People

Esteban Cea-Klapp

Postdoctoral Fellow

Esteban Cea-Klapp holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from UDEC, with expertise in thermodynamic modeling, molecular simulations, and the design of sustainable solvent systems. His research focuses on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for green chemical processes, integrating multiscale modeling and computational tools to predict thermophysical and interfacial properties. Esteban’s work bridges molecular insights with process-level applications, contributing to the development of efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for CO₂ capture and biomass valorization.

Gabriel Galdames

Postdoctoral Fellow

Gabriel Galdames is a Chemical Engineer from the Universidad de Concepción, Chile, where he started in heterogeneous catalysis with an undergraduate thesis on CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol. He stayed at the same university for his PhD in Engineering Sciences (Chemical Engineering, 2025), studying the oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol over supported vanadium and molybdenum oxides. His doctoral work combined fixed-bed kinetics, kinetic modeling, and transient and isotopic operando FTIR spectroscopy, and included a research stay at the Instituto de Tecnología Química (UPV-CSIC) in Valencia, Spain. Since 2026, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in an ANID Anillo project on CO₂ capture and its conversion into high-value chemicals with green H₂. There, he operates an adsorption-based CO₂ capture prototype and prepares and characterizes adsorbent materials. His work spans the full CO₂ valorization chain, from capture to catalytic transformation into fuels and chemicals.

Gabriel Ibrahin Tovar

Postdoctoral Fellow

Gabriel Ibrahin Tovar holds a PhD in Nanotechnology from the University of Buenos Aires and has a multidisciplinary background in chemistry, environmental science, and renewable natural resources. His research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured materials and biopolymer-based systems for environmental and biotechnological applications, including CO₂ capture, water purification, pollutant adsorption, and protein separation. His work integrates advanced materials characterization techniques with the development of metal–organic frameworks, chitin-based composites, hydrogels, and functional nanomaterials. Gabriel’s research bridges materials science, sustainability, and applied innovation, contributing to the development of efficient technologies.

Javiera Molina

PhD Student

Javiera Molina is a Pharmaceutical Chemist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering and Sciences with Industry with Nestlé. Her research, co-supervised by Sylvain Faugeron, centers on optimizing the extraction of proteins from seaweed using DES, for their application in food

Vanesa Llanes

PhD Student

Vanesa received her B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana “José Antonio Echeverría” in December 2021 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences, with a focus on Chemical Engineering and Bioprocesses, at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Supervised by Professor Roberto Canales, her research focuses on developing strategies for the extraction and purification of aroma compounds from fermentation broths.

Fernando Martínez

PhD Student

Fernando Martínez holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, a diploma in Chemical Engineering, and an M.Sc. in Engineering Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with prior research experience in microalgae cultivation and photobioreactor design, biodegradability assays, and mining tailings treatment. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences at the same institution, supervised by Roberto Canales and co-supervised by Nicolás Gajardo-Parra. His research focuses on intensified extraction processes, combining process intensification with solvent design to improve the recovery of target compounds from complex matrices.

Neyda Rivas

PhD Student

Javier Aguilera

PhD Student

Cristóbal Castillo

STEP @ UC

Cristóbal has a B.Sc in Engineering Sciences with a major in Biological Engineering and a minor in Process Engineering. His interests focus on research and experimental development of green technologies, aiming to design and optimize sustainable processes with industrial-scale impact through scientific and engineering strategies

Francisca Chacón

STEP @ UC

Francisca holds a B.Sc. in Engineering Sciences with a major in Biological Engineering and a minor in Process Engineering. Her academic interests focus on process development and sustainable innovation, with a particular interest in the design and optimization of chemical systems that contribute innovative solutions to environmental challenges through interdisciplinary approaches.

Felipe Guzmán-Arce

STEP @ UC

Felipe Guzmán-Arce obtained his B.Sc. degree in Natural and Mathematical Sciences (College UC), with a double major in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Engineering, along with a minor in Process Engineering. His research is based on the in situ extraction of aromas produced through yeast-based fermentation, in order to simulate and optimize processes.

Maximilian Fleckenstein

STEP @ UC

Maximilian is a M.Sc. student in Chemical Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a background in Chemical Engineering and a Minor in Process Engineering. He is interested in using data to support better decision-making in product and process development, with a focus on efficiency, sustainability, and safety.

Francisco Navarro

STEP @ UC

Francisco Navarro has a B.Sc. in Engineering Sciences with a major in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Industrial Engineering. His interests lie at the intersection of process engineering, sustainability and techno-economic analysis. His academic experience includes research on sustainable separation processes and thermodynamic modeling, as well as work in process simulation. He is particularly interested in developing and evaluating engineering solutions that combine technical innovation, economic feasibility, and environmental sustainability.

Isidora Muñoz

STEP @ UC

Javiera Vigueras

STEP @ UC

Sofía González

STEP @ UC