Fabian Lechtenberg, CV

Curriculum vitae of Fabian Lechtenberg, Lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering, UPC.

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Fabian Lechtenberg

Lecturer (Professor Lector), Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE), Campus Diagonal Besòs, Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona

Profile

Process systems engineer working on model-based methods and computational tools for the design and operation of chemical processes and supply chains. The work combines mathematical programming, multi-objective optimisation and uncertainty analysis to make decision support rigorous and scalable. The current focus is on life cycle optimisation (LCO), which couples environmental (including planetary-boundary), economic and social indicators into a single sustainability framework, and on the open-source tooling that puts these methods in the hands of industry and policy stakeholders.

Keywords: process modelling and simulation; mathematical programming; optimisation; multi-objective optimisation; game theory; LCA; LCO; sustainability assessment; industrial and energy systems design; open-source software and data.

Research interests

  • Life cycle optimisation and sustainability assessment of process and energy systems
  • Multi-actor, multi-criteria decision-making and game-theoretic process integration
  • Mathematical programming and optimisation under uncertainty
  • Open-source scientific software and FAIR research data

Education

  • PhD in Chemical Process Engineering, UPC, 2020–2024. Excellent cum laude, international mention. Thesis: “Multi-actor multi-criteria decision-making methods and tools for the implementation of industrial symbiosis and circular economy solutions in the process industry” (doi:10.5821/dissertation-2117-428241)
  • MSc in Chemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 2017–2019. Thesis: “Investigation of a precipitation process in a continuous high shear flow annular reactor”
  • BSc in Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 2013–2017. Thesis: “Application of calibration transfer methods to reduce temperature induced spectral variations in infrared spectroscopy”

Academic positions

  • Lecturer (Professor Lector), Department of Chemical Engineering, UPC, since 2026
  • Visiting Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), 2025–2026
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, SUPERlab, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, 2024–2025
  • Predoctoral Researcher (FI-AGAUR fellowship), Department of Chemical Engineering, UPC, 2022–2024
  • Predoctoral Researcher (FPU-UPC fellowship), Department of Chemical Engineering, UPC, 2021–2022
  • Researcher (AIMS project), Department of Chemical Engineering, UPC, 2020–2021

Research stays

  • ETH Zürich, SUPERlab, with Prof. Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez (2022 and 2023)
  • University of Cambridge, Sustainable Reaction Engineering Group, with Prof. Alexei Lapkin (2019)
  • Kyoto University, Process Systems Engineering Laboratory, with Prof. Shinji Hasebe (2018–2019)
  • RWTH Aachen University, Process Systems Engineering, with Prof. Alexander Mitsos (2018)

Teaching

At UPC (see the teaching page for the current catalogue):

  • 820523: Chemical Process Engineering (BSc)
  • 820532: Simulation and Optimisation of Chemical Processes (BSc)
  • 295561: Process Integration (MSc)

Previously: Product and Process Design I & II, Advanced Separation Processes and Emerging Energy Technologies (MSc, URV); Case Studies in Process Design II (MSc, ETH Zürich); Experimentation in Chemical Engineering I (BSc, UPC); Thermodynamics I & II and Process Development in Chemical Engineering (BSc, RWTH Aachen). Co-supervision of two PhD candidates at ETH Zürich and of three MSc theses.

Projects

  • P2CE, external research member, since 2025 (PID2024-161960OB-I00)
  • CEPI, doctoral researcher, 2021–2024 (PID2020-116051RB-I00)
  • AIMS, doctoral researcher, 2020–2021 (DPI2017-87435-R)
  • NCCR Catalysis, Phase II, postdoctoral researcher and data steward, ETH Zürich, 2024–2025 (SNSF 225147)

Software

  • PULPO: Python framework coupling life cycle assessment (Brightway) with mathematical optimisation (Pyomo) for environmental systems design. Open source (MIT); source, graphical interface, workshop materials
  • IRenE: Web application for Monte-Carlo-supported literature retrieval
  • pyCoopGame: Cooperative game theory for multi-actor decision-making

Selected publications

Full list on the publications page.

  • Lechtenberg F., Aresté-Saló L., Espuña A., Graells M. Cooperative multi-actor multi-criteria optimization framework for process integration. Applied Energy, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124581
  • Lechtenberg F., Istrate R., Tulus V., Espuña A., Graells M., Guillén-Gosálbez G. PULPO: Integrating life cycle inventory models into life cycle product optimization. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2024. doi:10.1111/jiec.13561
  • Prifti K., Lechtenberg F., Manenti F., Espuña A., Graells M. Comparing climate impact of methanol production: natural gas vs. plastic waste gasification. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107653
  • Lechtenberg F., Farreres J., Galvan-Cara A.-L., Somoza-Tornos A., Espuña A., Graells M. Information retrieval from scientific databases using Monte-Carlo sampling. Expert Systems with Applications, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2022.116967
  • Lechtenberg F., Somoza-Tornos A., Espuña A., Graells M. Targeting economic and environmental benefits with water system regeneration units. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129022

Grants and awards

  • FI-AGAUR Predoctoral Fellowship, Government of Catalonia, 2022–2024
  • FPU-UPC Predoctoral Fellowship, UPC, co-funded by Banco Santander, 2021–2022
  • Best Poster Award, NCCR Catalysis Annual Meeting, 2025
  • Best Presentation Award, Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering (MeCCE-14), Business and Innovation session, 2021

Scientific service

Languages

German (native), English (C1), Spanish (B2), Catalan (B1), Japanese (A1).