Moltes felicitats, Dr. Morales-Vidal!

Jordi Morales Vidal, a PhD student who is under Prof. Núria Lopez’ supervision, has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Modelling of Catalytic Systems Towards Green Fuels” publicly on October 10th.

The members of the evaluation committee were Prof. Gian-Marco Rignanese (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium); Prof. Karoliina Honkala (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Dr. Jordi Carbó Martin (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)

Dr. Morales-Vidal is from Vila-seca. He studied Chemistry in Universitat Rovira i Virgili, and during that time, Jordi spent 3 months in the Prof. Lopez’ group as a “La Caixa – ICIQ Summer Fellow”. Then he continued as a Master student supervised by Dr. Manuel Ortuño, and finally he received the FPI grant to do his PhD.

Jordi loves sports, he always looks for time to practice any of them. Dr. Morales Vidal has been playing roller hockey since he was four years old. Currently, he is playing in the local team of Cambrils. Another of Jordi’s passions is hang out with his friends and try new restaurants and different types of food.

Why did you become a scientist?

Since I was a child, I have been curious about how the things around us work and in particular anything to do with science. I believe this curiosity has been the driving force to become a scientist.

What do you want to achieve as a scientist?

I would like to provide my humble contribution in the development of new materials and processes that will make feasible to move forward to a more sustainable society.

What is your thesis about?

My thesis is based on the modelling via DFT simulations of catalytic systems involved in the production of green fuels. On the one hand, I have studied metalic-organic frameworks to obtain green H₂ through water splitting. On the other hand, I have assessed metal-promoted oxides for the conversion of CO₂ and H₂ to green methanol.

What triggered your interest for the subject of your thesis?

I started to be interested in computational chemistry during my bachelor. Then, I spent three months in ICIQ as Summer Fellow and this finally triggered my interest for the modelling of catalytic materials for energy applications.

What applications can your thesis have in the future?

I believe my thesis could be useful to speed up the search and design of novel catalysts for energy applications.

The thing that I like most about my thesis is…. 

The high degree of interdisciplinarity. I have had the opportunity to model a wide variety of materials and processes. In addition, I have been able to carry out many collaborations with experimental colleagues and this has given me a bigger perspective of science.

From the lessons learnt (or skills developed) at ICIQ, which one do you value the most?

To address how to solve complex problems of which I initially had no knowledge.

What ICIQ moment you´ll never forget? 

It is really difficult to select only one, but I will say the days celebrating “calçotades” or “el tió de Nadal” with the colleagues in the computational lab.

What will you miss the most from ICIQ?

All colleagues who have become great friends.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your PhD?

That even when the things are fully planned and seems to be under control, a small detail can change everything, and it is key to adapt quickly. In the end, everything can be solved but is essential to remain always calm.

What advice do you have for someone who’s starting their PhD now?

Do not hesitate to ask questions and try to learn the most of all the people you have around.

Have you ever been emotional over an experiment/simulation? Why?

I cannot deny that I have felt very frustrated when the things have not worked as expected. However, this is science, and at the end, I have learnt a lot for all these situations.

What is your favourite molecule? 

Caffeine.

Tell us something about you that people might not know… 

I studied music for ten years. I officially studied flute but I also learnt the basics of how to play other instruments and this has allowed me to collaborate as a musician in different associations, such as “el ball de Dames i Vells” or in the “ball de diables de Vila-seca”.