Principal Investigator
Prof. Aggrey Mwesigye
Dr. Aggrey Mwesigye is an Associate Professor of Renewable Energy in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. He leads the Sustainable Thermal Energy Research Group. His research focuses on the development, modeling, and optimization of sustainable thermal energy systems for different applications, including space heating and cooling, refrigeration, power generation, and cold chain, among others. Dr. Mwesigye’s research is currently looking at optimal system configurations of alternative and sustainable energy technologies for providing space heating and cooling in extremely cold climates with potential applications in Canada’s northernmost communities and especially in rural areas where there is over-reliance on diesel generators to meet their energy needs. The other research focuses on the performance improvement of concentrating solar thermal technologies and their applications for simultaneous generation of electricity and heat, geothermal energy systems, and high heat flux electronics cooling. Dr. Mwesigye is a registered Professional Engineer with Professional Engineers Ontario and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. He is a Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a Full member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Ph.D. Students
Charaka Beragama Jathunge
Omar Elharoun
Omar Elharoun is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary. He is a member of the research team at the Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems Laboratory. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Power Engineering in 2017 from Mansoura University, Egypt, and has been working as a Teaching Assistant at the same university since 2018. He completed his Master's degree at Mansoura University in 2023. His research topic was on improving the performance of solar cells using the liquid-based absorption spectral splitting technology. Currently, his Ph.D. focus is on improving the performance of concentrating photovoltaic plants by combining spectral splitting techniques and beam-down concentrators with solar cells.
Abenezer Bekele
Abenezer Bekele is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary, which she joined in May 2025. She has a strong background in renewable energy technologies and a keen interest in sustainable engineering solutions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering (Energy Technology) with honors from Mekelle University, Ethiopia. Over the past several years, she has served as a lecturer and researcher at Mekelle University and Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, focusing on solar thermal concentrating systems, biomass combustion, biofuels and biodiesel, and greenhouse gas emission reduction. In industry, she worked as a Technical Director on solar electrification projects for rural and urban communities. Her current research focuses on solar thermal methane cracking for turquoise hydrogen production, primarily through modeling and simulation, with the potential for future integration of experimental investigations.
Timothy Otukoya
Timothy Otukoya is a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. His journey has been driven by a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to knowledge and professional development. He earned a diploma in Mechanical Engineering with distinction from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2016, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with first-class honours from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2023. In September 2024, he joined the Sustainable Thermal Energy System Research Group at the University of Calgary, where he earned his Master of Science degree in April 2026 and began his Ph.D. in May 2026. His current work in the research group focuses on developing sustainable medium-depth geothermal solutions with high-temperature heat pumps and solid-media thermal energy storage units for heating and cooling in commercial buildings and industrial process-heat applications.
Master's Students
Timothy Otukoya
Nayoung Kim is an M.Sc. student in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary, specializing in Energy and Environment. She completed her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University, with a focus on thermofluids and undergraduate research on the experimental and numerical characterization of a novel ground heat exchanger for ground source heat pump applications. Nayoung continues her research with the Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems Research Group, working on experimental characterization of a newly installed field-scale test facility and exploring and optimizing hybrid configurations for enhanced system performance.
Eric Riep
Eric Riep is completing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on environmental assessment of industrial systems, including life cycle assessment and industrial symbiosis, and he is a part of the transdisciplinary CANSTOREnergy project. Eric completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Calgary, with a minor in Energy and Environment Engineering, where he conducted undergraduate research on life cycle assessment of carbon conversion technologies. He also holds work experience in the Canadian energy sector, managing renewable and conventional energy projects and is a registered Engineer-in-Training with APEGA.
Co-supervised with Dr. Joule Bergerson