Welcome Back, Dr. Daniel Bacellar!

Dr. Daniel Bacellar is the newest researcher to join CEEE’s faculty this spring, returning to University of Maryland after four years of working in industry. Bacellar holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Maryland, which he received in 2016 after spending 5 years as a graduate research assistant with CEEE.

Will find new research opportunities for CEEE

His new role as a faculty research associate will involve finding opportunities to help CEEE branch out into new research areas, increasing the center’s mission impact. As faculty, he will also take research and pedagogical responsibilities such as mentoring graduate students and co-lecturing courses, in addition to doing some technical and managerial tasks.

“It’s good to be home - old family, new challenges,” said Bacellar.

For the last three years, Bacellar worked at Optimized Thermal Systems, Inc. (OTS). OTS is a consulting company, owned by CEEE Director Dr. Reinhard Radermacher, that provides R&D services primarily to the HVAC&R industry. Bacellar started as a CFD & Optimization Engineer but after five months he was promoted to an engineering management role.

As a manager he still had a considerable part of his time dedicated to technical work, where he did a lot of project management; overseeing interns to technicians and engineers, for tasks involving wind-tunnel testing, modeling & simulation and software development. In great part, the management piece also involved maintaining client relationships, developing new business and writing proposals.

Developing the next generation of heat exchangers

During graduate school while pursuing his Ph.D., his research focused on the optimization of miniaturized air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers. The goal of his research was to help develop the next generation of heat exchangers, and establish new guidelines in heat exchangers design.

Before studying at UMD, Bacellar graduated from the University of Sao Paulo in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then worked for an energy consultancy company for about two years. At the consultancy company, he was able to dabble in different aspects of research, including software development, simulation, and modeling.

“It was a wonderful journey where I learned a lot and am very grateful for, but now I am excited to use that experience in academic activities at the University of Maryland,” said Bacellar.

Published May 29, 2020