Dr Sonya Calnan
(HZB)

Dr Sonya Calnan

Sonya is a Research Group Leader at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin responsible for applied catalysis research. She focuses on bridging fundamental science with applications for reactor design and scaling. 

Sonya leads the Work Package 1 in the CARE-O-SENE project and develops thin film catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch Technology. Furthermore, she designs dedicated micro-channel reactors for their use in Work Package 3.

Position

Leader, Photovoltaics to Fuels Technology Group

Company

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin

Expertise

Sonya has several years of experience in developing chemical reactors for less carbon intensive technologies covering aspects such as thin film catalyst material technology, simulation guided reactor design, as well as reactor construction and testing. The main goal is to develop low cost, high performance and reliable chemical reactors that support the global transition towards a low carbon economy.

Sonya has a PhD in electrical and electronics engineering from Loughborough University, UK and an MBA from Leicester University UK.

"The CARE-O-SENE project will give us room to push the boundaries of what we know about catalysis. I am therefore looking forward to exploring new ideas that may contribute to the carbon transition."
Dr Sonya Calnan
Leader, Photovoltaics to Fuels Technology Group

Dr Anna Zimina
(KIT)

Dr Anna Zimina

Anna has been working as senior scientist at KIT for more than ten years. Leading the group “Catalysis at KIT Light Source” at the Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, she is responsible for operation of the CATACT beamline at KIT Light Source and the support of the in-house research in the field of catalysis. 

With the local team and as part of CARE-O-SENE she contributes with her know-how for the advance characterization of the industrially relevant catalytic materials. 

She also leads Work Package 2 of the research project and is a member of the Steering Committee.

Position

Senior Scientist

Company

Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie

Areas of Expertise

Anna has developed expertise in advanced X-ray based characterization methods at Forschungszentrum Jülich, BESSY II and KIT. With her in-depth knowledge, Anna is ideally positioned to achieve the goals of the CARE-O-SENE research project: the development and implementation of hard and soft X-ray spectroscopy and imaging characterization methods on real catalysts under industrially relevant conditions.

Anna studied physics and received her PhD from the Technical University of Berlin.

"Steady growing expertise of KIT in the field of catalysis research will significantly contribute to the success of CARE-O-SENE project. The KIT team will gain a deeper understanding of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts from atomic level up to large scale production and bridge the gap between academia and industry approaching the green future."
Dr Anna Zimina
Senior Scientist

Dr Denzil Moodley
(Sasol Limited)

Dr Denzil Moodley

Denzil is a senior scientist in the Fischer-Tropsch group at Sasol’s Research & Technology Science Research department in Sasolburg. 

He is also the Work Package 3 leader for large-scale catalyst production and testing. 

He is passionate about commercializing catalytic processes for sustainable chemical and fuels using green feedstocks, focusing on topics such as CO2 hydrogenation and Power-to-X.

Position

Senior Scientist

Company

Sasol Limited

Areas of Expertise

Denzil has over 20 years of experience in fundamental and applied catalysis, process chemistry and R&D. His earlier work involved unraveling the complex interplay of catalyst deactivation under realistic industrial conditions using industry-academia collaboration. He has delivered several technology packages, notably on catalyst regeneration as well as provided operations support for commercial GTL & CTL facilities. Denzil has published widely on the topic of Fischer-Tropsch catalysis.

He has been the scientific lead for several critical R&D projects that involved understanding, developing and scaling-up of more efficient Cobalt and Iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. In CARE-O-SENE, he will utilize his expertise to enable the translation of fundamental knowledge into practical insight and application. Denzil holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.

"The holistic approach taken in the consortium using real life catalysts, model systems, theory and modelling will accelerate the understanding and deployment of PtL catalysts for SAF production."
Dr Denzil Moodley
Senior Scientist

Dr Toine Cents
(Sasol Limited)

Dr Toine Cents

Toine is responsible for the Engineering & Research part of Sasol Holding in the Netherlands. Further to this he is the project leader of Work Package 4 of the CARE-O-SENE catalyst development consortium, which deals with:

  • The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of Power to Liquids and the impact of an improved catalyst in particular
  • The Techno-economics of Power to Liquids and the impact of an improved catalyst
  • The Regeneration of the newly developed catalyst and its impact on LCA
  • The work-up of the Fischer-Tropsch products in order to maximise the yield of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Position

Senior Manager Engineering Research Netherlands

Company

Sasol Limited

Areas of Expertise

Toine has a long track record within Sasol Research and Technology in different engineering and management roles. He is focused on fundamental understanding, leading to development and improvement of process technology. He holds, amongst others, expertise in (Fischer-Tropsch) Reactor Technology, CO2 capture and Techno-Economic optimization. 

Toine holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Twente, the Netherlands.

"It is great contributing to Sasol’s road towards a more sustainable future by being part of the development of new processes and technology."
Dr Toine Cents
Senior Manager Engineering Research Netherlands

Dr. Lucero Cobos- Becerra
(HZB)

Dr. Lucero Cobos- Becerra

Lucero is a Scientific Officer in the Energy and Information Department at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and is also the project coordinator for CARE-O-SENE. With over ten years of experience, Lucero specialises in strategy development and the conceptualisation and implementation of international research projects. Her current focus at HZB is on international projects related to renewable fuels, catalysis for H2 production, and CO2 conversion - Power-to-X.

Position

Work package leader

Company

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin

Expertise

Lucero has extensive expertise in managing international cooperation projects and collaborating with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including academia, industry, and politics. She has previously served as an international project leader for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), where she focused on circular economy and sustainable production and consumption projects. Lucero holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and has a background in Chemical Engineering.