{"id":112,"date":"2026-07-09T08:46:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?page_id=15"},"modified":"2026-11-05T10:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T10:00:04","slug":"team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.auriga.polimi.it\/index.php\/team\/","title":{"rendered":"Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Prof.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Prof. Giorgio Besagni, PhD<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Principal Investigator<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leads the AURIGA project at the Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano. His research on bubble column fluid dynamics \u2014 from the dual effect of viscosity to the lift-force interpretation of flow regime transitions \u2014 forms the foundation on which AURIGA builds its general theory of gas\u2013liquid flows.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Nicol\u00f2<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nicol\u00f2 Varallo, PhD<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Post-doctoral Researcher \u00b7 Fluid dynamics & mass transfer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experimental and numerical research on gas\u2013liquid fluid dynamics and mass transfer. Bridges the bubble-scale and large-scale activities and supports the doctoral students across the AURIGA work packages.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Stefano<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Stefano Puricelli, PhD<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Post-doctoral Researcher \u00b7 Environmental impact assessment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental engineer with a European Joint Doctorate (Politecnico di Milano, 2021) and research stays at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. Life Cycle Assessment specialist with 20 Scopus-indexed publications. Since July 2026 he assesses the environmental impact of the CO\u2082 capture technology in AURIGA.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Khaled<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Khaled Sayed Gad, PhD<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Post-doctoral Researcher \u00b7 Energy systems modelling<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Models long-term decarbonisation pathways and sector-coupling strategies, connecting AURIGA\u2019s bubble-column research to system-level energy transition planning.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Andrea<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Andrea Ferrario<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PhD Student \u00b7 Coalescence<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quantifies bubble coalescence phenomena at the bubble-scale, using adjacent capillaries and image analysis.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Alberto<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Alberto Arici<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PhD Student \u00b7 Mass transfer & scaling-up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies mass transfer in CO\u2082\u2013ionic-liquid systems and the scaling-up of laboratory results towards industrial reactors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Djamel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Djamel Eddine Aissaoui<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PhD Student \u00b7 Bubble-scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies bubble columns across scales, from single-bubble dynamics to swarm and column-scale behaviour, to connect local fluid dynamics with reactor performance for CO\u2082 capture.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Vitor<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Vitor Augusto Regert dos Santos<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PhD Student \u00b7 Theoretical research<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develops the flow regime theory: multi-scale modeling of the operating curve \u03a9, transition criteria for the flow regime transitions and the variable drift-flux formulation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Tianrou<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tianrou Zhang<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research Fellow \u00b7 Ionic-liquid hydrodynamics<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigates gas\u2013liquid hydrodynamics in ionic liquid bubble columns, with particular interest in multiscale flow behaviour.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Alumni<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former team members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Francesco<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Francesco Pierini<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Former PhD Student \u00b7 Large-scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed and operated the large-scale bubble column: gas holdup, gas disengagement, optical probe and wire-mesh measurements.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Collaborators<\/p>\n\n\n\n

External collaborators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden \u2013 Rossendorf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Institute of Fluid Dynamics, Dresden<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n