Michael Boutilier

Michael Boutilier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University's Faculty of Engineering, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. His research program focuses on nanofluidic systems, advanced membrane technologies, and carbon nanomaterial applications for separation processes and sustainable technologies.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Computation from MIT (2017)
• MASc in Mechanical Engineering from University of Waterloo (2011)
• BASc in Mechanical Engineering from University of Waterloo (2009)

Dr. Boutilier's research spans nanofluidics, membrane science, and carbon nanotechnology. He pioneered work on graphene-based membranes for gas separation and invented xylem-based water filtration systems. His current projects explore carbon nanotube electroadhesion for robotic gripping, nanoporous flexographic printing, and next-generation proton exchange membranes for fuel cells. His research bridges fundamental nanoscale transport phenomena with practical engineering applications in water purification and energy systems.

His publication record shows an evolution from fundamental graphene permeability studies to applied filtration technologies, with recent work integrating computational modeling with experimental nanofabrication. Current research directions focus on overcoming limitations in proton exchange membranes using atomically thin graphene and advancing xylem filtration for low-cost water purification in resource-limited settings.

Key scientific contributions include multiple patents related to membrane technology:

• Karnik et al. "Mitigating Leaks in Membranes" (US Patent 9901879B2, 2018)
• Kidambi et al. "Techniques for Performing Diffusion-Based Filtration..." (US Patent Application 62/418064, 2017)
• Karnik et al. "Graphene Based Filter" (US Patent Application 61/611,067, 2012)

Dr. Boutilier has secured funding through NSERC and industry partnerships for nanomaterial research. His teaching portfolio includes chemical process plant design, heat transfer operations, and green process engineering. He supervises graduate students working on membrane technology projects and carbon nanotube applications.

His laboratory work spans the MIT Mechanosynthesis Group (postdoctoral research on carbon nanotube technology), MIT Microfluidics & Nanofluidics Laboratory (graphene membrane development), and University of Waterloo Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory (low Reynolds number aerodynamics).