Andrea Ramirez

These two PhD positions are part of the Dutch CO2URAGE project, which explores CO2 utilisation via reactive adsorption on intermittent green electricity . The project aims to enable competitive, defossilized chemical processes built around flexible CO2 capture and conversion systems, combining process intensification, electrification, and dynamic operation. The research is hosted at Utrecht University , within the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development and the Energy & Resources group . The institute works at the intersection of energy, environmental, and sustainability sciences, with a strong track record in energy efficiency, low-carbon energy solutions, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and process and energy system modelling. One PhD project focuses on process and system design and optimization . In this project, you will develop optimization models that capture dynamic features such as part-load behavior, ramping limits, operating windows, and startup/shutdown behavior. You will use these models to study design and operation across plant, cluster, and system scales, including interactions with renewable generation, batteries, hydrogen storage, electrolysers, heat supply, and broader infrastructure. The second PhD project focuses on value chain design and environmental assessment . You will build a hybrid modelling framework that combines agent-based modelling and optimization to study deployment pathways, centralized versus decentralized options, and infrastructure needs. You will also assess large-scale deployment through consequential life cycle assessment. The project is strongly interdisciplinary and involves collaboration with industrial and academic partners. The second position includes co-supervision at TU Delft with Prof. Andrea Ramirez , and may include part-time work there. The first project will work closely with industrial partners including RWE, DNV, TenneT, and Gasunie . The positions are embedded in a research environment focused on the transition of the chemical industry toward renewable electricity and non-fossil feedstocks.