Doctor of Engineering, University of Kassel
Mechanical Engineering. Dissertation: Investigations of a direct solar regenerator for liquid desiccant air conditioning systems.
CV profile and education
I work at the intersection of energy, research and computational modeling.
I am Fernando Gomez-Castro, Doctor of Engineering, with more than 10 years of R&D experience in sustainable energy systems, photovoltaic technologies, solar thermal systems, data analysis, mathematical modelling and experimental validation.
About Me
I build models to understand how systems behave.
From a young age, I was curious about how my toys worked. I dismantled them, tried to rebuild them through observation and trial and error, and imagined what would happen if I changed the order of some steps. Over time, I realised that I was creating models of objects to understand their internal structure and performing "what if?" analyses to improve the process.
That same way of thinking now defines my engineering work. My career combines experimental validation with high-level computational modelling and simulation, guided by sustainable energy research, analytical thinking and practical engineering solutions in international and multicultural teams.
During my doctoral research at the University of Kassel, I led a EUR 360,000-funded project in which I designed, tested and optimised solar collectors/regenerators for liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems. In my most recent role at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, I evaluated water optimisation systems and innovative cooling methods for data centres using structured data analysis, simulation validation and laboratory testing.
International profile with German, Mexican and European research experience
I
"My work connects engineering theory, simulation, experiments and practical decision-making."
Education
Academic foundation.
Master of Science, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences
Sustainable Energy Competence, with focus on sustainable resource management, energy technologies, applied thermodynamics and PV module behavior under inhomogeneous illumination.
Bachelor of Science, Autonomous University of Yucatan
Engineering Physics, including mathematical physics, optics, mechanics, electronics, heat transfer, photovoltaic technologies, programming and energy planning.
Academic Work
What I studied and developed.
Direct solar regenerator for liquid desiccant air conditioning
I performed an in-depth literature review on solar thermal liquid sorption systems, modelled solar thermal regeneration units, investigated heat and mass transfer in solar collectors/regenerators and developed correlations using machine-learning techniques.
Thermal behaviour of PV modules under inhomogeneous illumination
I developed a ray-tracing tool for PV concentrators in Wolfram Mathematica using advanced computational geometry algorithms, then modelled temperature profiles and electrical yield under uneven illumination.
Low concentration PV module performance
I developed a ray-tracing model for PV concentrators with flat reflectors and simulated solar radiation distribution, temperature profiles and electrical power in a PV module augmented with a flat bottom reflector.
Professional Experience
06.2024-09.2025
05.2016-03.2025
04.2015-03.2018
12.2011-04.2015
11.2009-10.2011
04.2008-08.2009
02.2006-09.2007
03.2003-05.2005
Research, modelling, testing and technical documentation.
Scientific employee, Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Modelled and evaluated cistern systems to support water use optimisation and infrastructure planning.
- Analysed rainwater-based cooling systems, passive and active cooling strategies, experimental data and laboratory validation results.
- Used MS Office, IBM SPSS Statistics, Wolfram Mathematica and OriginPro for data analysis, reporting and student supervision.
Doctoral researcher, University of Kassel, Germany
- Designed prototypes and executed controlled experiments on solar collector/regenerator test beds for liquid sorption air-conditioning systems.
- Developed heat and mass transfer correlations using machine-learning techniques and finite-difference models of modified collector/regenerator designs.
- Prepared scientific manuscripts, technical summaries, poster materials and advanced computations with SPSS, OriginPro, Mathematica and MS Office.
Academic worker, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Designed prototypes of indirect and direct solar regeneration units and conducted experiments in controlled test-bed environments.
- Verified and improved EES and COMSOL models, performed sensitivity analyses and evaluated solar thermal regenerator performance.
- Produced reports and posters, supervised bachelor thesis work for ERASMUS students and used AutoCAD, EES, COMSOL, SPSS and Mathematica.
Junior researcher, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Reviewed liquid sorption air-conditioning systems and developed finite-difference component models for solar-thermal regeneration units.
- Programmed EES models, analysed direct and indirect solar regenerator performance and prepared scientific documentation.
- Prepared a full doctoral grant proposal with a EUR 360,000 budget and technical justification.
Energy researcher, Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico
- Performed multi-parameter modelling of reflective PV concentrators with Wolfram Mathematica and processed datasets with OriginPro.
- Optimised PV module and reflector orientation/inclination and delivered poster presentations for academic audiences.
- Guided bachelor students and prepared research files, reports and publication-ready documents.
Master candidate / intern, Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico
- Reviewed PV concentrator systems and programmed a ray-tracing tool in Wolfram Mathematica using computational geometry algorithms.
- Modelled thermal behaviour of non-uniformly illuminated PV modules and validated models against literature data.
- Prepared scientific manuscripts, technical reports and research posters.
Junior researcher, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Reviewed BIPV technologies and developed an INSEL ray-tracing tool to assess urban shading effects on PV system performance.
- Evaluated partially shaded PV facades for the Scharnhauser Park project in the European POLYCITY initiative.
- Worked with FORTRAN PowerStation, Borland C++ and Doppelintegral INSEL for simulation and analysis.
Degree candidate / intern, Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico
- Developed didactic applications in Borland C++ and Wolfram Mathematica for engineering physics topics.
- Reviewed photovoltaic and low solar concentration technologies and developed a ray-tracing model for PV concentrators with flat reflectors.
- Prepared papers and poster presentations for international conferences.