CV

Full CV can be downloaded from here or the extended version in Spanish here as well.

Education

• Ph.D in Chemical Engineering, UNAM, 2017
• M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering, UNAM, 2013
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, UNAM, 2011

Work experience

• Current position (since October 2019): Science-Policy Interface Fellow
  • Ministry of Enviroment - Mexico City Government
  • Duties included: Contribute to the integration of scientific evidence in the planning and execution of public policies. Position financed by the Secretary of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of Mexico City.
  • Supervisor: Mtra. Leticia Gutiérrez Lorandi
• Postdoctoral Researcher (February 2019 – September 2019)
  • Hydrocarbons Evaluation and Characterization Unit, ESIQIE, IPN, Mexico.
  • Topic: Characterization of green gasoline + fossil gasoline blends according to the NOM-016
  • Supervisor: Dr. Felipe Sánchez Minero
• Postdoctoral Researcher (February 2018 – January 2019)
  • INTEC, Institute of Technologic Development for the Chemical Industry, UNL-CONICET, Santa Fe, Argentina.
  • Topic: Oxidation of VOCs using Au catalysts followed by operando DRIFT.
  • Supervisor: Dr. Sebastián Collins

Peer-reviewed publications

• “Impacto del COVID-19 en el empleo informal en ciudades latinoamericanas: elementos para el diseño de políticas públicas”, Maza-Albores, A. and Villarreal, A., in Delgado, G.C. y D. López (Ed.). Las ciudades ante el COVID-19: nuevas direcciones para la investigación urbana y las políticas públicas. México, Plataforma de Conocimiento para la Transforma Urbana. ISBN: 978-64945-190-3. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3894075 Download here

• Ramírez, J., Castillo-Villalón, P., Gutiérrez-Alejandre, A., Cuevas, R. and Villarreal, A. (2019). Catalytic Materials for Hydrodesulfurization Processes, Experimental Strategies to Improve Their Performance. In: J. Domínguez-Esquivel and M. Ramos, ed., Advanced Catalytic Materials: Current status and future progress, 1st ed. Springer International Publishing. Download here

• Highly reversible sorption of acid gases by an environmentally friendly Mg-based MOF. E. Sánchez-González, P. G. M. Mileo, M. Sagastuy-Breña, R. Álvarez, J. E. Reynolds III, A. Villarreal, A. Gutiérrez-Alejandre, J. Ramírez, J. Balmaseda, E. González-Zamora, G. Maurin, S. M. Humphrey and I. A. Ibarra, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2018,6, 16900-16909. Download here

• Alumina as catalysts support: a study of the effect of small amounts of silica on MoO₃/Al₂O₃ in ethanol oxidative dehydrogenation. A. Villarreal, G. Garbarino, P. Riani, A. Gutiérrez-Alejandre, J. Ramírez and G. Busca. Journal of Applied Research and Technology. 2018, 16, 484-487. Download here

• Adsorption and separation of CO₂ from N₂ -rich gas on zeolites: Na-X faujasite vs Na-mordenite. A. Villarreal, G. Garbarino, P. Riani, E. Finocchio, B. Bosio, J. Ramírez, G. Busca. Journal of CO₂ utilization. 19 (2017) 266-275. Download here

• Analysis of the interaction of CO₂ with Na, K, and Ca-exchanged Mordenite. An infrared spectroscopic study. A. Villarreal, P. Castillo-Villalón, J. Ramírez. Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society. 61 (2017) 102-108. Download here

• Catalizadores de hidrodesulfuración NiMo/SiO₂/Al₂O₃. Estudio por FTIR de la interacción ácido cítrico-soporte, A. Villarreal, A. Gutiérrez-Alejandre, J. Ramírez, Superficies y vacío, 1 (2016) 14-18. Download here

• Importance of the sulfidation step in the preparation of highly active NiMo/SiO₂/Al₂O₃ hydrodesulfurization catalysts, A. Villarreal, J. Ramírez, L. Cedeño Caero, P. Castillo Villalón, A. Gutiérrez-Alejandre, Catalysis Today, 2015 (250) 60-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2014.03.035 Download here

Research experience

• 2010-2017 National Autonomous University of Mexico (Catalysis Research Unit) Principal Researcher: Prof. Jorge Ramírez Solis
  • Use of high pressure batch reactors and GC-MS chromatographs to obtain catalytic activity and kinetics.
  • Characterization of porous materials by N2 physisorption
  • Characterization of catalyst using temperature programmed techniques (TPR, TPS and TPD), DRX and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
  • Use of high vacuum equipment coupled with FTIR to characterize catalysts and zeolites.
• 2016 Center of Research and advanced studies – Mérida (CINVESTAV) Principal Researcher: Prof. Patricia Quintana Owen
  • Characterization of catalysts using XPS and Raman spectroscopies.
• 2015 Università degli Studi di Genova (Laboratory of catalysis and surface chemistry) Principal Researcher: Prof. Guido Busca
  • Catalysts preparation through wet impregnation.
  • Use of high continuous reactors in line with GC-MS chromatographs to obtain catalytic activity.

Teaching experience

• 2012 -2014 & 2016-2017 Teacher, Experimental Chemical Engineering, undergraduate courses School of Chemistry, UNAM.
  • Several laboratory courses covering mass and energy balances, transport phenomena, heat transfer engineering and chemical reactors.
  • Successfully develop new strategies to evaluate the students such as: posters sessions and the development of new projects.
• 2011-2012 Teaching assistant, Thermodynamics, undergraduate course. School of Chemistry, UNAM.
  • Help explaining theory problems to undergraduate students
  • Assistance in laboratory sessions
  • Development of new experimentation protocols

Languages

• English (Fluid written and oral communication)
• Alemán (Intermediate)
• Italiano (basic)