Professor Dr. Luis Virla Alvarado

Biography

Luis D. Virla joined the Sustainable Systems Engineering program in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. He served as R&D Lead for Carbon Management at Nanostech and CTO at Vortis Carbon Corp, focusing on developing catalytic solutions for the energy transition. Between 2020 and 2024, he managed an innovation portfolio encompassing carbon capture, utilization, and decarbonization. Prior to this, Luis was a Research Fellow at TU Delft in the Netherlands, contributing to Horizon Europe projects that explored land-based mitigation strategies and socio-economic tipping points for sustainable development. His research interests include clean technology innovation, sustainable systems design, stakeholder engagement, as well as methods for carbon capture and utilization. He co-founded InnoLab Space, an NGO aimed at supporting community-led sustainability initiatives. Luis earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2018, focusing on carbon-supported metal carbide catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction. His work emphasizes participation and strategic initiatives in sustainability and innovation across academia and industry.

Research Interests

Experience

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