Alexander (Alex) Kirillov is a professor at Chemical Engineering Department of Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (IST/ULisboa) and a researcher at the Center of Structural Chemistry (CQE), Portugal. After graduating in Chemical Engineering (2001), he completed a PhD in Chemistry (2006) from the Technical University of Lisbon (TULisboa, IST), where he also was a post-doctoral fellow (2007) and senior researcher (2008-2011, 'Science 2007' PT Govt. program). He has been an invited/visiting professor & researcher at universities in Brazil, France, Italy, and China, and is involved in various international research projects. He is founder & coordinator of the MINDlab: Molecular Design & Innovation Laboratory at CQE-IST. Alexander Kirillov is Ranked among the Top 10 Scientists of Instituto Superior Técnico (according to Research.com).

Research Highlights

−300 Scientific Papers (h index 70, WoS/Scopus), 8 Book Chapters, 15 Patents, 170 Conference Abstracts;

−50 Invited Talks & Lectures at International Conferences/Universities;

−40 Students/Researchers supervised/co-supervised (Postdocs, PhD, MSc, BSc);

−15 Fellowships & Awards;

−10 Projects & Grants as PI (Co-PI) and 20 Projects as Co-Investigator (Co-I);

−700 New Crystal Structures Published (Cambridge Struct. Database, incl. ~400 Coord. Polymers/MOFs).

Current Research & Expertise

Current Research Focuses on Molecular Design, Functional Materials, Catalysis & C-H Functionalization with an emphasis on: (i) Design of Functional Coordination Polymers, Metal-Organic Frameworks & Advanced (Bio)Materials; (ii) Synthetic & Catalytic Processes in Aqueous Medium; Bioactive, Catalytic, Antimicrobial & Drug-Releasing Materials; (iii) Catalytic Functionalization of Hydrocarbons & Renewable Feedstocks into Derivatives with Industrial Significance; (iv) Science Art & Design, Education & Science Communication.

Selected Distinctions & Awards

2025: Featured in the Top 10 Scientists of Instituto Superior Técnico (among All Scientific Disciplines) according to Research.com; 

2025–2021: Featured in Top Chemistry & Materials Science Scientists in Portugal according to Research.com (Ranked in Top 35 in Portugal in 2025);

2025–2013: Excellent Professor – 6 Diplomas of Pedagogical Excellence, IST-ULisboa;

2024: Featured in the List of Authors with 500+ Crystal Structure Entries in CSD: Cambridge Structural Database (Top 2nd Author in Portugal with the Highest Number of Structures);

2024–2020: Featured in the World’s Top 2% Scientists Lists developed by Stanford University & Elsevier;

2021: CGD Bank / ULisboa 2020 Scientific Prize (the most productive and highly cited researcher of University of Lisbon in areas of Chem. & Chem. Eng.);

2011: Santander Totta Bank / TULisboa 2011 Scientific Prize (the most productive and highly cited researcher of Technical University of Lisbon in areas of Chem. & Chem. Eng.);

2008: Deloitte / TULisboa 2008 Young Investigator Award (highly productive young researcher of Technical University of Lisbon).

Research & Publication Profiles
Web: https://MINDlab.pt