Research & Initiatives

The ProOptiMA group at the University of Delaware focuses on the implementation of in-silico process systems engineering tools to advance process development. The group specializes in formulating mechanistic, data-driven, and hybrid models for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and biomass-based manufacturing processes and supply chains. The resulting models can be employed to support process intensification, system analysis, optimization, and decision-making.

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Simulation-based Optimization

With growing number of applications relying on complex simulations in areas ranging from science to engineering design, there is a need for algorithms and software implementations that can effectively optimize simulation output with minimal computational efforts. Our work in this context has two aspects:

We develop algorithms that rely solely on simulation output. This class of algorithms is called derivative-free optimization algorithms. We investigate computationally attractive yet accurate surrogate models to represent these simulations that drive efficient derivative-free optimization.
Because of complex interactions between entities in a supply chain, optimal decision making in a supply chain is a difficult task. With the help of derivative-free optimization algorithms, we optimize supply chain simulations that incorporate detailed supply chain dynamics for optimal inventory management.

Process Intensification for Biomass-based Chemical Production

We study the production of biobased chemicals from the viewpoint of process systems engineering, we perform techno-economic analysis and LCA and eventually achieve the optimal framework of biorefineries.

Economic Analysis on Continuous Biopharmaceutical Process

Economic analysis can provide preliminary cost assessment for industrial process at the design stage. In recent years, continuous biopharmaceutical process has become increasingly popular due to its advantages in flexibility, product quality, productivity, and profitability compared to traditional batch process. However, the continuous process is inherently more complex and the associated process design is yet far from mature. Therefore, our study applies economic analysis to the continuous biopharmaceutical process and aims to guide the selection between batch and continuous processes industrially.

Hybrid Modeling Approaches for Pharmaceutical Unit Operations

Decision Making Across Different Scales: From Process Control to Supply Chain Management

We work on the integration of decision-making across different scales: from process control to supply chain management.

Process Analysis and Optimization for Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Processes

This work aims to develop an efficient integrated methodology that enables an in-depth process understanding based on simulation for pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.