Isabel Fernandes graduated in Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) in July 2018. She started her research career in September 2017 at the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM). In 2019, she began her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering at FEUP with the thesis entitled “Multiphase flow in NETmix: mixing studies and applications”, which she completed in November 2023.

Her research centred on developing the most efficient configuration of mesosized mixers for handling multiphase processes with high heat and mass transfer rates. A key application of these enhanced reactors was for the continuous production of CO2 hydrates, offering a solution for capturing and storing CO2 from industrial emissions. This work also contributed to advancing hydrate-based water desalination technologies. She applies Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and process simulation models in her research.

From February 2024 to June 2026, she was a Junior Contract Researcher on the ATE - Aliança para a Transição Energética project (PRR - C644914747-00000023) at LSRE-LCM, where she focused on the design and optimisation of electrolysers for green hydrogen production. Her research integrated fluid dynamics and electrochemical modelling to design next-generation water electrolysers with enhanced mass, heat and charge transfer, alongside techno-economic analyses to assess the feasibility of novel hydrogen production processes.

She was a visiting researcher for one month, supported by a mobility grant from the Instituto Francês de Portugal, at the Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés (LRGP) in Nancy, France, where she initiated a collaboration in electrochemistry between LSRE-LCM and LRGP. She was also an invited researcher for 4 months at the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, under the FCT mobility programme, focusing on clean energy innovation through efficient and sustainable process simulation for green hydrogen production. 

Currently, she is a Junior Contract Researcher on the RENURE project- “Integrated and circular process for the recovery of nutrients and removal of micropollutants from wastewater” (COMPETE2030-FEDER-02218300) - at LSRE-LCM, where she applies mesoscale mixing and process intensification concepts to enhance ozonation and crystallisation processes.