Saludos! I’m Francisco Vallejo but everyone calls me Curro. If you’re wondering about my unique nickname, rest assured, it’s a rarity outside of Spain. I was born in the sunny south of Spain and I consider myself incredibly fortunate for this. I’m an industrial engineer passionate about new technologies, sailing, extreme sports and travelling. Currently, I reside in Seville, where I’m finishing my studies. Let me tell you more!

Interests

  Technology and engineering

Since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by how things work. Why does the car start when we turn the key? I wholeheartedly agree with Elon Musk’s quote, ‘Engineering is the closest thing to magic that exists in the world.’ Right now, I’m particularly interested in operations research, optimization (heuristics, metaheuristics, and ML), data science, automation, and AI. Ideally, I’d like to work in a role that heavily involves code and algorithms. At the end, I like facing hard problems and coming to creative answers in a collaborative environment, where everyone could add their ideas and come up with a solution in team.

  sports

I started skating at 8 and sailing at 11. Boardsports and sailing have become an integral part of who I am. I love anything that involves riding a board or harnessing the wind in the ocean. I still wonder why I didn’t choose windsurfing, but thankfully, I found kitesurfing, which is now my favorite sport. To stay in shape and maximize every session, I do crossfit. I’m also into swimming, cycling, snowboarding, hiking, and more!

  travelling

During my Master’s, I had the opportunity to study abroad in both Italy and Mexico. In addition to these exchanges, I’ve traveled extensively, including solo trips which have been the most rewarding. I thrive on meeting random people in hostels and spontaneously making plans with them. I also enjoy talking with locals and immersing myself in their culture.

education

• 2021 - 2024: MSc in Industrial Technologies & MSc in Management Engineering at Universidad de Sevilla.
  In this time I have also worked and studied abroad.
  • 2021 - 2022: Worked 1 year in a Renewables O&M Technical Support for SCADA systems.
  • 2022 - 2023: Erasmus + 1 year at Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.
  • 2023 - 2024: 6 months at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.
• 2017 - 2021: BSc in Industrial Technologies Engineering at Universidad de Sevilla.
  Major in management and production.

Projects

While studying industrial technologies, I participated in two impactful projects. One involved joining USRacing, a university team that designs and races a Moto3 motorcycle in the MotoStudent competition MotoStudent. This experience instilled in me valuable lessons in teamwork, leadership, and time management. Seeking a new challenge, I discovered the Global Management Competition (GMC). Forming a team, we poured our efforts into the competition and achieved an impressive second place nationally out of 713 teams.