Dr. Raúl Pacheco-Vega was a core member of the WISE community and an internationally respected scholar of water governance. Trained as a political scientist and human geographer, he was Full Professor in the Methods Lab at FLACSO México after appointments at CIDE and the University of British Columbia. He deeply influenced a generation of scholars to embrace interdisciplinarity, mixed methods, and institutional analysis to examine water insecurity.

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Raúl's scholarship was guided by a simple but profound principle: research should contribute to social welfare. His work bridged disciplinary boundaries and connected communities of scholars in ways that amplified everyone’s scholarly and applied impacts. Raúl was also deeply committed to scholarly service. He served on many editorial boards and contributed to international scholarly societies. His support for the WISE-CP—both by championing the community’s values and lovingly “calling in” its leadership—was essential to the growth and success of this community.

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Above all, Raúl was renowned for his extraordinary generosity as a teacher and mentor. Through his tireless mentorship and outreach, he helped thousands of students and scholars develop stronger research, writing, and publishing practices. For many early-career researchers, his guidance demystified academia and fostered a culture of openness, kindness, and mutual support. Beloved by colleagues around the world, he was cherished for generously sharing his time and knowledge and always encouraging others.