Students of IFP School’s new Advanced-Master degree - Mastère Spécialisé on Hydrogen Project and Engineering started their program on September 2nd on the Rueil-Malmaison campus.
This is the first year group of this new program, which covers the entire hydrogen value chain. Labelled by the French Conférence des Grandes Écoles, it is delivered in English and is open to graduates with a Master's degree (Bac+5).
Through this program, IFP School aims to enrich its training offerings with courses related to low-carbon energy.
The School also seeks to contribute to the construction of a strategic sector that is rapidly developing in France and Europe, as Laetitia Salessy, Director of the Processes for Energy and Chemicals Center at IFP School, notes:
“In France alone, the decarbonized hydrogen sector is expected to generate over 100,000 direct jobs by 2030. Our goal is to train the next generation of specialists in low-carbon hydrogen.”
This first intake includes 14 students, 11 men and 3 women, from 11 countries: Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, France, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal.
Joshua Baudouin, 24, is thrilled to have joined the program: "IFP School is held in high regard by students from my school, ENSIC (École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques). I’ve been interested in the field of hydrogen for several years now and have been closely following its developments, marked by increasingly ambitious and exciting projects led by start-ups as well as major companies."
The students will follow this Advanced-Master degree program - Mastère Spécialisé for 12 months, six of which will be dedicated to an internship in a company.
“We are among the first engineering schools in France to offer specialised training around hydrogen. Our students will benefit from IFPEN’s scientific environment, the expertise of IFP School’s lecturers-researchers, and our strong network of industrial partners,” notes Marie-Hélène Klopffer, Program Supervisor.
“The start of this first group is going very positively. There’s a great dynamic in the class, and students are interacting easily with the instructors. The students will be involved in various projects throughout the year, and I think it will be a very enriching year!” she adds.
On the instructor side, Jérôme Christin, Vice President at Air Liquide Group R&D, shared his teaching experience with our students on LinkedIn, highlighting the quality of the discussions and the strong interest in low-carbon energies that energizes the class.
The curriculum includes eight educational modules. Students will first learn about the challenges and opportunities of hydrogen, as well as the molecule’s place and role in the energy transition. They will then cover hydrogen production technologies and issues surrounding transportation, storage and distribution.
Next, they will address regulatory, safety and environmental aspects, as well as the main uses of hydrogen (in mobility and to decarbonize industry), followed by a module on finance and project development.
Upon completion of the program, students can pursue roles such as H2 business developer, H2 project manager, design office manager, H2 project technical director, or H2 research engineer.
For his part, Joshua is already looking ahead:
“After graduating, I’d like to contribute to the emergence and development of projects in France and internationally, particularly in the field of offshore green hydrogen production units (from wind energy), which will play an important role, among other things, in decarbonizing industrial port areas.”
“I’m also very interested in blue hydrogen (implementing CCS—Carbon Capture and Storage—technologies in steam reforming units), as well as white hydrogen (long-term exploitation of naturally occurring hydrogen underground). Eventually, I aim to take on roles such as project manager or commissioning manager,” he continues.
An exciting year full of projects focused on low-carbon energy has already begun for everyone!
Article written by Meyling Siu