CEng Candidate · IChemE Ecuadorian-British · Greater Manchester, UK

Dr. Julia
Jiménez-Romero

Data-driven decarbonisation for energy-intensive industry.

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About
Dr. Julia Jiménez-Romero

Senior Energy Consultant with a PhD in Chemical Engineering and 5+ years of post-PhD experience at the intersection of process integration, digital energy tools and industrial decarbonisation.

Formerly Research Director and Board Member at APIL. Currently independent consultant. Elected Director, AIChE Fuels & Petrochemical Division. Visiting Researcher, University of Manchester.

Grounding decarbonisation decisions in engineering reality.

My work focuses on high-level energy systems analysis: whole-systems modelling, heat integration, utility system optimisation and techno-economic assessment. I provide the conceptual foundations and strategic roadmaps that guide informed decisions in energy-intensive industries.

Client-facing lead for international industry partnerships across Europe, South America, India and North America, including collaborations with INERCO and other multinational project teams.

5+
Years of post-PhD experience in industrial energy systems
PhD
Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester
CEng
Candidate, IChemE, UK-SPEC
Expertise
01
Energy Systems Analysis and Pinch Analysis
Thermodynamic assessment of industrial processes: energy targeting, pinch analysis, and heat and material balance development to identify efficiency gaps and recovery potential.
02
Utility System Optimisation
Conceptual design and optimisation of process utility systems, evaluating steam, power and fuel configurations including technology selection and multiperiod operational strategy.
03
Industrial Energy Transition Strategy
Optimisation-based frameworks for industrial energy transition, balancing economic and environmental performance to define cost-effective low-carbon pathways from current to future system designs.
04
Digital Energy Tools and Digital Twins
Scoping and technical leadership of industrial digital twin development, integrating process simulation, data-driven models and cloud architecture for continuous energy performance monitoring.
05
Techno-Economic Assessment
Conceptual economic evaluation of industrial energy projects, providing the analytical foundation for investment prioritisation and decarbonisation planning.
06
Technical Advisory and Project Leadership
End-to-end management of energy consultancy engagements, from scoping and proposal development through to client delivery across multilingual, multinational project teams.
Selected Projects
2023–Active
European Crude Oil Refinery — Digital Energy Twin
Energy baseline assessment, pinch analysis and HEN optimisation for a crude distillation unit. Technical lead on development of a SaaS-based digital twin integrating process simulation, ANN models and Azure cloud connectivity for continuous energy performance monitoring.
Active · Refining 2021–2022
Shell — Utility System Optimisation
Multi-objective optimisation of a complex multi-site utility system in collaboration with Shell and the University of Manchester. Analysis of decarbonisation pathways including electrification, renewables integration, CCS and biomass across multiple geographic and regulatory scenarios.
Completed · Industry Collaboration 2022
Shell — LNG Decarbonisation
Decarbonisation strategy analysis for LNG operations in collaboration with Shell and the University of Manchester. Application of optimisation-based frameworks to evaluate low-carbon technology alternatives and transition pathways.
Completed · Industry Collaboration 2024–2025
Next Generation Energy Software Platform
Technical lead for requirements definition and coordination of a next-generation utility system software platform. Proof of concept delivered: modern web interface deployed on Microsoft Azure, communicating with validated legacy calculation engines.
PoC Delivered · Digital
Publications
Journal Papers
2023 · Computers & Chemical Engineering
BEELINE: Bilevel Decomposition Algorithm for Synthesis of Industrial Energy Systems
Jiménez-Romero J, Azapagic A, Smith R · Vol. 180, 108406 DOI
2022 · Computers & Chemical Engineering
STYLE: A New Optimisation Model for Synthesis of Utility Systems with Steam Level Placement
Jiménez-Romero J, Azapagic A, Smith R · Vol. 170, 108060 DOI
Conference Papers
2023 · ESCAPE-32
Systematic Development of Strategies for the Decarbonisation of Process Utility Systems
Jiménez-Romero J, Azapagic A, Smith R · Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, Vol. 52 DOI
2019 · ESCAPE-29
Novel Methodology for Cogeneration Targeting with Optimum Steam Level Placement
Jiménez-Romero J, Azapagic A, Smith R · Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, Vol. 46 DOI
Thesis
2021 · PhD Thesis · University of Manchester
Reduction of Industrial Energy Demand through Sustainable Integration of Distributed Energy Hubs
Full text, University of Manchester Research Repository
Conferences & Invited Talks
Regular presenter at international conferences including the AIChE Spring Meeting, ESCAPE and PRES, with multiple presentations at each. Invited seminar speaker at the Energy Systems Initiative, Carnegie Mellon University (2023), and Escuela Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuador (2023). Invited researcher and workshop leader at Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ecuador, including a residential research visit (2024).
Recognition & Awards
Advanced Process Integration Design Prize
Best performance in the MSc Chemical Engineering programme, University of Manchester
2017
Research Council of Norway — HighEFF Centre
Full doctoral fellowship, competitive national research funding for industrial energy systems
2017–2022
SENESCYT Ecuador
National merit scholarship for postgraduate study abroad, University of Manchester MSc
2016–2017
Skills & Tools
Optimisation & Modelling
GAMS, Advanced
Python, Intermediate
Mixed-Integer Optimisation (MINLP)
Multi-Objective Optimisation
Process & Sustainability
UniSim, Process Simulation
GaBi, Life Cycle Assessment
Energy and Carbon Footprint Modelling
Pinch Analysis and Heat Integration
Digital & Data
Azure, Cloud Architecture
Power BI, Reporting and Dashboards
Python, Pandas and Matplotlib
PFD and P&ID Interpretation
Writing

Thoughts on industrial decarbonisation, energy systems optimisation, AI in industry, life in general.

Coming soon
Contact
Let's work on something worth solving.
Available for new engagements
Greater Manchester, UK