Gholamreza Masoudi Rad from Iran is the DC5 Doctoral Candidate (Reactor scale) in the UPCYCLE MSCA Doctoral Network.
With a background in chemical engineering, Gholamreza is pursuing a PhD at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana under the supervision of Prof. Tine Seljak and Prof. Johan De Greef.
His research focuses on circular economy-oriented reactive CFD for complex biogenic feedstocks, with particular attention to high-temperature thermochemical conversion processes involving gas–solid reactions and multiphase transport phenomena. Through advanced three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling coupled with detailed reaction kinetics, he will explore the integration of molecular-scale reaction mechanisms into reactor-scale simulations, addressing the challenge of accurately predicting the transformation of organic and inorganic species under realistic operating conditions.
This approach builds upon the need for simplified yet accurate kinetic descriptions suitable for reactor-scale simulations, where detailed mechanisms are often computationally prohibitive. In parallel, the modeling framework is informed by validated CFD methodologies for complex multiphase systems, such as cavitating flows and reactive transport phenomena in engineered devices.
As part of the UPCYCLE training program, Gholamreza will collaborate with international partners through secondments at KU Leuven (Belgium), under the supervision of Prof. Johan De Greef, where he will work on multi-scale modeling and kinetic integration, and at Indaver (Belgium), where he will gain insight into industrial implementation, validation, and scale-up of resource recovery processes.
His work contributes to advancing circular bioeconomy and sustainable resource recovery, supporting the development of more efficient and scalable technologies for recovering critical raw materials, such as phosphorus, from waste streams.
We’re excited to follow Gholamreza’s research journey and look forward to the insights his work will bring. 🚀