Mechanical Engineer, Entrepreneur, Innovator, and $100K Winner

Brandon Lojewski completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at UCF. He continued with his Mechanical Engineering MS with a focus on Miniature Engineering Systems at UCF and graduated in spring 2013. “It was the perfect fit to continue on here at UCF, and I am glad I did. I got hooked up doing a lot of incredible, incredible research,” shares Lojewski.

His research centered on utilizing multiplexed electrospray equipment, which will dramatically reduce the cost of renewable energy devices, such as solar cells, batteries, and other clean energy devices that require manufacturing a precise and uniform coating of exotic materials. Lojewski’s technology bridges the gap between high quality and low cost by delivering a spray with the smallest and most uniform droplets possible, using electricity.

Lojewski launched Mesdi Systems, Inc. in 2011 during the Megawatt Ventures Clean Energy Business Plan Competition, sponsored by UCF and the U.S. Department of Energy, which awarded the best student-led clean energy business plan. Lojewski founded his business under the guidance of UCF’s Office of Research and Commercialization. Mesdi Systems won $10,000 as a finalist in the Megawatt Ventures competition.

In 2012 Mesdi Systems entered a similar competition for student-run clean energy business plans, the regional ACC Clean Energy Challenge. Mesdi Systems won a $100,000 prize and a trip to the White House to pitch its business idea as a part of the Department of Energy National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition. Though his team lost the national competition, they were among just six teams nationwide to make it that far, putting Mesdi and UCF on the national stage to compete against other spin-out companies from MIT, Stanford, and Columbia. Lojewski is using these funds to continue researching, exploring various applications for his equipment, and getting his company off the ground.

Lojewski was also one of the winners of the 2012 UCF Graduate Research Forum, a showcase of student research. “Winning the Graduate Research Forum supported and substantiated my research, proving that this research is not only potentially commercializable, but also academically important,” shares Lojewski.

Lojewski credits UCF’s endless resources for his extraordinary success. “My favorite thing about UCF is the opportunities that I’ve been able to take advantage of while here.”