Xavier Vera Grunauer is a civil engineer from the Santiago de Guayaquil Catholic University, and obtained a master's degree in Engineering, specializing in geotechnics, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has a doctorate in Geotechnical Engineering and Seismology from the University of California, Berkeley (United States).

He has more than 21 years of experience in the field of Civil Engineering, specializing in geotechnics and seismic engineering in mining, hydrocarbon, road and building projects.

He has worked on various projects in Ecuador and Mexico and as a researcher at the Engineering Institute of UNAM and at the University of California, Berkeley.

He previously served as Vice Minister of Mines between July 2021 and April 2022.