Education

• Postdoctoral associate, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2023
• PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021
• MS, Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut (AUB), 2015
• BS, Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut (AUB), 2014

Background

Bachir El Fil is an Assistant Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Prior to this, El Fil was a research scientist in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he led research on sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting and hydrogel-based thermochemical energy storage (TCES). El Fil completed his Ph.D. at Georgia Tech, where he focused on developing waste heat recovery techniques and thermal energy storage systems for drying application. He holds a bachelor's degree from AUB, as well as a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. During his master’s degree his research focused on enhancing thermal comfort and indoor air quality in office spaces.

He is the director of the Energy Innovation Lab at Georgia Tech. His research is dedicated to addressing the pressing energy and water challenges exploring the following to develop the next generation of impactful technologies and solutions.:

1. Fundamental heat and mass transfer processes,
2. Harnessing advanced materials engineering,
3. Developing high-performance prototypes/devices

Research Areas

• Heat and mass transfer & energy systems
• Dilute species separation (water harvesting and critical rare metal harvesting)
• Energy storage (thermal and/or thermochemical)
• Sorption-based (adsorption/absorption) energy systems
• Advanced material engineering
• Phase change and multiphase flow

El Fil’s research spans both fundamental and applied science, driving innovation that bridges theory and real-world applications. At the core of his work are four key areas: (1) phase change, (2) thermal energy systems, (3) water technologies, and (4) material engineering. Through these interconnected disciplines, his research aims to push the boundaries of energy efficiency creating technologies to address the critical global challenges and energy needs.