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The career path for researchers is rarely a broad, straight and smooth tarmac road. They have to reach out for international collaborations to acquire new skills from other research environments and contribute nationally and internationally with the specialised research they have in their luggage. In some cases, this happens at the invitation of other universities in visiting professorships of shorter or longer duration.
For several years, the Otto Mønsted Foundation has increased its grants to applicants who either travel abroad or are invited to Denmark to increase the sum of knowledge at Danish universities for the benefit of innovation in the Danish business community. In 2023 alone, the foundation granted almost DKK 15 million for Danish researchers to attend congresses and research stays abroad and to secure visiting professorships at Danish universities.
One of the visiting professors is Stefania Tronci, associate professor at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia. During her research career, the Italian chemical engineer has gained particular expertise in process control. One of the areas that best illustrates the importance of process control is the pharmaceutical industry. In the production of pharmaceuticals, it is of course crucial that the content is precisely formulated to meet quality requirements, and at the same time, manufacturers want to minimise waste of resources. In addition to applications in existing production, process control is also used to test and validate new design options when developing new industrial processes.
A complement of knowledge for SDU
The universe of process control is a research area of interest at the Institute of Green Technology at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. Stefania Tronci is a familiar face here. She has previously given lectures at the Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes in chemical and biotechnology at SDU in Odense, and she is now back at the institute.
Associate Professor Massimiliano Errico applied for a grant from the Otto Mønsted Foundation in 2023 for a three-month visiting professorship for his Italian colleague because process control is not currently an active research topic at the department. Nevertheless, process control is of strategic importance in a Danish industrial context. Even though we have good designs and proposals for new processes that, for example, save energy or reduce CO2 emissions, proof that the technology can be regulated and controlled is required if a technology is to move from being demonstrated at laboratory or pilot level to being used on a larger scale.
“Denmark is a frontrunner in the green transition and it can only be fully implemented if all aspects of production are proven. Process control is closely linked to these aspects, ensuring consistent production quality, but also other aspects such as process safety and waste control,” emphasises Massimiliano Errico.
Great benefits for students and colleagues
During her stay, Stefania Tronci has been an integral part of the teaching programme to give students a deeper understanding of the role of process control in process design to benefit their academic and professional careers. The visiting professor was also active outside the classroom in academic discussions and provided valuable thesis guidance to the students. Stefania also plans to help organise summer courses and seminars for students in the future.
“In addition to teaching, Stefania participated in collaborative research with colleagues, particularly focused on developing a proposal for an EU project. This is an example of SDU encouraging people from different fields and with complementary knowledge to work together, which is important to come up with new ideas and solve difficult research problems,” says Massimiliano Errico.