Alejandro Gallego Schmid, MEng, PhD, SFHEA

Dr

    Personal profile

    Overview

    Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid works as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Circular Economy and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment at the Department of Engineering for Sustainability at the University of Manchester.

    Alejandro is part of Tyndall Manchester - an interdisciplinary team working on relevant research on climate change sustainability, where he works identifying sustainable solutions for industrial, agricultural, textile, construction, water and energy systems on a life cycle and circular economy basis, taking into account economic, environmental and social aspects. 

    Research experience and interests

    Alejandro's research experience, both in industry and academia, has been focus on:

    • Circular economy
    • Life cycle assessment (LCA)
    • Life cycle costing (LCC)
    • Social sustainability assessment
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis 

    His current research is focused on: i) the role of circular economy to tackle climate change and achieve net-zero solutions; ii) the implementation of circular economy in renewable sources of energy; iii) circular economy and the informal waste sector in the Global South; and iv) the nexus between circular economy and digitalization.

    Research outcomes

    Dr Gallego Schmid has published more than 70 scientific articles (h>34 >5000 citations; 2% Top cited researcher 2024 in environmental science field according to Stanford University and 0.5% Top cited researcher 2024 for circular economy according to ScholarGPS) in international peer-reviewed journals, has given more than 60 oral presentations in national and international conferences and Universities, has been awarded three research fellowships and participated as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator in 25 national and international scientific projects (total > £11M).

    Alejandro has been part of the scientific committee and session chair in several national and international conferences (e.g.  IX International Conference of Life Cycle Assessment in Latin America).  His research work has been published in high-impact factor journals (Q1) like Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Resource Conservation Recycling, Applied Energy, Water Research among others. 

    Current research projects

    Alejandro currently leads the environmental and circularity quantification in three major projects:

    Alejandro currently also works on a range of other funded projects including:

    • CO-OPERATE: Socio-environmental assessment of repurposing abandoned coal mine for geothermal district heating
    • PREMIER: Progressive and emerging interdisciplinary (bio)materials research – the journey of a jersey
    • Molly Fish-ing: Microfibre pollution, legacy and future investigations through engaging stakeholders
    • Tackling the energetic cost of computing at the University of Manchester
    • Visions of, and steps towards, an Environmentally Sustainable Space Future

    Already finished projects that Alejandro has led or participated include: i) EPSRC £1.1M "Environmental impacts of digital services for health and wellbeing in the home" ii) the quantification of the carbon footprint of a new graphene-enhanced and low-carbon cement (Innovate UK); iii) England Research “CAMINO: Circular economy in South America: Barriers, drivers and opportunities; iv) Royal Academy of Engineering project "Assessing the informal waste sector contribution to Nepal circularity transition"; v) Supergen Energy Network Hub's "Whole system analysis impact of thermal energy storage technologies in future UK energy networks"; vi) "Designing Sustainable Supply Chains" project sponsored by a major retailer; vii) DRES ME: a research partnership with Tesco PLC to study how data analysis can help to scale up textile recycling; viii) Sustainable Urban Technologies with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm Universities (Sweden) and ix) ‘Contemporary Crises and Net Zero Transitions: COVID-19, Energy and Ukraine’ project in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the University of Toronto.

    Alejandro has directly collaborated in research projects with more than 40 multinational companies including Tesco, Pragmatic, First Graphene, Breedon, Mastercard, Ecobelt, Abengoa, Uniliver, Co-op Foods, Apello, Orbit, Johnson Matthey, CEMEX and Cosentino.

    Leadership, editorial offices and recognitions

    Research interests

    • Circular economy
    • Life cycle assessment (LCA)
    • Life cycle costing
    • Social sustainability assessment
    • Carbon footprint
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis
    • Material efficiency
    • Renewable energy
    • Climate change
    • Informal sector
    • Digitalization
    • Wastewater treatment
    • Global South

    Opportunities

    Prospective students

    I am always keen to hear from talented, enthusiastic students with interests in life cycle sustainability assessment and circular economy (please consult  Tyndall web for recent and ongoing projects).

    My current research is focused on: i) the role of circular economy to tackle climate change and achieve net-zero solutions; ii) the implementation of circular economy in renewable sources of energy; iii) circular economy and the informal waste sector in the Global South; and iv) the nexus between circular economy and digitalization.

    I especially enjoy working with students who have a strong quantitative background, and a passion for understanding the multi-disciplinary economic, environmental and social interactions associated to the implementation of circular economy principles.

    If you think that you are a good fit to this description, please get in touch with me to discuss potential project ideas and funding opportunities. In your email, be sure to include a copy of your current CV and a short description of your ideal research project. 

     

    My group

    I am part of Tyndall Centre Manchester - an interdisciplinary team working on relevant research on climate change and sustainability where I work identifying sustainable solutions for industrial and energy systems on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Circular Economy basis, taking into account economic, environmental and social aspects.

    Units taught

    Alejandro currently teaches on the following units within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEEN) and of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE):

    • Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure (CIVIL14022)

    •  Understanding Energy as a system driving modern society (EEEN60411)

    Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

    In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

    • SDG 1 - No Poverty
    • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    • SDG 4 - Quality Education
    • SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
    • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    • SDG 13 - Climate Action
    • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    • SDG 15 - Life on Land
    • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

    Areas of expertise

    • TP Chemical technology
    • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
    • Circular Economy
    • Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
    • Social Life Cycle Assessment
    • Climate Change
    • Digitalization
    • Informal Economy
    • Renewable Energy
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis

    Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

    • Sustainable Futures
    • Manchester Environmental Research Institute
    • Digital Futures
    • Policy@Manchester
    • Creative Manchester
    • Global inequalities
    • Energy
    • Advanced materials
    • Biotechnology

    Keywords

    • Circular Economy
    • Life cycle assessment (LCA)
    • Life Cycle Costing
    • Social Life Cycle Assessment
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis
    • Carbon footprint
    • Informal Economy
    • Global South
    • Climate Change
    • Digitalization
    • Net zero
    • Renewable Energy
    • United Kingdom
    • Sustainability assessment
    • Sustainable Development Goals

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