Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty members, Dr. Isabel Hortal Sánchez and Dr. Hansel Montalvo Castro, to the Department of Chemical Engineering (INQU) at UPRM.
Dr. Isabel Hortal Sánchez joins our department as a Lecturer. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UPRM under the guidance of Dr. Nelson Cardona. Her research focused on catalysis, including the conversion of fructose into lactic acid and other valuable byproducts. She is currently providing the Units Operations Laboratory I course.
Dr. Hansel Montalvo Castro joins us as a research faculty member. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Florida (UF) under the mentorship of Prof. David Hibbits, where he studied density functional theory calculations focused on heterogeneous catalysis. Dr. Montalvo Castro is currently developing the Computational Materials and Engineering Laboratory (CMEL), a research program for both undergraduate and graduate students. His research interests include the fundamental understanding of material properties that result in predictive structure-function relationships within the fields heterogeneous catalysis, separations, and biosensing. Specifically, he aims to employ computational methods for the exploration, prediction, identification, and rational design of zeolite and metal-oxide catalysts.
Additionally, Dr. Montalvo Castro has a strong background in education and outreach initiatives, from leading the high-school ChE CAAMP of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) UPRM student chapter to leading research initiatives as the Research Director of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at the UF. Dr. Montalvo Castro was recognized with the 2023 Mentoring and Leadership Award and the 2024 Excellence in Research Award from the Chemical Engineering department at UF for his community impact in both mentoring and research. He is currently teaching Graduate Catalysis.
We are excited to have them on board and look forward to their contributions to our department!
