On 27 May, the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research scientific journal published a special issue devoted to Pedro Castro, an associate professor with habilitation at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, who passed away in December 2024 at the age of just 51.
Described by the publication’s editors as “a very good friend and a man of great kindness”, Pedro Castro is also remembered as a “highly respected” researcher in the fields of Process Systems Engineering and optimisation fields, with significant contributions in the areas of scheduling and global optimisation, and mass-exchange networks and water networks.
During his time at Técnico, he was a member of the scientific and pedagogical section of ‘Process and Project Engineering’ within the Department of Chemical Engineering, while also taking on responsibilities in the field of IT as a member of the Department’s Executive Committee. He was appointed to be the next coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Chemical Engineering from January 2025.
“During his unfortunately short time at Técnico as a professor, he was responsible for several curricular units, earning the affection of all his colleagues and students”, recalls Henrique Matos, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Técnico. The professor also highlights his “commitment to scientific innovation, supervision of students and his ability to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial challenges”, emphasising that “all hopes for renewal and a boost to research and teaching” in the field of Process Systems Engineering (PSE) “were placed upon him”.
Internationally recognised for his scientific contributions, Pedro Castro has received the 2019 Universidade de Lisboa/Caixa Geral de Depósitos Scientific Award in the field of Chemical Engineering, the Best Paper Award at the PSE 2017 conference, and an Honourable Mention in Applied Mathematics in 2016. He was listed by Stanford University in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as one of the top 1% of scientists in Chemical Engineering globally.
The newly published special edition highlights the scientific, academic and human legacy that Pedro Castro left to the international scientific community. In his honour, the Department of Chemical Engineering at Técnico has also established the PSE – Professor Pedro Castro Award, which aims to “perpetuate his connection” to the scientific field in which he dedicated much of his career.
