CORNERSTONE Young Professionals: Simón Díaz-Quezada

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 Simón Díaz-Quezada. He is a postdoctoral researcher at Aalborg University. His focus is on process modelling, optimization, and pilot-scale design of membrane-based system for water and resource recovery. Read more about Simòn and his work in the interview!

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

My motivation comes from the possibility of developing engineering solutions that can improve the sustainability and efficiency of industrial processes from research perspective. What excites me most is combining process modeling, simulation, and optimization with real-world engineering challenges. I especially enjoy translating theoretical understanding into practical designs that can be implemented at pilot or industrial scale. Working on technologies focused on water and resource recovery is highly motivating because even small improvements can contribute to significant environmental and economic benefits.

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

I believe my research can support the transition toward more sustainable and circular industrial systems by improving process efficiency, reducing resource consumption, and facilitating water and material recovery. Through process modeling and pilot-scale design, I hope to contribute to the development of scalable technologies that can move more easily from research to industrial implementation. Ultimately, I would like my work to help industries adopt cleaner and more optimized processes with lower environmental impact.

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

The CORNERSTONE project offers valuable opportunities to collaborate with researchers and industrial partners from different disciplines and countries. As an early-career researcher, this environment allows me to strengthen both my technical and professional skills while working on challenges with real industrial relevance. The project also provides exposure to large-scale research coordination, pilot-scale development, and interdisciplinary teamwork, all of which are important experiences for building a future research career.

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

The best thing about being a scientist in the CORNERSTONE project is the opportunity to work on research that combines scientific understanding with practical engineering applications. I enjoy the challenge of developing models and designs that can support real process improvements. One interesting aspect of modeling work is that sometimes a simulation can look completely wrong for hours, only to discover that the issue comes from a tiny parameter or unit conversion mistake. Those moments can be frustrating at first, but they are also part of the learning process and often become funny stories afterward.

Find Simón on LinkedIn!