PRISE Foundation

Chairman: Professor Dr. Habil. Petar Sabev Varbanov

 

Process Integration and Chemical Engineering
Professor (Cracow University of Technology, Poland, 2023)
Dr Habil (University of Miskolc, Hungary, 2020)
PhD in Process Integration (UMIST, United Kingdom, 2004)
Chief Scientific Advisor, Széchenyi István University (Hungary)
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, PRISE Foundation

 

Biography

Prof. Petar Sabev Varbanov is an internationally recognised researcher, academic leader, and educator in the fields of Process Integration, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Environmental Footprint Reduction. Over more than three decades of professional activity, he has contributed to the development of advanced methodologies for improving resource efficiency, reducing industrial emissions, optimising energy systems, and enhancing the sustainability of industrial and regional infrastructures.
He currently serves as Chief Scientific Advisor at Széchenyi István University in Győr, Hungary, where he supports research excellence, postgraduate education, doctoral supervision, and strategic scientific development. He is part-time affiliated with the Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic, as a researcher.
Prof. Varbanov earned his PhD in Process Integration from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), United Kingdom, under the supervision of internationally recognised leaders in the field. His doctoral research focused on the optimisation and synthesis of process utility systems for low-emission industrial applications. He later obtained the Dr. Habil. degree from the University of Miskolc, Hungary, and was awarded the title of Professor by the President of Poland, with the backing of Cracow University of Technology, Poland.
His international research career includes two prestigious Marie Curie grants awarded by the European Commission. From 2004 to 2006, he was a Marie Curie Individual Research Fellow at Technische Universität Berlin, working on the optimisation of energy-integrated pressure-swing distillation processes. Subsequently, he received a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant for the ESCHAINS project (Energy Supply Chains Design and Management for Higher Efficiency and Sustainable Future), supporting the continuation of his research activities at the University of Pannonia, Hungary.

 

Research Profile

His research focuses on:
  • Process Integration and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial Energy Efficiency
  • Water and Resource Management
  • Sustainable Circular Economy Systems
  • Environmental Footprint Assessment
  • Renewable Energy Integration
  • Industrial Utility Systems Optimisation
  • Heat Transfer Intensification
  • Energy Storage and Energy Supply Chains
  • Sustainable Industrial Development
Throughout his career, Prof. Varbanov has developed innovative methodologies and decision-support approaches that have been implemented in collaboration with universities, governments, and industrial organisations across Europe and beyond.

 

Academic Leadership and Research Impact

Prof. Varbanov has established a distinguished international scientific reputation through extensive publication, editorial, and project leadership activities. Prof. Varbanov established the PRISE International Research Foundation (PRISE Foundation) in 2023. The Foundation’s mission is to preserve and further develop the legacy of the Conference on Process Integration for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction. Building on this mission, the Foundation works to foster scientific excellence through the continuous evolution of its scientific scope and the development of high-level international forums.
As a Professor at Széchenyi István University in Győr, Hungary, Prof. Varbanov conducts research in optimal energy systems, environmental footprint minimisation, security of resource and service supply, and life cycle-aware analysis and optimisation of process systems. He also contributes to the development of the Conference on Sustainability (COS) established by the University in 2023.

 

Selected Leadership Roles

  • Chairman of the Board of Trustees, PRISE International Research Foundation (PRISE Foundation)
  • President, Conference on Process Integration for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction (PRES)
  • Chief Scientific Advisor, Széchenyi István University, Hungary
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief (Founding), JSDNAREMA
  • Subject Editor, Energy (Elsevier)

 

Research Metrics

  • Scopus: 479 indexed publications
  • Scopus h-index: 57
  • More than 11,500 Scopus citations
  • Web of Science h-index: 50
  • More than 8,700 Web of Science citations
  • Google Scholar h-index: 62
  • More than 14,800 Google Scholar citations
His scientific contributions are widely cited in the fields of energy systems, process integration, sustainable engineering, and circular economy.

 

Research Funding and International Projects

Prof. Varbanov has participated in 29 international research projects and served as coordinator or principal leader in multiple initiatives funded by:
  • Horizon 2020
  • Horizon Europe
  • Marie Curie Actions
  • FP6 and FP7 Framework Programmes
  • National research agencies across Europe
  • Bilateral international cooperation programmes
These projects have involved collaboration with leading institutions including the University of Manchester, Imperial College London, Fudan University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, University of Maribor, Sapienza University of Rome, Cracow University of Technology, and numerous industrial partners.

 

Teaching and Knowledge Transfer

A dedicated educator, Prof. Varbanov has taught and supervised students at universities throughout Europe and Asia. His academic contributions include:
  • Supervision of numerous PhD graduates
  • MSc and undergraduate thesis supervision
  • Development of specialised postgraduate courses in Process Integration and Sustainability
  • International guest lectures and summer schools
  • Industrial knowledge-transfer programmes
  • Advanced training for energy and sustainability professionals
His teaching activities have influenced researchers and engineers working in academia, industry, and government organisations worldwide.
To date, Prof. Varbanov has supervised 7 completed PhD candidates, as well as multiple MSc and BSc students. He has also served as external examiner or doctoral examiner for at least 13 PhD candidates at universities in the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Spain, and other countries.

 

Editorial Leadership

Prof. Varbanov has played a significant role in scientific publishing and peer review.

 

Current Editorial Appointments

  • Subject Editor, Energy (Elsevier)
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief (Founding), JSDNAREMA

 

Previous Editorial Appointments

  • Editor-in-Chief, Cleaner Energy Systems (Elsevier)
  • Editor, Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy (Springer)
  • Editor, Energies (MDPI)
  • Guest Editor of numerous special issues in leading international journals, including Energy, Journal of Cleaner Production, Applied Thermal Engineering, Computers & Chemical Engineering, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, and others.
He has also conducted thousands of verified peer reviews and editorial evaluations, contributing substantially to the quality and development of engineering and sustainability research.

 

Scientific Service and International Recognition

Prof. Varbanov has served as evaluator, committee member, scientific secretary, conference organiser, and international examiner for many of the world’s leading engineering and sustainability communities.
His service includes:
  • European Commission proposal evaluation
  • National research council evaluations in several countries
  • International Scientific Committees of PRES and SDEWES conferences
  • Scientific leadership within the European Federation of Chemical Engineering
  • External examination of doctoral candidates at universities across Europe, Africa, and Asia
He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PRISE Foundation, supporting research excellence, knowledge dissemination, and sustainable innovation.

 

Awards and Distinctions

His work has received international recognition including:
  • Publons Top Cross-Field Reviewer Award
  • Applied Energy Best Reviewer Award
  • Most-Cited Article recognition in Computers & Chemical Engineering
  • Multiple invitations to serve as expert evaluator, editor, and keynote contributor

 

Industrial Collaboration

Prof. Varbanov’s research has been successfully applied in cooperation with major industrial organisations, including BP, MOL Group, Huntsman and other international energy and manufacturing companies. These collaborations have delivered measurable improvements in energy efficiency, operating costs, sustainability performance, and emissions reduction.

 

Professional Profiles

His work continues to bridge scientific excellence, industrial implementation, and sustainability-driven innovation through research, education, international collaboration, and academic leadership.