Guido Zichittella

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

24 September 2019 9 Min Read

Guido Zichittella's Green Vision: Revolutionizing Energy Production

Meet Guido Zichittella, an ambitious and inspiring young man currently in the last months of his Ph.D. in the Advanced Catalysis Engineering group at ETH Zurich. Guido is opening a startup company focusing on efficient technology that allows on-site natural gas valorization.

This technology that Guido has developed will convert natural gas into valuable liquids directly, where it is extracted and transported to local and global markets. His knowledge, dedication, and hard work have been recognized by Forbes, as Guido has landed a spot on their 30 Under 30 Europe 2019: Science & Healthcare list.

A pretty unique idea, right? His journey is equally appealing. Guido shares how his grandfather’s passion for entrepreneurship has inspired him, what he thinks the key to success is, and his advice for people wanting to pursue a career in science. Join me in hearing his story!

The Logician

Hi Guido, and welcome to this interview! Before anything, I would like to thank you for taking the time to be a part of this mission! Now, do you mind introducing yourself? Who is Guido Zichittella? How did you choose your current career?

Guido Zichittella

Hi, and thank you for having me here. I am a Ph.D. student in his last months of Ph.D. in the Advanced Catalysis Engineering group at ETH Zurich, and I come from Marsala in Sicily, where I lived until the age of 18.

Since I was very young, I have always been passionate about science.
This passion was passed on to me by my grandfather Giuseppe, who is an entrepreneur in wine manufacturing and loves medicine very much.

Although my passion started with medicine at the age of 10, when I dreamt of becoming a surgeon, it slowly shifted towards physics, engineering, and especially chemistry, since these subjects can explain what I am fascinated by: how everything that we see, touch, and use every day can look familiar or not depending on the scale we look at it (macro-(eyes), micro-(bacteria), and nano-scale(atoms)), and how the interconnection between these different scales is so crucial in making anything working.

Based on this I decided to study chemical engineering, since studying physical and chemical processes at different scales is a key principle of this subject. Therefore, I moved to Milan in 2010, where I then obtained my Bachelor of Science at the Politecnico in 2013.

Right after this, I moved to ETH for an exchange program that was supposed to last 6 months before coming back to Milan to continue with a Master of Science. That was an eye-opener experience. I quickly realized the incredible opportunities that ETH offered me as a student, from access to incredible research laboratories until collaborations with big industries.

I, therefore, decided to take a chance: I abandoned my recently started master studies at Politecnico and I applied to enroll for a Master of Science in Chemical and Bioengineering, which I then completed in 2015.

During this time, I met Prof. Javier Pèrez-Ramìrez who introduced me to the world of Catalysis, whose core principle is to understand and bridge chemical reactions that occur among different atoms and typical over a solid catalyst with phenomena that occur at the scale of meters.

This understanding is what makes the basis for the entire chemical industry to work, which is involved in the production of virtually all existing consumer products. I, therefore, decided to join his group for my master thesis and in September 2015 I continued with my Ph.D.

I decided to focus my doctoral studies on a particular problem: natural gas flaring. This practice occurs all over the world and entails the burning of natural gas, releasing ca. 350 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere every year, equivalent to ca. 75 million SUVs driving for 20,000 km yearly.

The main reason for this stems from the high costs of natural gas transportation, often making flaring a more economically preferred option to deal with part of the natural gas extracted.

It is generally agreed that the best way to tackle this problem is to convert natural gas directly where it is extracted into valuable liquids, which can be then easily transported to local and global markets.

To achieve this goal, considerable research has been done to develop technologies that can allow on-site natural gas valorization, and my Ph.D. thesis focuses exactly on this field.

In my doctoral studies, I developed a highly efficient technology to do this which I want to commercialize in order to put a full stop to flaring practices. In particular, I am planning to found a startup that will build modular plants based on my technology that is so compact that can fit into a truck, and will thus be easy to transport and to set to work at natural gas extraction sites: I call them “plants-on-wheels.”

The Logician

Additionally, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for being featured among Forbes 30 under 30! Was this a dream come true? What do you believe most contributes to this success of yours?

Guido Zichittella

Thanks! I believe it is more an important milestone and recognition in my quest to stop natural gas flaring.

I think that the key factors are two:

ETH itself that with its incredible facilities and constant support enabled me as well as many other Ph.D. students to perform experiments and chemistries that would be extremely challenging or even impossible in many other universities/institutions around the world;
Hard work and sacrifices are the second half of the receipt to success, because these facilities that I mentioned need and deserve to be used at their best, otherwise success is just a nice dream.

The Logician

How did you know science is the perfect field for you? What do you think helped you the most to find your purpose in life? What is the best advice you can give on this topic?

Guido Zichittella

As I said before, I have always been passionate about science, so that was an easy fit. I believe that what helped me the most was to not be afraid of taking chances and follow my gut feelings when needed.

My first baby step in this direction was to move at the age of 18 to Milan away from my family to pursue my carrier in Chemical Engineering.

However, the real test for me was, as said before, when at the end of my exchange program at ETH I had to decide whether or not to go back to Milan or stay in Zurich for my Master of Science. The first would have been the easy choice, but I felt that staying was the right thing to do for me, and this brought me where I am today.

The best advice I can give is never to take a certain path just because it’s easier. Reflect on the consequences of each important choice and take the best one that fits you and your future plans, and be ready to make sacrifices along the way.

The Logician

Being young yet so ambitious must be hard at times. How do you maintain your focus? What is your biggest motivation?

Guido Zichittella

Yes, it is hard at times, indeed. Having a defined plan with long-term goals, which in my case is the quest how to commercialize my technology in order to stop natural gas flaring, is an important motivator.

Still, I believe that in the everyday life what motivates me the most and helps me remain focused is to be in a thriving environment, which I define as being surrounded by very competitive and ambitious people, who can really understand what, how, and why I do what I do, and are ready to help you stand up if you fall.

For me, these people are my colleagues and my girlfriend, who also is a Ph.D. student in the same group where I work.

The Logician

What are some of the most common difficulties in your field? What is your method for overcoming obstacles?

Guido Zichittella

As a Ph.D. student, one of the most important aspects of doctoral studies is your attitude towards your Ph.D. research project.

This is a pivotal factor in determining the quality of your work, output, feelings, relationships with colleagues and doctoral advisor, and basically your all ‘Ph.D. life’.

I believe that when a person starts his doctoral studies, he/she should choose a topic to which he/she can connect with and believe in from the start, so that when times are hard during the Ph.D. (believe me, there are generally plenty of occasions), your motivation towards your project and the work you do can become your best asset to maintain the focus.

The Logician

I completely understand that education is necessary for success in your field. However, do you believe education is always the key to success? What is your definition of success and why?

Guido Zichittella

Success for me is multifaceted. Having a great carrier does not necessarily mean that you are successful in my opinion. I believe that a person reaches true personal success when he/she makes the most out of their individual personal and professional goals, which for me are (i) being at the top of my field; (ii) raising a family, and (iii) work and live according to my own values and core principals.

I believe that education up to high school is of paramount importance not only to us as people but to our all society. Quality education has indeed been considered as one of the 17 sustainable development goals, which are a global milestone that we need to achieve to build a more sustainable society, which I would define it as a global success.

Of course, not everyone needs to do a Ph.D. to reach personal success. In my field, a high level of education, as Ph.D., is, I believe, very important as it is in basically all technical and scientific fields.

Besides, I have to say that having gone through bachelor, master, and now almost Ph.D. studies, I was given opportunities that I would not have had the chance to take if I had stopped before, at bachelor for instance.

So, I think that higher education can be also considered as a source of opportunities and not just one of important knowledge.

The Logician

According to you, what matters in life? What do you do for fun?

Guido Zichittella

I think that reaching personal success, as I defined it before, is a very important life goal.

Of course, on the way, there should be many experiences that make life very beautiful.

For instance, I personally enjoy doing many activities with my girlfriend, such as traveling, doing yoga, and having long walks in the neighborhood or in the Swiss mountains.

The Logician

Who is the person you would not have made it without?

Guido Zichittella

It is hard to find one specific person. Certainly, many people have given a strong contribution to make me be who I am today.

First, I am very thankful to Prof. Massimo Morbidelli that gave the chance to come to Zurich in the first place, and to Prof. Javier Pèrez-Ramìrez who took me into his group, taught me, and invested in me so much.

I acknowledge also my colleagues for providing always a competitive and stimulating environment as well as my girlfriend, family, and friends for their constant support.

The Logician

Let’s say it is the year 2025. Where are you and your work by then?

Guido Zichittella

In 2025 I see myself with an established and grown family and as CEO of my soon to be founded startup, which will commercialize a new process to convert natural gas into valuable and easily transportable liquids at the source of gas extraction.

By then, I envisage having successfully implemented at least 10 plants-on-wheels in 10 different natural gas wells around the world.

The Logician

Lastly, what is the best advice you can give everyone considering pursuing a career in science?

Guido Zichittella

I believe that successful carriers in industry or in academia share the same denominator: finding your niche.

In essence, I think that people should find a topic or something that becomes their flagship and that makes them stand out in the crowd in order to have a great carrier in this field.

The Logician

Thank you, Guido, for sharing your love for science and entrepreneurship with me today. I admire your gratitude towards the people who helped shape you into who you are today. I will also like to thank you for sharing your definition of success, as I loved your stance on it is multifaceted. With your passion and hard work, I am eager to hear about your startup’s future and where it leads you - I can see there’s not a hill you cannot climb. Good luck!

The Logician

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