Pablo García Aznar successfully defends his PhD thesis

Oct, 22, 2026

Yesterday, 21 September 2026, HG Energy researcher Pablo García Aznar successfully defended his PhD thesis, “Computational study and design of graphene and MXene catalysts for chemical, energy and environmental applications”, at the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ, CSIC-UPV).
The thesis was supervised by Dr. Germán Sastre, CSIC Research Scientist at ITQ and specialist in computational and theoretical chemistry.
The examination committee brought together experts in theoretical and computational catalysis:

*   Dr. Mercedes Boronat, CSIC Research Scientist at ITQ, specialising in computational chemistry and reaction mechanisms in heterogeneous catalysis — President.
*   Prof. Núria López, Group Leader at ICIQ, specialising in theoretical chemistry and computational catalysis — Secretary.
*   Dr. Andrew Logsdail, Reader in Catalytic and Computational Chemistry at Cardiff University — Committee Member.

After a clear and engaging presentation, the defence developed into a lively and in-depth scientific discussion. The committee raised challenging and insightful questions, opening an excellent exchange on the methodology, results and broader implications of the research.
Pablo responded with clarity, confidence and scientific rigour, demonstrating an excellent command of his research and the wider context of his work.

A great conclusion to years of research and hard work.

Congratulations, Dr. Pablo García Aznar! 🎓👏