Victor Alves joins ChemE faculty

The Department of Chemical Engineering is pleased to announce its newest faculty member, Assistant Professor Victor Alves. He starts his new role effective August 2026.

Physics, Data, and Systems

Dr. Alves’ research program is at the emergent interface of optimization and machine learning (ML) in process systems engineering. Specifically, he develops cutting-edge hybrid scientific machine learning frameworks that integrate first-principles process models with ML components for dynamic modeling, process design and scaleup, plantwide control, large-scale optimization, operability analysis, and uncertainty quantification in highly constrained and data-limited systems.

Driven by a collaborative spirit, Alves partners with researchers across the department bringing his unique data science expertise to a wide range of scientific and engineering challenges. As he explains, “We take advantage of physical phenomena that we already know, and we use this information to improve data-driven models. If we bring the physical laws to the models, the models require less data and can provide better predictions.”

Impact Through Open-source Tools

Alves is an advocate of developing tools that are made available to the larger scientific community. His methods have been implemented in widely-adopted, open-source tools. “Algorithms and methods can be open-source even if the data can’t be shared,” Alves said. “And algorithms alone are not enough—we need to develop the software so that people can use it. This, combined with proper documentation and examples, democratizes the technology.” These tools have demonstrated impact across manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, petrochemical, and biopharmaceutical systems.

In the Classroom

Last semester, Alves taught a course to undergraduate juniors about numerical methods and machine learning in chemical engineering. “I took a modern approach to the course to make it interactive, and very participatory,” he said. “The students and I created our own textbook material as a website together and coded together. Then, the students taught the algorithm variations back to me and the class during group project presentations.”

Why this approach? It was important for his students to practice presenting and explaining their work because in industry they will rely on these skills. “They must be able to boil something down clearly to a ten-minute pitch in front of a manager or collaborator,” Alves said.

Also covered in the course was the responsible use of generative AI. As this tool continues to grow in its ability and use, it is important for students to understand that transparency is key. Establishing and following protocols are critical.

We take advantage of physical phenomena that we already know, and we use this information to improve data-driven models.

Victor Alves, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Journey to Pittsburgh

From the start, Alves was fascinated by tinkering with computers and coding. Excelling in math and other STEM fields, he pursued his BSc in chemical engineering at the Federal University of Campina Grande (Brazil). Through the Science Without Borders program, he earned a full academic year of advanced undergraduate coursework and research at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom).

After working in the petrochemical sector in Brazil, he returned to Federal University to earn an MSc in chemical engineering. While completing his master’s program, he was in active discussions to pursue a Ph.D. degree at an institution in Europe. But, as luck would have it, he attended a seminar by Professor Fernando V. Lima of West Virginia University that changed the trajectory of his career.

Pursuing his Ph.D. in process systems engineering under Lima’s tutelage, Alves had the opportunity to collaborate with yet other researcher, John Kitchin, the John E. Swearingen Professor of Chemical Engineering from nearby Carnegie Mellon University. The rest is history.

ChemE and Beyond

With all that is happening, Alves is enthusiastic about the future. “Things are changing so fast, and in academia we desire to leverage this momentum,” he said. He is most eager to continue partnering with others to solve real-world problems.

Outside of ChemE, Alves is into gaming, movies, and TV shows, and loves traveling with his wife. “Exploring new places and experiencing different cultures is a big part of what keeps me curious and inspired,” he said. A history and trivia buff, he is also an avid soccer fan.

Alves work has appeared in leading journals including Nature Chemical Engineering, AIChE Journal, Computers & Chemical Engineering, Control Engineering Practice, and the Journal of Open Source Software, and he serves as a reviewer for major journals in chemical engineering and computational science. His honors include the Science Without Borders and Young Talents for Science scholarships from Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. 

For media inquiries, please contact lkulick@andrew.cmu.edu.