Andre Benard

Dr. André Bénard is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the College of Engineering. His research focuses on sustainable manufacturing, multiphase flows, heat transfer, and technologies for a circular economy, including water treatment, recycling, and renewable energy systems. His current projects include ARPA-E-funded initiatives on heat exchanger design and solar desalination chimneys.

Education: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (University of Delaware, 1996); M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering (École Polytechnique de Montréal, 1991); B.S., Mechanical Engineering (University of Sherbrooke, 1988). Postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Research interests span clean energy, plastics recycling, chemical recycling via hydrolysis, and global water treatment systems with a geographic focus on India, Germany, and China. He advises SPARTA, a student organization retrofitting MSU’s campus for energy efficiency.

Recent teaching includes courses on heat transfer, alternative energy systems, and finite element methods. His group includes 9 PhD students and postdocs working on projects like solar desalination, greenhouse integration, and advanced heat exchanger designs. Awards include a $961,954 ARPA-E grant (2021).

Labs/Teams: Active in MSU’s sustainable engineering initiatives, leading projects on topology optimization for heat exchangers and solar-driven water solutions. Collaborates with industry and international partners on circular economy technologies.