A Coruña, 5th of March 2024.- The Centre for Research in Naval and Industrial Technologies (CITENI) of the University of A Coruña (UDC) is embarking on a new phase. The researcher of the Laboratorio de Enxeñaría Mecánica (LIM) Francisco Javier González Varela assumes the technical direction of the centre, a position that until now was held by the researcher of the Grupo Integrado de Investigación (GII) Anne Gosset.
After more than seven years of dedication and commitment to the project to create a unique research centre on the Ferrol Industrial Campus, the expert in fluid mechanics decided to put an end to a period focused on technical management in order to undertake new professional challenges, more closely linked to her research career.
In 2017, Anne Gosset was appointed head of the coordination of the research groups that were part of the former Centro de Investigacións Tecnolóxicas. Since then, the evolution of this centre has been considerable, and in recent years, now as CITENI, it has made great progress. In Anne’s own words: “We have witnessed remarkable progress and growth. In this last stage, and thanks to the R&D&I Agreement of the Xunta de Galicia, we established the CITENI Technical Office and consolidated a cohesive work team that contributed enormously to the creation and recognition of the centre, and also to the active participation of the groups and researchers attached to it. In addition, the new scientific strategy favoured the development of new transdisciplinary research. Alliances with international research centres were also strengthened and the number of members was significantly increased. With a clear horizon, it now remains to continue on the path towards the accreditation of the centre, which involves a significant increase in funding to ensure the progress of the research being carried out and to favour the consolidation of the new research groups, those more recently established in the centre. I am sure that, in this next phase that begins now, the scientific management led by Armando Yáñez and the new technical management led by Fran González will join forces to promote the mission of the centre and achieve our pending objectives”.
LAIL researcher Armando Yáñez Casal, scientific director of CITENI since 2021, praised Anne Gosset’s contribution to the creation of the centre: “Over the last seven years, Anne Gosset has been a key player at CITENI. Her tireless dedication and strong commitment were a great driving force behind its evolution, growth and consolidation. Now, after a thoughtful decision, Anne is ending a stage focused on management to undertake new professional challenges more closely linked to her research career, which marks the beginning of a new period, both for her and for the research centre. Her inspirational leadership and her contribution to the progress of the centre will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark. In addition, the incorporation of Fran González, who will take over from Anne as technical director, means the continuity of the centre’s project and an important boost until we reach the goal of accreditation, which will allow us to open the door to new initiatives and new projects, especially linked to innovation and applied technological research”.
LIM researcher Francisco Javier González Varela has now taken over and, as of March 1st, is the new technical director of CITENI. He said: “I am optimistic about this new professional challenge. I am grateful to the management for the path I have taken and for the trust they have placed in me to carry out this position. My mission now is to continue with the promotion of the centre’s scientific strategy, to promote the development of the research lines that were launched and to encourage collaboration between groups. We will work hard to achieve the goal of accreditation, a crucial milestone that will recognise the quality and excellence of our research activity, as well as allowing us to access additional resources to further promote our scientific and technological work. I am sure that together we will build a promising future for CITENI and we will continue to advance in our commitment to contribute to the scientific and technological progress of society”. His research excellence and proven capacity for management and leadership promise to be fundamental in achieving the goals set for this new period.
FRAN GONZÁLEZ AND HIS RESEARCH TRAJECTORY
Francisco Javier González Varela has been a full professor at the UDC since 2023. D. in Mechanical Engineering, he carries out his research in the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (LIM) of CITENI. He is an expert in multibody system dynamics (MBS) and cosimulation. His research career has led him to collaborate internationally with universities and centres at the forefront of research in his speciality, such as LUT University (Finland), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA) and McGill University (Canada). After his return to Spain, he became a Juan de la Cierva researcher and later a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the UDC.
Currently, he is researching algorithms for the simulation and analysis of multiphysics systems, real-time cosimulation and the testing of hardware components in cyber-physical banks, technologies with great industrial relevance, especially in areas such as the automotive industry. He directed several doctoral theses and master’s and degree dissertations related to this field of knowledge. He has more than 35 publications in scientific journals and 75 contributions to international conferences. He also participated in 21 research projects at regional, national (in Spain and Canada) and European level.
In addition to his research excellence, in recent years he has carried out numerous management and leadership tasks. Since early 2024 he has been chair of the Technical Committee on Multibody Dynamics of the International Federation for the Theory of Machines and Mechanisms (IFToMM). He is also secretary of the Technical Committee on Multibody and Nonlinear Dynamics of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is an associate editor of the journal Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines and a reviewer for 40 scientific journals and international conferences. He also organised and chaired international conferences, such as The International Symposium on Co-Simulation and Solver Coupling in Dynamics (COSIM 2021) and the 2019 and 2020 editions of the ASME Multibody System and Nonlinear Dynamics and Control (MSNDC) conference.
Likewise, its commitment to the dissemination and transfer of knowledge is also noteworthy. He collaborated with the MDA Space Missions initiative, Siemens, Tecnalia and GKN Driveline for the application of simulation techniques and real-time data in industry, especially in the automotive industry. Within the framework of these collaborations, he conducted training activities in the collaborating companies and developed simulation software for them.
CITENI
The Centre for Research in Naval and Industrial Technologies (CITENI) of the University of A Coruña (UDC) is located in the Industrial Campus of Ferrol and is organically dependent on the Vice-rectorate for Research and Transfer.
It was created with the aim of promoting shipbuilding and industrial technologies through an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective that enhances:
- research,
- technological development and
- the smooth transfer of knowledge to the business fabric and society.
His research strategy is based on three basic pillars:
- the naval technologies,
- industrial processes and
- linguistic and energy efficiency.
CITENI has a unique infrastructure that characterises it, the hydrodynamic experience channel. This facility is one of the three that exist in Spain for ship trials. The CITENI canal is 56 metres long, 4.5 metres wide and 1.8 metres deep. In addition to testing ship prototypes, the groups currently working on this channel have other lines of research, for example in marine renewable energies, auxiliary systems and autonomous vehicles.
Currently, between research personnel and technologists, 140 people are assigned to CITENI. The centre has 17 laboratories in which the different groups carry out their specialised research activities.
- Structural Analysis [LAE]
- Industrial Laser Applications [LAIL]
- Environmental Bioengineering and Quality Control [Control Q-LabComb]
- Hydrodynamic Experiences Channel
- Materials Science and Engineering [CIM]
- Additive Manufacturing
- Energetic Engineering [INGEN]
- Mechanical Engineering [LIM]
- Fluid Mechanics
- Production Organisation
- Polymers 1
- Polymers 2 ( Functional Polymers)
- Polymers 3 (LABPLAST)
- Polymers 4
- Thermal and Rheological Properties of Materials [PROTERM]
- Chemistry
- Thermal Systems and Heat Transfer [SISTER]
