Director of the Process Thermodynamics Center at Mines Paris – PSL from November 2021 to December 2023, Paolo Stringari has been in charge of the Process Thermodynamics team at the Centre Énergie Environnement Procédés (CEEP) since its creation in January 2024.
Paolo Stringari’s main areas of research are experimental thermodynamics and thermodynamic modeling, applied to process engineering. He has developed recognized expertise in the field of phase equilibria involving van der Waals solids, particularly at low temperatures. Theoretical, modeling and experimental developments in this field of research are applied to improving the design, safety and energy consumption of cryogenic industrial processes such as cryogenic air distillation, natural gas and biogas liquefaction and hydrogen liquefaction, as well as to particle physics. Research into the fundamental properties of hydrogen, as well as into improving the efficiency of hydrogen compression and liquefaction techniques, has been a major focus of recent work, accompanied by important industrial partnerships.
After a degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Applied Physics at the Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy, Paolo Stringari joined the Centre de Thermodynamique des Procédés (CTP) at Mines Paris – PSL in 2009.
My first steps in research began with the use of neural networks to model the thermophysical properties of fluids. As part of my thesis, I had the opportunity to collaborate for the first time with the École des Mines de Paris. This experience introduced me to experimental research, which appealed to me right from the start, as did the strong interaction between research and the socio-economic world. I saw it as an opportunity to carry out research whose mission is not only to advance the frontiers of knowledge, but also to play the role of pole star in guiding and accompanying major changes in industry and society.
Paolo Stringari obtained his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) in 2015, at the University of Lorraine. He is active in French learned societies in the field of thermodynamics: he has been a board member of the GdR “Thermodynamique moléculaire et des procédés” and the GdR “Hydrates”, and is a member of the Institutional Board of the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration, in the field of particle physics, and of the DRD2 group of the European Committee for Future Acceleretors (ECFA) at CERN.
I’ve always been fascinated by interdisciplinary research, which I’ve been able to put into practice by using the knowledge developed in my work on the phase behavior of complex mixtures at low temperatures, to contribute to the design of large detectors aimed at improving our understanding of the universe, particularly in areas such as the direct search for dark matter or double beta decay without neutrino emission.
Paolo Stringari teaches in the Civil Engineering Cycle at Mines Paris – PSL and is responsible for a teaching module on the LNG chain in the Specialized Masters in Gas Engineering and Management at Mines Paris – PSL. He has directed 11 theses.
Godefroy Beauvallet, Managing Director of Mines Paris-PSL: “Paolo Stringari’s appointment to this key role in our research community is a clear demonstration of his commitment to the School. I have every confidence in him to ensure that the Research Department contributes, through its actions, to enabling us to be at the forefront of ecological and digital transitions, by bringing to bear the School’s specific fields and strengths, and by focusing on both academic and economic impact. His extensive knowledge of the School and its specific features, his international experience, and his experience in both fundamental research and industrial partnerships, are all assets that will enable us to stand out from the rest within the PSL University, to ensure that our model continues to evolve, and to defend it within the French academic landscape”.
