Maisonneuve, Jonathan
Associate Professor
"Water, energy, and food are essential to life. We develop processes that improve the sustainability of these critical resources."
Jonathan Maisonneuve received his B.Sc. degree from McGill University's School of Environment, followed by an M.S. in Building Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University. His doctoral research, conducted in partnership with Hydro-Québec, focused on harvesting energy from salt gradients.
He began his faculty career in 2016 in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University, where he advanced from Assistant to Associate Professor. In 2025 he returned to his alma mater, accepting a faculty position in the Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill University.
Prof. Maisonneuve's lab develops advanced membrane technologies to address environmental challenges, with a focus on clean energy and clean water. The goal of his research is to improve access to critical water, energy, and food resources for communities throughout the world.
Currently accepting graduate students
jonathan.maisonneuve [at] mcgill.ca (Contact Professor Maisonneuve)
Ph.D. Concordia University
M.Eng. Concordia University
B.Sc. McGill University
Prof. Maisonneuve’s lab develops advanced membrane technologies to address global challenges in clean water, renewable energy, and sustainable food production. The team focuses on improving the energy efficiency of desalination and water purification, recovering valuable resources such as nutrients and rare earth metals from brines, and separating gases for applications like carbon capture and greenhouse dehumidification. To do this, the lab combines theoretical analysis, numerical modeling, bench-scale testing, and prototype design to study performance tradeoffs in these processes. The lab also seeks collaborations with industry and communities to co-develop locally practical solutions.
- Energy-efficient desalination: Developing next-generation processes to lower energy demand of seawater and brackish water treatment.
- Thermally driven water purification: Advancing separation technologies powered by low-grade heat and solar energy.
- Pollutant removal: Targeting PFAS and other emerging contaminants using selective membranes.
- Ion polarization at membrane interfaces: Understanding transport phenomena to enhance selectivity and permeability.
- Crystallization of precious and rare earth metals: Recovering critical resources from aqueous streams.
- Atmospheric water harvesting: Designing systems to capture clean water directly from air.
- Dehumidification for controlled plant environments: Creating energy-efficient humidity control solutions for greenhouses and indoor agriculture.