The Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) continues to strengthen its academic and scientific presence at the international level. On this occasion, Professor Pablo Silva Ortiz, attached to the School of Mechanical Engineering, participated in a series of academic activities in Europe, reaffirming the institutional commitment to research in clean energy, sustainability and knowledge mobility.
One of his outstanding participations took place at the “Engineering Thermodynamics-CNIT” conference, organized by the University of Zaragoza (Spain), where the professor was an active part of technical discussions on key topics such as energy, exergy, environmental and economic analysis of thermal systems; renewable energies and circular economy; heat and mass transfer; pyrolysis and gasification; and numerical simulation applied to thermal engineering.
During the event, Professor Silva Ortiz presented the work entitled “Comparative life cycle assessment of sustainable isobutanol-based aviation fuels via the alcohol-to-jet route”, the result of his collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), in Germany.
Academic visit to the Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Within the framework of this collaboration, the professor made an academic visit to the TUM School of Engineering and Design, specifically to the Sustainable Mobility in the Future department, where he had the opportunity to visit laboratories specialized in gasification, pyrolysis and combustion technologies.
During his stay, meetings were held aimed at the development of joint master’s degree programs between TUM and UIS, with a focus on PtX (Power-to-X) systems. They also discussed strategies for the environmental and technical evaluation of sustainable aviation fuel production routes, a line of research that is currently being worked on jointly by both institutions.
In addition, progress was made in the consolidation of collaborative research projects, as well as in the promotion of international mobility opportunities for graduate students and faculty.
Participation in ESCAPE 2025
Professor Silva also participated in the 35th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE), where he presented the paper “Decarbonization of the German aviation sector: Assessment of the feasibility of e-fuels and their environmental implications”, another product of the scientific cooperation with TUM.
Within the framework of this symposium, he also took part in Workshop 2: Effective Course Development, in which he shared his experience in curriculum design and teaching in the line of thermofluids.
Contribution to the International Energy Agency
Finally, Professor Silva Ortiz continues his participation as an active member of the Task XXIV work team of the Technology Collaboration Program of the International Energy Agency (IEA). From this space, he collaborates in the evaluation of industrial decarbonization opportunities through routes that integrate biomass, renewable electricity and CO₂ capture, with a view to advancing towards more sustainable energy systems at a global level.
These experiences and achievements not only strengthen the positioning of the UIS in the international arena, but also open new opportunities for academic, scientific and technological cooperation, reaffirming the role of the University as a regional reference in research for sustainability.
