Aurélie WENDER

Based in Rueil-Malmaison

How did you get to IFP Energies nouvelles?

IFP Energies nouvelles placed an advert at my university looking for a student interested in a six-month placement in the field of molecular simulation applied to gas treatment.
After that, I wanted to go on and do a PhD, which I chose to do at IFP Energies nouvelles because I had been exposed to such a wealth of applied research areas during my placement there and had access to the significant resources it makes available to its doctoral researchers in terms of equipment (IT and experimental), human resources and supervision.
After I had completed my PhD in 2006, IFP Energies nouvelles initially offered me a ten-month fixed-term contract. I was then taken on by the Thermodynamic and Molecular Simulation Department in the Applied Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division.

Tell us about your job?

As a new recruit, my managers are keen to expose me to all aspects of the department's work and give me the opportunity to acquire skills in areas of expertise other than my own. Recently, for example, I've been learning about classic thermodynamics, an area that is quite different from my original background. My work, designed to meet the needs of industry players, such as Posernat and Total, consists in developing thermodynamic models of process simulators for gas treatment units.
I'm lucky to be able to apply my research to gas production as well as CO₂ capture technologies.

Tell us about a normal day at work?

My days are extremely varied but I can pinpoint a few types of activities. The main focuses of my work are modeling, programming and model optimization.
But I'm also involved in experimental monitoring, something I love since it is a concrete application of modeling. I also carry out bibliographic research in order to stay abreast of the latest research in a given field and identify new research avenues. Finally, I am in regular contact with our academic partners for the acquisition of experimental data, and also with our industrial partners to answer their questions relating to the process simulators we're developing.

What do you like about your job?

In the field of thermodynamics, everything is new to me, from both a theoretical and an experimental standpoint. Every day is a stimulating learning process and there is no routine. Also, I'm lucky to be working in a department that is involved in numerous projects (engines, processes, exploration, production) and present across the whole range of IFP Energies nouvelles's strategic priorities.
I also appreciate the emphasis on partnership and collaborative work, fostering contact, exchange and the pooling of industrial and academic efforts, particularly when it comes to developing solutions to current environmental and social problems.
Lastly, the fields of expertise within IFP Energies nouvelles are so varied that we can always find answers to our questions. IFP Energies nouvelles's matrix organization means that skills and expertise can be pooled to serve the same objectives.

What does it take to do your job?

Research requires rigor and curiosity. In fact, the latter is essential if we are to have a global vision of the projects we're involved in so that we can understand the industrial stakes and work constructively alongside IFP Energies nouvelles's various divisions, as well as outside partners.

Where do you want to go from here?

For the time being, I want to continue to gain more experience, along with a broader vision of IFP Energies nouvelles's fields. Later on, I'd like to run projects as I love everything to do with leading teams, contact with other people, partnership management, etcFor the time being, I want to continue to gain more experience, along with a broader vision of IFP Energies nouvelles's fields. Later on, I'd like to run projects as I love everything to do with leading teams, contact with other people, partnership management, etc.

Further information on the Applied chemistry and physical chemistry division