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Digvijaysinh Barad, a doctoral student in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a 2025-26 Texas A&M University Chevron Energy Graduate Fellow for research aimed at advancing industrial energy efficiency and decarbonization.

Headshot of Digvijaysinh Barad.
Digvijaysinh Barad | Image: Courtesy of Digvijaysinh Barad.

Barad’s work focuses on optimizing compressed air systems in manufacturing, which account for up to 10% of U.S. manufacturing electricity use. Despite their prevalence, these systems are often inefficient and poorly monitored. 

To address this, Barad leverages Industry 4.0 technologies to implement a “Measure, Monitor, Manage” approach. The project includes developing smart assessment tools, prescriptive diagnostics and data-driven models to detect inefficiencies such as air leaks and artificial demand.

Key contributions of the research include designing a smart data logger, an automatic air leak measurement device and indirect flow monitoring methods using statistical analysis of power and pressure data. Future work aims to integrate machine learning for improved diagnostics and explore waste heat recovery from compressors. 

The goal is to make energy assessments more accessible and actionable, driving measurable progress toward industrial decarbonization and sustainability.

 “Being recognized with this fellowship boosts my morale and provides opportunities to expand my network and collaborate with experts in the field,” he said. “To get recognized encourages me to push my work even further. Professionally, this is not just a fellowship, but it is something more than that. It will provide me with the opportunity to expand my network and explore new learning avenues.”

Barad conducts research under the guidance of Dr. Bryan Rasmussen in the Energy Efficiency and Control Optimization Laboratory and is part of Texas A&M’s Industrial Training and Assessment Center. 

Through this program, he has participated in on-site energy assessments identifying efficiency projects related to process heating, compressed air, pumps, fans and process cooling systems.

To get recognized encourages me to push my work even further. Professionally, this is not just a fellowship, but it is something more than that. It will provide me with the opportunity to expand my network and explore new learning avenues.

Digvijaysinh Barad

Coursework such as MEEN 662, Energy Management in Industry, and MEEN 665, Application of Energy Management, also played an important role in preparing him for this research.

Originally from western India, Barad earned an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and gained early research experience at the University of Alberta on energy efficiency projects. He came to Texas A&M in 2021 for graduate studies and later decided to pursue a doctorate to advance global energy transition efforts.

“My list of top 10 problems of humanity for the next 50 years starts with energy,” Barad said, citing inspiration from Nobel Laureate Richard Smalley. “I look forward to opportunities for meaningful collaboration that can help make this research widely applicable and accessible to drive measurable progress towards decarbonization goals.

As part of the Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows cohort, Barad will receive mentorship from faculty and industry experts, further shaping his early career in the energy sector.