Final results, Oceania Chapter of the System Dynamics Society. Systems Thinking & Modelling Symposium. 10 February 2023.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (speaker); Gary, Shayne; Metternicht, Graciela; and Humphreys, Kerry "Growth mental models and societal well-being in Australian urban areas" – Methodology and preliminary results, Parallel section. 40th International System Dynamics Conference. 18-22 July 2022, Frankfurt, Germany.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (speaker); Gary, Shayne; Metternicht, Graciela; and Humphreys, Kerry "Growth mental models and societal well-being in Australian urban areas" - Methodology, Poster section. Student-Organized Colloquium. 40th International System Dynamics Conference. 18 July 2022, Frankfurt, Germany. 
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (speaker); Gary, Shayne; Metternicht, Graciela; and Humphreys, Kerry “Growth mental models and societal well-being in Australian urban areas”, Oceania Chapter of the System Dynamics Society. Systems Thinking & Modelling Symposium. 4 February 2022, Online.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (speaker); and Gary, Shayne “Using Analytical Equations to Represent Nonlinear Relationships”, 39 International System Dynamics Conference.
• Guzmán, Laura; Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo; Parra, Karla (speaker); Berrio Francisco; and Cárdenas, Sergio. “Public policy design for closing the digital divide in the regions of Colombia: an approach from system dynamics”, XVII Latin American System Dynamics Conference and XVII Colombian System Dynamics Meeting. 13-15 November 2019, Bogotá, Colombia.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo, Arango, Santiago (speaker) and Larsen Erik R. Renewable energy penetration into electricity markets and its effects on energy security a System Dynamics approach. 12th Annual Meeting of the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD), Hanoi, Vietnam, November 2-5, 2018.
• Guzmán, Laura (Speaker); Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo; Parra, Karla; Berrio Francisco; and Cárdenas, Sergio. “Public policy design for closing the digital divide in the regions of Colombia: an approach from system dynamics” in Spanish), XVI Colombian Meeting of System Dynamics. 29-31 August 2018, Manizales, Colombia.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (Speaker), Arango, Santiago and Larsen Erik R. “Renewable energy penetration into electricity markets and its effects on energy security a system dynamics approach”. 6th Latin American energy economics meeting - new energy landscape: impacts for Latin America.
• Ríos-Ocampo, Juan Pablo (Speaker), Arango, Santiago. Poster: “Public Finance in rural municipalities in Colombia an approach with System Dynamics.” IV Congress of Colombian Economy, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá.