12/2018-present              Lecturer

Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids (IMT), University of Edinburgh, UK

• Fundamental physics of fluids during dropwise evaporation and condensation phase change at the macro- and the micro-scale.
• Active manipulation of fluids on solid surfaces by external forces applied.
• Fundamentals of condensation and evaporation by means of Total Internal Reflection.

04/2018-08/2018             Adjunct Assistant Professor

Energy Transport Research Lab (ETRL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign UIUC, USA.

• Effect of surrounding temperature during droplet evaporation and condensation.
• Fog harvesting of water-ethanol mixtures on structured superhydrophobic surfaces and meshes.
• Nanoscale-Agglomerate-Mediated Heterogeneous Nucleation on Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

10/2016-11/2018             Assistant Professor

International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER)            

Thermal Science and Engineering Research Division, Kyushu University, Japan.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Japan.

• Fundamental physics of fluids during condensation at the microscale by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy.
• Quantification of liquid vapor intake during organic solvent droplet evaporation and the effect of surrounding temperature and humidity.
• Fundamentals of liquid vapor absorption into hygroscopic liquid desiccant droplets. Effect of surface wettability, substrate thermal conductivity and ambient conditions.

10/2013-10/2016             Post-Doctoral Research Associate

International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER)

Thermal Science and Engineering Research Division, Kyushu University, Japan.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Japan.

Principal Investigator: Professor Yasuyuki Takata.

• Fundamental physics of fluids during evaporation condensation phase change at the microscale using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM).
• Elucidation of the effect of surrounding temperature and humidity on organic solvent droplet evaporation by Infra-Red Thermography.
• Enhancement of thermal conductivity of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) by carbon based nanoinclusions for thermal storage.

01/2010-09/2013             Graduate Research Assistant - Ph.D. Student

Institute for Materials and Processes, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Advisor: Professor Khellil Sefiane.

• Fundamental physics of phase change during nanofluid droplet evaporation for heat transfer and patterning purposes.
• AFM analysis of nanoparticle deposits for further understanding of internal fluid flow during droplet evaporation for patterning.
• Electrowetting applied to nanofluid droplets, solid-nanoparticle interactions and preferential motion under a voltage applied.

11/2008-09/2009             Graduate Research Assistant – Experimental project in hydrogen storage. Institute for Energy Systems, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Supervisor: Dr. Dimitri Mignard.

• Experimental and modelling studies for energy storage using redox cycles on sponge iron and metals, Fe₂O₃, SnO₂, CoFeO₄, NiFe₂O₄.
• Materials synthesis, hydrogen storage energy chemical engineering design.
• Analytic techniques such as: XRD and BET adsorption isotherm analysis.

10/2007-08/2008             Research Assistant – Experimental project in Stabilization/Solidification of metallurgical waste. AICIA (Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation), Seville, Spain. Supervisor: Dr. Yolanda Luna.

• Waste Stabilization/Solidification (S/S) of EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) dust using fly ash-based Geopolymers.
• Preparation and characterization of samples via compressive and tensile strength Tests, pH, conductivity, lixiviation (UNE-EN, USEPA TCLP, NEN-7341, NEN-7345), Quality criteria, tests carried out at semi-Industrial Scale.

06/2007-12/2007             Research Assistant - Experimental project in S/S of metallurgical waste. Chemical and Environmental Department, High Technical School of Engineering. University of Seville, Spain. Supervisor: Yolanda Luna.

• As above.