Mike Bono
Research scientist
Desalination and Drip Irrigation Teams
Research Interests
Mike Bono is a scientist and engineer with multidisciplinary expertise in the development of solutions for energy, water, agriculture, food, the environment, and global health.
Mike began his research career as an undergraduate researcher at Union College, where he conducted research at Union’s Aerogel Lab and initiating an ongoing project on the development of aerogel-based catalytic converters. Mike then completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University, where he developed a dielectric method to measure algal lipid content for biodiesel production.
After his PhD, Mike served as a postdoctoral researcher at MIT affiliated with the Tata Center for Technology and Design. During his time at MIT, Mike focused primarily on the development of improved water quality measurement technology for use in resource-limited settings, with additional research on the development of sensors for soil nutrient and food safety analysis.
Following his time as an MIT postdoc, Mike served as a senior postdoctoral associate at Boston University, where he investigated methods to fabricate hollow microneedles for sampling interstitial fluid and provided guidance on the development of a biosensor for point-of-care viral nucleic acid detection in low-resource settings. Mike then worked on the fabrication of antibiotic susceptibility tests via inkjet printing as senior research associate at Tufts University.
Mike is delighted to return to MIT as a research scientist with the GEAR Lab, and he looks forward to developing effective research solutions through a combination of laboratory research, engineering analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
Education
PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 2015
MS in Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, 2013
BS in Mechanical Engineering, summa cum laude, Union College, 2009
Honors and Awards
ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Student Symposium Grant, 2012
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, 2010-2013
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Honorable Mention, 2010
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, 2008
Presidential Green Grant, Union College, 2008
Eagle Scout Rank, 2005
Publications
Hobbies
In addition to his undergraduate mechanical engineering degree, Mike completed a minor in visual arts, and continues to enjoy making art when he gets the chance. He also enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, exercising, puns, and sending memes to his friends.