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Staff
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Matteo Pascenti was born in Chiavari (GE) in 1975. He is a technician at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. His research focuses on experimental energy systems, fuel cells, micro gas turbines, hybrid power systems, distributed generation, and energy storage.
He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Genova in 2004 and developed his doctoral research within the Thermochemical Power Group, working on the experimental characterisation of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) hybrid systems.
His activities have a strong experimental focus, including the development, operation, and testing of advanced energy-system facilities. He has worked extensively on SOFC and PEM fuel cells, micro gas turbine–fuel cell hybrid systems, system dynamics and control, and cyber-physical emulation of innovative power plants.
Federico Reggio is a researcher at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. His research focuses on advanced energy conversion systems, gas turbines, turbomachinery, and the development of innovative technologies for efficient and flexible power generation.
He obtained his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering – Design and Production from the University of Genova and subsequently completed his PhD, defending his doctoral thesis on experimental and theoretical approaches for surge prevention in gas turbines in 2021.
His research combines experimental activities, modelling, control strategies, and the development of advanced energy systems. He has worked extensively on gas-turbine compressor instabilities and surge prevention, Tesla turbomachinery, renewable-energy applications, and cyber-physical energy systems. He is also involved in experimental activities related to advanced heat pumps, energy recovery, control systems, and thermal energy storage.
In 2018, Reggio contributed to the foundation of SIT Technologies Srl, an innovative start-up created to exploit research developments in energy harvesting and bladeless Tesla turbomachinery. He has also conducted research at the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) on Tesla turbine applications for renewable energy. At the University of Genova, he currently serves as operational manager of the Innovative Energy Systems – Closed Cycles laboratory.
Marco Martins Afonso is a researcher (“assegnista di ricerca”) at DIME-UNIGE since 2024. He works in the TPG group on issues such as compressor surge instability and energy harvesting from wave motion.
He obtained his Master Degree and Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Genova in 2002 and 2006, respectively. He then worked as a post-doc at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), Johns Hopkins University (USA), IMFT (France), I3M (France) and M2P2 (France), as a visiting scientist at the Universities of Helsinki (Finland) and Nice (France), and as a researcher and member at CMUP (Portugal).
He is the author of >40 publications, co-supervisor of 2 Ph.D. theses, reviewer for >50 journals, invited speaker at 3 conferences, and guest editor for one special issue and book. He obtained the French “Qualification” and the Italian “Abilitazione”.
Simone Piccardo was born in Voghera (PV), Italy, on 11 December 1992. He graduated in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Genoa in July 2021, completing his Master’s thesis on a feasibility study investigating the use of ammonia as an alternative fuel for large passenger ships.
In November of the same year, he began a Ph.D. in Marine Science and Technology at the Thermochemical Power Group (University of Genoa). His research activities have focused on techno-economic assessments, feasibility studies, and safety analyses, as well as the performance evaluation of alternative fuels and technologies for onboard applications, within the framework of evolving maritime regulatory requirements.
During his Ph.D., he had the opportunity to contribute to multiple research projects, including ENGIMMONIA, while collaborating with industrial partners such as FINCANTIERI, CETENA, and SAIPEM. He further broadened and consolidated his expertise from a more integrated energy and policy perspective during an internship at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris.
He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Thermochemical Power Group, where he has been working for the past two years on research topics related to the application of alternative fuels and technologies to the maritime sector.
Simone Maccarini is a researcher at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. His research focuses on advanced energy conversion technologies, particularly supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) power cycles, thermal energy storage, and the dynamic analysis and control of innovative energy systems.
He obtained his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering – Energy and Aeronautics from the University of Genova in 2020 and subsequently joined the Thermochemical Power Group. He completed his PhD in 2024 with a thesis focused on simulation tools for the design and analysis of innovative CO₂-based energy plants.
His research activities combine thermo-economic performance assessment with dynamic modelling and control analysis of power cycles. Particular attention is devoted to sCO₂ systems, including their transient and start-up behaviour, integration with renewable energy technologies, and application to pumped thermal energy storage (PTES).
He has contributed to several European research projects, including SOLARSCO2OL, ROBINSON, and SCO2OP-TES, working on the development and demonstration of innovative energy conversion and storage solutions.
Abhishek was born in Uttar Pradesh, India in 1991. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Amity University, India in 2014 and his Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India in 2017. During his masters, he developed and experimentally investigated the novel Reverse Flow Slinger combustor for high flame stability and low NOx emissions. Subsequently, he joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore in 2018 as a Project Associate, where he investigated the performance of the high shear class of gas turbine injectors with laser-based optical diagnostics. At IISc, he also designed a high-pressure optically accessible gas turbine combustor rig and an optically accessible supercritical steam test loop. He has diverse research experience in the field of gas turbine combustion and optical laser diagnostics. In January 2022, he joined DIME, University of Genova as a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher under the INSPIRE ESR 13 Project, where he is working on the thermo-economic cycle optimization of the Pressure Gain Combustion powerplants.
Dr Sreenath Purushothaman, PhD is an Associate Researcher at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. He obtained his PhD in Models, Machines and Systems Engineering for Energy, Environment and Transport with Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Grant under the project “INSPIRE”. His Doctoral thesis was on the topic “Pressure Gain Combustion Propulsion Application with Part Load and Dynamic Analysis”. He holds a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering with specialization in Aircraft Propulsion from Jain University (India) and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Kerala (India). He has over 3.5 years of industrial experience with aircraft engines, ergonomic design & structural analysis of aircraft components, and CFD studies on aircrafts for thermal management, aerodynamics and ice accretion. He also has approx. 2 years of research experience as post-doc in University of Genova, where he worked on dynamic modelling of closed-loop compression systems, heat exchangers for hydrogen liquefaction, and Stirling machines. His research interests include modelling of aircraft propulsion systems, novel thermodynamic cycles, and reduced order combustion modelling.
Silvia Crosa is a Research Fellow at the Department of Mechanical, Energy,Management and Transportation Engineering (DIME) of University of Genoa (IT) at the Thermochemical Power Group. Her doctoral research focused on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), with the study of turbocharged PEMFC system for stationary, maritime, and aerospace applications.
Her current research activities focus on fuel cell systems, including Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and hydrogen storage in metal hydrides. Her work combines numerical modelling and experimental investigations, covering system design, dynamic simulation, thermal management, and performance assessment.
Chiara Anfosso is a postdoctoral researcher at the Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) of the University of Genoa. She holds a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering and earned her Ph.D. in Engineering of Models, Machines, and Systems for Energy, Environment, and Transport in May 2025.
Her research focuses on the development, control, and experimental validation of innovative energy systems designed to achieve high efficiency and low environmental impact in heat and power generation. She has extensive experience in the modeling, simulation, and experimental testing of micro gas turbines fueled by alternative energy carriers, particularly hydrogen and ammonia, with a specific emphasis on power-to-ammonia-to-power systems and their integration into sustainable energy infrastructures. During her doctoral studies, she contributed to several national and international research projects, combining numerical modeling with experimental activities to investigate the performance, flexibility, and operational reliability of advanced energy conversion technologies under both steady-state and dynamic operating conditions. Her research interests also include renewable energy integration, hybrid energy systems, and decarbonization strategies for industrial and power generation applications.
Matteo obtained his master’s degree in mechanical engineering – Energy and Aeronautics at University of Genoa with a thesis on the thermoeconomical analysis of novel CO2 based reverse cycles. He joined TPG as PhD student with a research activity on Design and performance analysis of hydrogen powered maritime combined cycles, obtaining his PhD degree in May 2026.
In the past he worked on the simulation and performance analysis of high temperature heat pumps. Recently, his areas of interest are related to the simulation and performance of low emission power generation for maritime and hard-to-abate sectors, and the techno-economic integration of such low-emission energy systems. He is also active on the experimental side on the topic of low temperature PEM fuel cells with the aim of optimizing the air supply control strategies.
Andriy Vasyslyev graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 2022 with a thesis on COMPARISON OF OPTIMIZERS FOR DISPACEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, receiving a grade of 110 and the dignity of print. He has rigorously carried out a series of comparisons of methodologies for optimizing the dispatching of energy systems (generators and storage) in a market-driven context, starting with the choice of algorithm, continuing with the information to be introduced into the models, and ending with the evaluation of the economic impact analysis.
He is currently involved in the statistical analysis of the Italian electricity markets, developing optimization models not only with a market-driven approach but also with a demand-driven approach. These algorithms make it possible to define the best energy dispatcher given the boundary conditions and the objective function of the problem.
Syed Safeer Mehdi Shamsi is an energy systems researcher at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. His research focuses on advanced energy conversion and storage technologies, particularly pumped thermal energy storage (PTES), supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) cycles, waste-heat recovery, and long-duration energy storage.
Shamsi completed an industrial PhD at the University of Genova on thermo-mechanical energy storage based on innovative working-fluid cycles. His research combines thermodynamic modelling, thermo-economic analysis, system optimisation, and electricity-market considerations to investigate efficient and economically viable energy-storage solutions.
He is actively involved in SCO2OP-TES, a Horizon Europe project developing sCO₂-based pumped thermal energy storage for cooperation between electricity grids and industry. His recent work includes research on thermally integrated CO₂ Carnot batteries, industrial waste-heat utilisation, off-design performance, and market- and emissions-driven operation of energy-storage systems.
Chiara Monacchini was born on 5th January 1999 in Novi Ligure. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in September 2021 and her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering – Energy and Aeronautics in October 2023 at the University of Genova, with the thesis titled: Techno-economic analysis of a methanol production plant from renewable hydrogen and captured CO2: Duferco case study. In November 2023, she began her PhD in Marine Sciences and Technologies at the University of Genoa. Her research addresses the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors, with particular emphasis on the maritime sector. She is involved in the European CAPTUS project, where she investigates carbon utilisation pathways for the production of sustainable energy carriers and biofuels through techno-economic analyses. Her research also explores ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, with a focus on the technical and economic assessment of ammonia cracking systems. In addition, she has contributed to the Italian PRIN national research project on the development and evaluation of Power-to-Fuel technologies.
Swatara Tucker was born in Alabama, U.S.A. in 2000. They obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics from West Virginia University in 2020 December, with undergraduate research experience in modelling the kinetics of oscillatory chemical reactions, and two summer fellowships (in 2019, 2020) pertaining to historical data analysis, diagnostics, and power system degradation and failure. Their capstone thesis in Mathematics was titled “Multivariable Analysis of Historical Data to Characterize Performance Degradation of Power Equipment,” and described the research performed over the course of their first fellowship. In 2022 November, they joined the TPG as PhD student with a focus on modelling of dynamics and controls of power systems; their PhD thesis will be formed around the development and use of a model for diagnostics and optimization of a power generation system using hydrogen. During the first year of their PhD program, they have primarily worked with controller tuning and improvements to the computational time of a model of the SOLARSCO2OL cycle, which is a simple recuperated cycle using supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid and a concentrated solar power plant as a heat source.
Alberto Patti obtained his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Genoa in 2020. His bachelor’s thesis subsequently contributed to his first scientific paper, published in Energy in 2022 and focused on large-scale thermo-mechanical energy storage systems. During his master’s studies, he spent the 2020/2021 winter semester at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), through the Erasmus+ programme. He received his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering – Energy and Aeronautics from the University of Genoa in October 2023, with a thesis entitled “Feasibility Study of Reverse Brayton Cycles for Waste Heat Recovery in Industrial Applications.”
He joined TPG as a PhD student in November 2023. His research focuses on the electrification and decarbonisation of industrial heat demand, with particular emphasis on Brayton-based high-temperature heat pumps. His activities include thermodynamic modelling, integration into industrial processes, techno-economic assessment, and experimental testing of laboratory-scale prototypes. His experimental work aims to demonstrate and investigate a patented open reverse Brayton cycle concept for thermal recovery.
He is currently involved in the Horizon Europe project SOLINDARITY, which aims to install Brayton-based heat pumps, supported by both solar thermal and photovoltaic, at three industrial sites. He is also a member of ETN Global’s Young Engineers Committee.
Mahmoud Abdelnaser Saadeldin is a PhD student at Thermochemical Power Group, DIME, University of Genova, Italy. His research focuses on sustainable maritime energy systems, renewable energy integration, alternative marine fuels, energy storage, and technologies for reducing emissions from marine propulsion systems.
He has a background in marine engineering and obtained his degree from Alexandria University, Egypt, where he has also worked as a teaching assistant. His academic and research experience covers ship design, fluid mechanics, marine fuels, internal combustion engines, and the modelling and optimisation of energy systems.
He is currently pursuing a PhD in Marine Sciences and Technologies, within the curriculum Fluid Machines and Energy Systems for Maritime Applications, at the University of Genova. His research investigates pathways for maritime decarbonisation, with particular attention to renewable energy sources, hydrogen and alternative fuels, fuel-cell propulsion, and energy-storage technologies.
Dario Buzzola is a PhD student in the Engineering of Models, Machines
and Systems for Energy, Environment and Transport program at the
University of Genoa. His research focuses on the modelling and
simulation of innovative hybrid propulsion systems integrating Solid
Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and gas turbines for aerospace applications. He
is currently working on off‑design analysis and dynamic behaviour of
SOFC‑based hybrid systems within the Horizon Europe project FlyECO, with
emphasis on transient operation, control strategies, and system
integration.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Energy Engineering (106/110), where he
developed the preliminary design of a 1 MW SOFC‑hybrid propulsion
system, performing thermodynamic simulations with W‑TEMP and MATLAB
analysing efficiency, fuel consumption, and hybridization strategies. Previously, he conducted experimental research on PEM fuel cell
degradation for maritime applications at the Savona Campus Fuel Cell
Laboratory.
His research interests include hybrid propulsion, fuel cell systems, gas
turbine modelling, dynamic simulation, and energy system optimization.
He is co-author of publications presented at ASME Turbo Expo 2025 and
CEAS Aerospace Europe Conference 2025.
Hafiz Muhammad Osaid is currently a PhD student in Machine and Energy Systems for Maritime at the University of Genoa, Italy. He holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, Pakistan.
Before starting his PhD, he worked for over 15 years in academia and industry. He served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Management and Technology and the University of Lahore, where he taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in mechanical and industrial engineering. Earlier, he worked as a Maintenance Engineer for HVAC and Building Management Systems and was involved in the design, procurement, installation, and commissioning of engineering laboratories and industrial equipment.
His current research focuses on sustainable maritime energy systems, ship energy management, carbon capture technologies, and low-emission propulsion systems. His broader research interests include thermal sciences, HVAC systems, renewable energy, combined cycle power plants, additive manufacturing, and energy efficiency.
Amin Jalilvand was born in Tehran on 21 March 2000. He received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering – Energy Conversion from K. N. Toosi University of Technology in August 2025. His master’s thesis, titled “Comprehensive Analysis of the Conversion and Storage of Renewable Energy into Hydrogen Chemical Carriers,” focused on hydrogen production pathways, biomass conversion, and energy storage technologies.
During his master’s studies, he conducted research on hydrogen systems, biomass-based energy conversion, energy storage technologies, and fuel cells, contributing to several scientific publications and a book chapter in peer-reviewed journals.
In November 2025, he joined the Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) at the University of Genoa (UniGe) as a PhD student. His doctoral research focuses on the dynamic simulation and performance analysis of advanced energy systems, including thermal energy storage, heat pumps, and supercritical CO₂ power cycles.
Luca Enzi was born in Savona on 16th November in 2001. He received his M.Sc. in Energy Engineering from the University of Genoa in October 2025. His master’s thesis, titled “Analysis and Comparison of Different Control Strategies for the Management of a PEMFC Cooling System”, focused on the development of a model of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system and its cooling subsystem in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.
The model was used to investigate different control strategies for the cooling system with the aim of reducing thermal stresses, thereby extending the system lifetime and improving its overall performance. The study also included a control strategy based on predictive control using a Reference Governor approach, which provided further improvements in system performance.
In November 2025, he started his PhD as a member of the Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) at the University of Genoa. His research focuses on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) and Metal Hydrates (MH), coupling the modelling and experimental worlds with the goal of developing detailed and reliable models capable of testing innovative solutions aimed at increasing the competitiveness of these systems in the energy market.
