Dr. Mérida grew up in Guatemala, won a scholarship to the United World College in Italy, and finished university in Canada. He works on energy system architectures, hydrogen and smart city technologies.
He began his career with Ballard Power Systems, British Gas Investments Canada and universities. He was a founder and director for General Hydrogen Corporation, and the Institute for Breakthrough Energy Technologies in Vancouver. He has worked at the Canadian Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation, and at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany.
At UBC, Dr. Mérida is the Associate Dean of Research for Applied Science, a Senior Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor, and a former co-chair of UBC's Climate Emergency Task Force. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and the Climate Change Advisory Board for Toronto Dominion Insurance.
Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering