David Roch Dupré highlights Comillas’ teaching model: practice-oriented education, innovative tools, and strong collaboration with companies to maximize social impact.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho took part in the presentation of the 2026 Ayala Medal to the University of Oxford’s Ian Ramsey Centre, recognizing its outstanding contribution to dialogue between science, philosophy and religion.
IIT is participating in the organisation of the III Workshop on Energy Poverty and the Clean Energy Transition, which will take place on 26–27 November 2026 and will bring together experts to discuss emerging challenges in energy poverty and the transition towards a cleaner and fairer energy system.
Carlos Batlle López has been appointed as a member of ACER’s Board of Appeal for a five-year term. A recognition of his expertise in energy regulation and policy. Congratulations!
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher on Resilience-Oriented Anticipatory Operation and Planning of Distribution Systems under Extreme Events.
Rafael Palacios Hielscher participates in RTVE’s Últimas Preguntas to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence and the challenges it poses for individuals and society.
Rafael Palacios Hielscher analyzes in ABC the rise of voice deepfakes and the technologies being developed to detect them and mitigate their risks.
José Pablo Chaves Ávila, Pedro Linares Llamas and Paolo Mastropietro analyze in El Periódico de la Energía the challenges facing Spain’s renewable energy market amid zero prices, curtailment, and the growing need for greater flexibility and energy storage.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher on Complex Systems, Statistical Physics and Machine Learning.
Economics for Energy closes a chapter
On Monday, July 6, Economics for Energy officially came to a close, having already been dissolved and liquidated at an Extraordinary General Meeting of its members a few days earlier. The closing event included the presentation by Xavier Labandeira of the centre’s final report on the distributional aspects of the energy transition.
It was an emotional event attended by many of those who helped make this highly relevant and valuable project possible: Carmen Becerril Martínez, who generously reflected on its achievements, Valentín Alfaya, Antonio Canoyra Trabado, Miguel Ángel Muñoz Rodríguez, and Ana Ramos Fernández.
Economics for Energy was a private research centre specialising in the economic analysis of energy issues. The centre was established in 2010 as a non-profit association involving universities, including Universidad Pontificia Comillas, as well as companies and foundations, and was dissolved in 2026.
Its aim was to generate knowledge in the field of energy economics and transfer it effectively in order to inform, guide and advise decision-making by public and private stakeholders. This objective was achieved in several cases: for example, many of the recommendations from its report on energy poverty were incorporated into the electoral programmes of almost all the main political parties in the following elections. Its reports on energy and environmental taxation, energy savings and future scenarios for the energy sector also had a significant impact.
Following its liquidation, the IIT at Universidad Pontificia Comillas will host the centre and the Economics for Energy brand, with a view to its potential future development. Its reports and other content will remain available on the IIT website.
Pablo Frías Marín and Mariano Ventosa Rodríguez take on new roles at Comillas as Vice-Rector for Faculty and Research and Vice-Rector for Digital Strategy and Artificial Intelligence.
Comillas Magazine features the work of Aurelio García Cerrada on the European project CONECCMAR, which is developing electrical grids to integrate offshore wind energy.
Comillas Magazine highlights the work of Romano Giannetti and Eduardo Alonso Rivas in developing new technologies to help people with severe nerve injuries regain movement in their limbs.
Álvaro Jesús López López took part in a new edition of Comillas’ Breakfasts with CEOs, where he introduced and moderated a discussion with Miguel Carsi, from Toyota Europe, on the energy transition, global competition and the future of mobility.
Yolanda González Arechavala participated in the roundtable Women Building the Future: Female Leadership in Engineering, organised by TELVA, to discuss how to promote STEM careers and bring engineering closer to more girls and young women.
Chinmayi Mukund Wagh has won the Thesis in 3 Minutes competition, held during SAAEI 2026, with the collaboration of IEEE Women in Engineering. The initiative promotes science communication and raises the visibility of research conducted by women in automation, industrial electronics and instrumentation.
Natalia Collado Van-Baumberghen y Manuel Pérez Bravo took part in the May workshop of the Transport Vulnerability and Poverty Group, coordinated by ECODES. The workshop led to the report Towards Spain’s Future State Strategy against Transport Poverty: Vision and Measures to Address the Vulnerability of People and Microenterprises within a Just Energy Transition, in which Natalia, Manuel and José Carlos Romero Mora contributed to developing proposals to improve transport accessibility, affordability and availability.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher on Analysis and modelling of energy systems: electricity, natural gas and hydrogen.
Andrés Ramos Galán, Luis Olmos Camacho, Sara Lumbreras Sancho, María del Socorro Gómez Pérez y Paolo Mastropietro participated in the virtual workshop Modernizing and Strengthening Transmission and Generation Expansion Planning: Opportunities for Colombia, organized by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Rafael Palacios Hielscher discusses on RTVE the high costs associated with the intensive use of artificial intelligence and warns of the risks of replacing jobs with a technology whose price is variable and difficult to control.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho and Andrés Ramos Galán were finalists in the IX Edition of the Business Ethics Research Awards, organised by Bankinter and Comillas ICADE. A recognition of research that promotes ethics, transparency and sustainability in business.
EduGando, a teaching innovation team at Comillas, of which our researcher María Ana Sáenz Nuño is a member, has been named a finalist in the 1st Scientific Board Game Prototype Competition with QuímiCa, an educational game designed to bring chemistry into the classroom in a playful way.
Yolanda González Arechavala participated in TaleMto, con M de mujer, an event organised by Iberdrola to mark International Women in Engineering Day.
Natalia Collado Van-Baumberghen participated in the 1st Congress on Climate Emergency and Social Services, organised by the Ministry of Social Rights, where she addressed transport poverty and equity in sustainable mobility.
Roberto Barrella took part in the Working Session of the Social Climate Plan, organised by Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, to address energy poverty and access to support for vulnerable households.
Aurelio García Cerrada has been recognised with the 2026 Professional Career Award, granted by IEEE PEIESC and the SAAEI Standing Committee. The award will be presented during SAAEI 2026, which will take place from 8 to 10 July in Gijón. Congratulations!
Manuel Pérez Bravo took part in the round table Urban Mobility: Farewell to Fuels, organized by EL PAÍS and Acciona, where he addressed the challenges of a just and inclusive decarbonization process.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho discusses on Onda Cero the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, published days before his visit to Spain, and its reflection on the benefits, risks and challenges of artificial intelligence.
Jesús Jiménez Octavio, Francisco José López Valdés, Eva Paz Jiménez, Yolanda Ballesteros Iglesias and Eduardo Alonso Rivas participated as speakers in the 2nd Engineering and Health Research Meeting, organized by Ramon Llull University and Comillas Pontifical University in Barcelona. Alberto Carnicero López, Carlos Rodríguez-Morcillo García, Carlos Javier Carpintero Rubio, Manuel Valdano, Simona Roka and Juan Carlos del Real Romero.
Luis Rouco Rodríguez delivered the lecture What challenges does the blackout of 28 April 2025 pose for the energy transition? at the Real Círculo de la Amistad in Córdoba, analysing the challenges facing the power system in achieving a safe and resilient energy transition.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho analyzes on RTVE’s Canal 24 Horas the encyclical by Leo XIV and the ethical debate on artificial intelligence, highlighting the need to place technology at the service of people.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho analyzes in The Conversation the 9 key messages of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, addressing its implications for the common good, truth, employment, youth, and human relationships.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho, in El Mundo, and Eduardo César Garrido Merchán, in COPE, share their views on the Pope’s new encyclical and its approach to artificial intelligence.
Eduardo César Garrido Merchán takes part in an ABC report on the complex challenge of seizing the historic opportunity that artificial intelligence represents for universities, companies and public administrations.
Natalia Collado Van-Baumberghen has received 3rd place in the “Red Eléctrica Award” for young researchers, granted by the Spanish Association for Energy Economics – AEEE, for her work on demand and congestion in managed lanes in California.
Congratulations!
Yesterday we welcomed our Scientific Advisory Board, composed of Vladimiro Miranda, Louis Wehenkel, Karsten Neuhoff, Masafumi Miyatake and Sonia Yeh, to discuss our research lines, strategic priorities and future challenges in energy, sustainability, digitalisation and technological innovation, thereby strengthening our international collaboration and research vision.
Thank you very much to all of them!
Roberto Barrella took part in the 1st NEXUS Workshop: Towards the Energy Poverty Observatory, co-organised by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), and Ecoserveis, where he presented a new European project of the Comillas Chair of Energy and Poverty to support energy poverty observatories in the Mediterranean region.
Jesús Jiménez Octavio, Director of Comillas ICAI, discusses in El Español how engineering can transform the agroindustry through technology, sustainability, and innovation.
Francisco Martín Martínez, SOCIAREM coordinator at Comillas, has been interviewed by Contact Center Hub about this European project, which aims to empower citizens in the energy transition through inclusive digital tools and more accessible energy communities.
Andrés Ramos Galán attended ISA Interconexión Eléctrica’s 2026 Knowledge and Innovation Conference in Medellín, Colombia, where he presented the paper openTEPES: An open-source expansion and operation model for analyzing energy transition scenarios.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher on Regulatory Analysis Tools for Electric Power Systems.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho participated in a LED meeting, organized by the Comillas Office for Teaching Innovation, on how generative AI is transforming university skills and the meaning of learning and teaching today.
Yolanda González Arechavala participated in the round table hosted by the Official College of Psychology of Madrid, Work, Inequality and Women’s Mental Health, with a presentation on the STEM gap, educational segregation and female role models in science and technology.
Rafael Palacios Hielscher, director of the Artificial Intelligence Office at Comillas, reflects on Mythos, cybersecurity, and the global and economic threats posed by AI on RTVE’s La economía.
Listen (from min. 24.45)
Pedro Linares Llamas participates in the podcast Brújula Global to analyse the energy transition beyond climate change: decarbonisation, electrification, costs, political will and social support.
Carmen Valor Martínez has published a reflection in El Salto on greenwishing and how some products can appear sustainable without providing verifiable evidence.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher on Distribution Network Planning Models for Integrating Distributed Energy Resources.
Pedro Linares Llamas and José Carlos Romero Mora, directors of the bp Chair for Sustainable Climate Neutrality, took part in the bp Energy and Sustainability Forum 2026, focused on the social and economic impact of ETS2 and the Social Climate Fund. A key space for discussing an effective and socially just energy transition.
Roberto Barrella took part today as a stakeholder in an IEA and MITECO session on energy poverty and affordability, as part of the review of Spain’s energy policy. At IIT, we contribute evidence to support a just energy transition.
The bp Chair for Sustainable Climate Neutrality held a seminar on the distributional impact of ETS2 and measures in response to the energy crisis, delivered by Xavier Labandeira and attended by our researchers, including Pedro Linares Llamas and José Carlos Romero Mora, Directors of the Chair.
Our predoctoral researchers took an active part in preparing the meeting with Ana Santos, held as part of the Month of Women on the occasion of the presentation of her book Sembrar palabras: el despertar intelectual de las mujeres.
José Carlos Romero Mora opened the first 2026 session of the LivingLab Forum against Energy Poverty, promoted by the Comillas Chair of Energy and Poverty within the framework of EnerPeace.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho discusses in La Vanguardia the Oxford Oath, a proposed ethical pledge for AI that calls for greater professional responsibility in its development.
Pedro Linares Llamas analyzes the current energy crisis in Europe and Spain in The Conversation. A clear reminder of our dependence on fossil fuels and the associated geopolitical risks.
David Roch Dupré highlights Comillas’ teaching model: practice-oriented education, innovative tools, and strong collaboration with companies to maximize social impact.
Asunción Paloma Cucala García and Sara Lumbreras Sancho take part in the new episode of the podcast Women Who Inspire You, where they share their insights on leadership, research, and the role of women in academia and society.
Paloma (min 2.22-2.47 and 14.55-19.43) / Sara (min 10.05-11.55)
We recently welcomed Seabron Adamson from University of Cambridge & Charles River Associates, who presented ongoing research on whether locational marginal prices (LMPs) influence investment decisions in new power generation, based on evidence from the PJM electricity market.
IIT Open Day was a great success!
Yesterday we welcomed ICAI students to share what it’s like to work in technological research and the opportunities for PhD studies and collaboration during undergraduate and graduate programs.
Thanks to everyone who joined us and to the IIT researchers who made this event possible!
Antonio Francisco Rodríguez Matas has been appointed Research Affiliate at the MIT - Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. His research focuses on long-term decarbonization strategies, energy systems modeling and climate policy, supporting robust decision-making for the energy transition.
Listen (from minute 9:30).Sara Lumbreras Sancho took part in the radio program Poniendo las Calles on COPE to discuss the proposal of an ethical oath for artificial intelligence developers, an initiative that aims to ensure that technological progress is always oriented toward human well-being and a positive social impact.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho joins the RNE podcast Cruce de Cables to discuss the Oxford AI Oath, an initiative promoting the ethical and responsible development of artificial intelligence.
Listen (from min. 8)
Eduardo César Garrido Merchán reflects in El Salto on how war disproportionately affects the most vulnerable.
International Women’s Day
The IIT reaffirms its commitment to a more just, inclusive, and equal society. Today, we recognize the talent, dedication, and contributions of all the women who drive progress in science and technology, as well as those who, through their efforts, are paving the way for future generations.
We know there is still much to be done. That is why one of our priorities is to continue promoting the presence of more women in engineering and research—fostering role models, inspiring vocations, and creating environments where girls and young women can envision themselves, grow, and lead with freedom and confidence.
Advancing toward equality also means building a future where talent faces no barriers, and where more and more women are transforming our world through research, innovation, and engineering. We will continue working to make that future a reality.
Roberto Barrella, coordinator of the Engineering Area of the Energy and Poverty Chair, took part in the presentation of the Government’s National Strategy against Energy Poverty 2026–2030. This highlights Comillas’ role as a research leader supporting a just energy transition.
Yolanda González Arechavala took part in the Vocational Education Congress 2026 at CES Don Bosco (UCM), where she presented results from the report STEM Studies in Spain and Women’s Participation. Second Edition 2025. The findings highlight the gender gap in these fields, with women representing only 12% of students in STEM vocational training.
Romano Giannetti, José Daniel Muñoz Frías and Eduardo Alonso Rivas have developed an implantable wireless system capable of capturing myoelectric signals to control smart prostheses and exoskeletons with greater precision. The project, in collaboration with Hospital Universitario de Getafe, aims to improve bionic reconstruction after severe peripheral nerve injuries.
Yolanda González Arechavala Director of the Women in STEM Chair, participated as an invited speaker at the 7th Conference of the Observatory on Work-Life Balance, Co-Responsibility and Diversity.
María Morán Camacho and Roberto Barrella led a workshop by the Chair of Energy and Poverty on the European project RenoVisor (Horizon Europe), focused on identifying and integrating vulnerable people in energy renovation.
Tomás Gómez San Román delivered a presentation at the Spanish National Association/College of ICAI Engineers on “The Spanish power system as a key to decarbonization: electrification of demand, networks, and regulation.”
Eduardo César Garrido Merchán spoke on the Visión Global program de Radio Intereconomía about agentic AI and its impact on the economy and society.
Video (min 1.46.45)
Carlos Rodríguez-Morcillo García, Yolanda Ballesteros Iglesias, Francisco José López Valdés y Carlos Javier Carpintero Rubio, researchers at MOBIOS Lab, kick off the 8th season of Casting the Future with an episode focused on how engineering improves quality of life.
Eduardo César Garrido Merchán reflects in El Mundo on religious AI and Moltbook: “Computing the word ‘God’ is not the same as searching for God.”
Yolanda González Arechavala moderated a panel at Comillas ICAI featuring four speakers at an event on STEM career vocations, with the participation of Elisa María Aracil Fernández Vice-Rector for Strategy, Internationalisation and Academic Planning.
Luis Rouco Rodríguez has received the “Best Poster Award” at the IEEE PES International Meeting, held in Hong Kong from 18 to 21 January 2026, for his paper Coordinated tuning of multiple power oscillation damping controllers of HVDC links: Application to a large-scale power system.
Luis Rouco Rodríguez delivered on 2 February at the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant the seminar La regulación de tensión en las CCNNEE y el nuevo PO 7.4, attended by more than 30 people. He also toured the plant’s turbine generator hall and control room, accompanied by Ignacio Egido Cortés, Francisco Miguel Echavarren Cerezo and Fernando Gegúndez Nogueroles and hosted by the plant director Rafael Campos and his team.
This week, Andrés Ramos Galán, Javier García González y Pablo Dueñas Martínez are teaching the 17th edition of MIT’s course Modeling Energy Systems for a Data-Center-Driven Future, which covers short-, medium-, and long-term decision-making models for the power sector. This year’s edition highlights the growing impact of data centers on grid operations and expansion planning.
The IIT hosted an outreach session with Comillas’ Communication Service to encourage researchers to engage with the media (press, radio and TV) as a key driver of visibility, social responsibility and talent attraction.
José Carlos Romero Mora was interviewed on Onda Cero to highlight the difficulty many Spanish households face in meeting their basic energy needs.
José Carlos Romero Mora speaks in El País about the rise in energy poverty in Spain, which already affects 17.6% of the population, especially those who live in rental housing.
Yolanda González Arechavala took part in the III STEM Mujerhoy Conference, reflecting on the future of work, education, and the gender gap in STEM.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking two Doctoral Researchers on Applications of AI to data-driven maintenance of industrial equipment.
Rafael Cossent Arín took part in the round table GdO–PoS Integration during the 13th session of Enagás GTS’s Committee of System Stakeholders for the Guarantees of Origin (GdO) scheme.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the Detection, analysis, and mitigation of converter-driven interactions in electric energy systems.
Sara Lumbreras Sancho joined the first in-person meeting of the European Academic Research Group on AI in Rome, organised by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, to reflect on the human dimensions that must guide AI toward the common good.
We held the inaugural meeting of the IIT Comillas Alumni Club
The event was designed to strengthen the ties between former researchers and the Institute. The session included presentations, opportunities for exchange, and the sharing of new lines of collaboration.
This initiative aims to build an active network that encourages connection, mutual learning, and closer links with the professional environment.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Doctoral Researcher for the Construction of composite indicators within the Interdisciplinary Research Area on Socioeconomic Transformations.
Rafael Cossent Arín took part in the round table “H2Talk: Powering Hydrogen – Easing Access to Electricity”, organised by Hydrogen Europe.
The IIT is taking part in RenoVisor, a European project driving the energy renovation of buildings.
José Carlos Romero Mora, Roberto Barrella, Efraim Centeno Hernáez, Aitana Alguacil Denche and María Morán Camacho will work to ensure that the new tools developed are inclusive and accessible for vulnerable households.
On November 14, we had the pleasure of welcoming representatives from Saint Louis University Madrid to the IIT to strengthen our relationship and explore new opportunities for collaboration in research and education.
We were joined by Gregory Triplett, Dean of Science and Engineering; Taieb Gasmi, Associate Dean; and Francisco Garcia-Serrano, Vice Rector for Academics. From Comillas, participation included: Jesús Jiménez Octavio, Pablo Frías Marín, Asunción Paloma Cucala García and Lukas Sigrist.
A very enriching meeting—looking forward to future joint projects!
Yolanda González Arechavala led the activity Discover the ABC of Artificial Intelligence for high-school students as part of the Week of Science and Innovation.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are looking for two Researchers to join the Doctoral Program in Business and Regional Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability (CETIS).
Francisco Martín Martínez shares his insights in El País on the rise of renewable electricity generation in urban areas.
Eliana Carolina Ormeño Mejía and Matteo Troncia co-author an ISGAN report exploring how DSOs in Europe, Asia & Canada implement local flexibility markets to manage grid constraints, integrate renewables, and address key regulatory and data challenges.
José Pablo Chaves Ávila, Matteo Troncia and Eliana Carolina Ormeño Mejía participate in the 2024–2025 #BRIDGE Regulation WG report, fostering knowledge exchange among EU energy projects, identifying key regulatory challenges, and shaping policy recommendations based on best practices.
Pedro Linares Llamas, José Carlos Romero Mora and Carmen Valor Martínez took part in the conference SDGs: University, Institutions & Society – Advancing Together Toward a Sustainable Future, which brought together experts and institutions to reflect on the role of universities and organizations in achieving the SDGs, fostering collaboration toward a fairer and more sustainable world.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are looking for a Post-doctoral Researcher for the initiative ENGINITE: Energy Transition through Integration of Distribution Operation and Planning Models.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
We are looking for a Pre-doctoral Researcher on Detection, analysis, and mitigation of interactions between controls and devices in electric energy systems with significant penetration of generation integrated through electronic converters.
Last Friday Sara Lumbreras Sancho was invited by Harvard University to present her work Cognitive Ergonomics is the Antidote to Deskilling: How to Design and Deploy AI to Support Human Flourishing.
María Ana Sáenz Nuño took part in the conference Innovations of Agustín de Betancourt at the Institute of Engineering of Spain. In her presentation, Betancourt, the Spanish influencer who narrates eighteenth-century Europe through machines, she highlighted the engineer’s creativity and innovative contributions across various fields of engineering. The event was organized by the Association of Civil Engineers, the National Association of ICAI Engineers, the National Association of Mining Engineers, and the Spanish Association of Telecommunications Engineers.
Paolo Mastropietro, José Pablo Chaves Ávila and Tomás Gómez San Román presented their Proposal for the allocation and settlement of balancing service costs in Spain at the AEGE Forum 2025 – “Clean Industrial Deal, a new framework for industry”, organized by the Association of Energy-Intensive Companies (AEGE).
Our researchers Carlos Mateo Domingo, Miguel Martínez Velázquez, Manuel Romeo Monterde, Francisco Martín Martínez, and Tomás Gómez San Román, together with EY, have prepared a report for the Spanish Association of Electric Energy Companies (AELEC), estimating that Spain’s national electricity demand could increase by up to 54% by 2030, driven by industrial electrification, e-mobility, data centers, and green hydrogen.
Several of our researchers have been recognized in the Stanford University ranking among the world’s most outstanding scientists: within the top 2% most influential globally are María Seguí-Gómez, Pedro Linares Llamas, Luis Rouco Rodríguez, Carlos Batlle, Javier García González, Tomás Gómez San Román and Ignacio Pérez Arriaga, while the most cited scientists in 2024 include Seyedamir Mansouri, Pedro Linares Llamas, and Ignacio Pérez Arriaga. Proud of the impact of our research in science, technology, and society!