معرفی
Dr Smitha Gopinath is a Lecturer in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield, where she leads research in sustainable engineering systems within the Sustainable Design Laboratory (SDL).
Education & Career Path
- PhD in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London
- Post-doctoral researcher, Applied Mathematics and Plasma Physics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Research Focus
Dr Gopinath’s interdisciplinary work centres on the design, calibration and operation of sustainable engineering systems. She develops high-fidelity models and large-scale optimisation algorithms tailored to energy and materials challenges. Core interests include:
- Thermo-mechanical energy conversion devices (heat pumps, organic Rankine cycles)
- Carbon-capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) via novel solvents and separation systems
- Power-grid expansion and operation for renewable integration and decarbonisation
Methodologically, she integrates Integrated Molecular and Process Synthesis (IMPS) with Optimisation Accelerated by domain Knowledge (OAK) to co-design molecules, materials and flowsheets that meet stringent energy and environmental targets.
Publication Landscape
Across 2015–2025 her publications reveal a clear trajectory from fundamental thermodynamic measurements and molecular design toward rigorous optimisation of large-scale energy systems. Early work concentrated on CO₂ solubility and carbonation kinetics of steel slag, providing essential data for carbon-sequestration schemes. Subsequent papers introduced advanced optimisation frameworks—outer-approximation algorithms, exact reformulations and feasibility-based methods—applied to solvent-based CO₂ capture, organic Rankine cycle working-fluid selection and AC optimal power flow (ACOPF). Recent contributions benchmark global optimality certificates for ACOPF problems, underscoring her drive to bridge chemical process systems engineering with electrical power systems optimisation.
Teaching & Mentoring
Dr Gopinath teaches undergraduate modules:
- CPE440 (Particle Technology)
- CPE170 (Particle Technology)
She actively invites prospective PhD students to join the Sustainable Design Laboratory, offering supervision on projects spanning sustainable process design, renewable energy systems and algorithmic optimisation.
Laboratory & Collaborative Networks
She directs the Sustainable Design Laboratory (SDL), a multidisciplinary team leveraging systems engineering, multi-scale modelling, process simulation and optimisation to re-imagine a sustainable chemical and energy industry. The SDL collaborates with international partners, including Los Alamos National Laboratory and leading researchers in applied mathematics and power systems engineering.
