Getting to Know SKYRE Intern Matthias Receveur

What’s your background in engineering?

I studied chemistry and physics in an engineering school in France for the past 3 years. Since I was a child, I’ve always been drawn by science and discoveries, and I started to be more interested in chemistry and physics in high school.

During my first internship two years ago, I discovered and worked in the hydrogen field at Symbio – a French company developing hydrogen fuel cells. I also worked more specifically on fuel cells and electrolyzer components at Solvay during my second and last internship.

What brought you to intern at SKYRE?

I’ve always to wanted to have professional experience overseas, but what really motivated me to come to SKYRE was the diversity of the hydrogen projects and the issues at stake in these subjects.

My priority was to find an experience in which my work is valuable to others, and I believe that what SKYRE develops is useful for people from an environmental perspective.

What’s your favorite part of the engineering field?

When – as a team - we discover something unexpected from what we predicted would happen. In these moments, we have to investigate, interpret, and look further than what we already know. Unveiling a new phenomenon fascinates me.

What projects are you working on at SKYRE? What are you finding exciting?

My main project – called BREATHE – is about CO₂ capture from ambient air. Knowing that I would be working on this kind of project was also part of the reason I wanted to come to SKYRE.

The mitigation of CO₂ emissions is at the heart of current worldwide challenges and CO₂ capture is the beginning of the research. Being part of this technological progress is really exciting to me.  

What’s your favorite part of the internship so far?

The projects I am doing are interesting but the interaction with everybody here at SKYRE has been the best thing so far!

As a French intern, I was intimidated by working in a new environment but the atmosphere at SKYRE was so welcoming that I felt comfortable from the beginning. I also love the fact that some projects are intertwined so you can give your opinion on another subject. It’s pleasant to have access to new knowledge and constantly learn in other fields.

How do you connect to the SKYRE mission?

Decarbonizing of the world’s energy system is a great goal and a real challenge. I’m glad to share the SKYRE values and grateful to see that these objectives are more and more represented in the world today. This is an honorable mission to which I’m glad to contribute.