Schwegler

Benedict R. (Ben) Schwegler is retired senior vice president and chief scientist, Walt Disney Imagineering R&D. He is currently Chief Scientist at Engie China Research Lab and an adjunct professor at Stanford University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s in a  joint program of ecology and chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in environmental  engineering and science from UCLA.

Ben leads an international team of industry and academic researchers exploring fundamental relationships of urban physical size to the efficiency of infrastructure supporting those urban developments. This research played out in Disney’s  theme park in China, and in the team’s collaboration with infrastructure development in Shanghai and Wuhan, China.
He taught a four-year course at Stanford on adaptation to climate change, with a focus on ports and harbors. He holds patents for a method to integrate building physics and occupant behavior in energy models, a 4D construction simulation tool, and surface water control systems for theme parks in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Paris.

He is the recipient of the Robert Iger Award for Outstanding Creativity, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Henry Michel Award, and the Orange County California Outstanding Project Management Award.

Ben and his wife, Jan, have two daughters. He is a national champion sailor and an avid road bike rider.