I have been a Professor of engineering at UCLouvain since 2019, following the start of my academic career in 2012 at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Since September 2026, I head the Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics (TFL) division of the Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering. While my primary field—and part of my publication track record—is in combustion, I specialized in modeling multi-energy systems and robust optimization—including the explicit treatment of uncertainties. I have authored over 200 scientific publications on the energy transition toward sustainable and resilient solutions. My work spans from micro-scale energy storage systems (e-fuels, Carnot batteries, metallic fuels) to macro-scale regional whole-energy systems, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to system-wide defossilisation. I increasingly embrace an interdisciplinary approach that explores the role of sufficiency as a priority lever before technological efficiency.
Teaching
I teach a range of courses in energy and thermodynamics. While I aim at building strong technical and theoretical foundations, I also connect with other disciplines, as the solutions to the challenges ahead will be co-constructed with others.
Communication
I love scientific communication. Besides training students, researchers, and professionals in effective communication, I also nudge and encourage my group to participate in contests or share their results with the media. I host a podcast—called Exergie—and perform a live show about fire—another way to talk about energy—for high school students. I am a member of the Collegium of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.