Sustainable Development Goals
Research interests
• Reactor engineering applied to chemical and biological systems
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Reactor engineering applied to catalytic selective oxidation of hydrocarbons
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Reactor engineering applied to biocatalysis and fermentation for the production of enzymes and high value-added compounds
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Reactor engineering applied to photocatalysis for water treatment and the production of energy vectors
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Reactor engineering applied to energy storage systems
Profile
Dr. Carlos O. Castillo Araiza has served as Full Professor (“Profesor Titular C”) in the Area of Chemical Engineering at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa Campus (UAM-Iztapalapa), since 2010. His academic activity integrates teaching, research, and science communication, together with active participation in academic and institutional governance, contributing to the strengthening of university life and to the social mission of the public university.
His academic training, from basic education through postgraduate studies, was completed at public institutions, with a background in Chemical Engineering and specialization in Reactor Engineering, supported by scholarships from the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI) and the Program for Faculty Professional Development (PRODEP). In addition, he has carried out academic and industry-oriented research stays at nationally and internationally recognized institutions, including the Mexican Petroleum Institute (Mexico), the University of Pennsylvania (United States of America), Ghent University (Belgium), Shell Global Solutions (United States of America), and Imperial College London (England).
From the beginning of his career as Full Professor, he founded and has led the Catalytic Reactor Engineering Laboratory (LIRC), conceived as a platform for human-resource training and the generation of scientific knowledge, with research lines oriented toward the analysis of contemporary problems with environmental and social emphasis. Within the framework of LIRC, research projects funded by SECIHTI and PRODEP have been obtained, research awards have been received, and scientific contributions have been presented at national and international forums.
His research interests focus on interdisciplinary studies in Reactor Engineering, addressing reaction systems whose behavior remains under investigation and lacks an established paradigm, with the aim of improving their fundamental understanding and guiding strategies for optimization or intensification. At the undergraduate and graduate levels, he teaches courses in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, mass transfer, and catalytic reactor engineering, as well as elective courses related to reactor engineering. His teaching practice conceives education and research as an integrated formative process that promotes critical thinking and active student participation in classroom and laboratory activities, through collaborative learning dynamics oriented toward the development of scientific and professional skills. Outside the academic sphere, he maintains activities related to family life, friendship, team sports, and reading.
He holds the distinction of being a Level II member of the National System of Researchers (SNII) and is an active member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. As of 2025, his academic output includes approximately 70 JCR-indexed journal articles (around 40 in Q1 according to Scopus), five book chapters, and one technological development. In teaching and human-resource training, he has delivered dozens of undergraduate and graduate courses, supervised over 50 social service projects, directed around 15 undergraduate capstone projects, approximately 25 master’s theses, and around 15 doctoral dissertations. He has also served as academic supervisor for approximately five postdoctoral stays and for one appointment under the “Investigadores por México” program. This trajectory enables him to continue contributing to the advancement of knowledge and to the training of human resources within the framework of the public university.
Information provided by the academic staff