CORNERSTONE Young Professionals: Mauricio Pane

Developing new water treatment technologies, optimising smart monitoring tools or validating the sustainability of solutions: In CORNERSTONE, many young professionals are doing their part to achieve the goals of the project. One thing they all have in common: They are highly motivated and passionate about their work. One of our "CORNERSTONE Young Professionals" is Mauricio Pane. He is a research associate at AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC). Currently, he is researching in the field of resource recovery, e.g. fresh water and valuable solutes, from industrial water streams through oscillatory flow-enhanced membrane distillation (OMD) and membrane crystallisation (MCr). Read more about Mauricio and his work in the interview!

What is your motivation and what excites you the most about your work?  

Since I was young, I have always been motivated by innovation and by contributing to people’s well-being through a more sustainable future. During my professional development, I realised that Environmental Engineering would allow me to combine these interests and turn them into impact. Research and development in sustainable technologies became the natural path for me.

Working at AEE INTEC, one of Europe’s leading institutes for applied research in renewable energy and resource efficiency, has been an exceptional learning experience. Through national and international projects, I have the opportunity to contribute to innovative and high-quality solutions while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to address complex environmental and industrial challenges.

Which impact do you think your research will have on the future? 

Environmental protection and societal development must go hand in hand. Industrial and technological progress has brought enormous benefits, but it also creates environmental pressure that requires more circular and sustainable approaches.

Through my research, I aim to support industries in reducing their dependence on primary natural resources by recovering water and valuable compounds from industrial streams. By advancing technologies such as OMD, I hope to contribute to a more circular industry and support global sustainability goals, particularly Clean Water and Sanitation, Industry Innovation, and Responsible Consumption and Production.

What opportunities does the research project CORNERSTONE offer you as a young researcher in your early career? 

CORNERSTONE offers a unique opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. The project allows me to expand my international network and collaborate with recognised experts from academia and industry.

One of the aspects I value most is the opportunity to work on real industrial case studies and contribute to process optimisation with practical impact. The project also enables knowledge exchange on cutting-edge technologies, industrial site visits, interdisciplinary collaboration, and exposure to different perspectives and cultures.

Additionally, CORNERSTONE creates an excellent environment for capacity building and supports the development of my Industrial PhD alongside project activities.

What is the best thing about your job as a scientist in the CORNERSTONE project?

One of the best parts of being a scientist in CORNERSTONE is seeing research move beyond the lab and create real industrial impact. Working in such a diverse and interdisciplinary consortium makes every challenge more rewarding and innovation more exciting.

A funny story: one day, while collecting a sample from the OMD system with the oscillator running, I forgot one basic engineering principle: fluids always find a way. Opening the sampling valve created a perfectly aimed water jet directly at me. Fortunately, it was only deionised water (and full PPE did its job), so no harm done! On a hot day in Gleisdorf – Austria’s Solar City – it turned into an unexpectedly refreshing lesson in respecting hydrodynamics.

Find Mauricio on LinkedIn!