The Mesoscale Nuclear Materials group focuses on the trickly, coupled problems hindering carbon-free, baseload energy from being achieved at the pace which we all want. Our motto is “nuclear materials at the speed of thought,” so we develop far faster ways of measuring effects on materials as they happen. This way, advanced fission and fusion power can be introduced within the decade. Our group is heavily collaborative and experimental, with modeling & simulation often providing insight and understanding into what we measure. Mike holds four degrees from MIT, and despite constant & copious travel has never really left the Institute. He is passionate about teaching and hands-on mentoring, believing strongly that if one works hard on the scientist and person in front of you, great science will naturally follow. He also believes that science is the last bastion of diplomacy in an increasingly polarized, fractured world. Alignment[1]: Chaotic/Good
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)
AnthroEngineering (Anthropologically-Led Engineering)
We as engineers are very good at finding excellent solutions to the wrong problems. Most startups fail because they create things that no one needs. Unanticipated consequences of technological innovations unnecessarily create winners and losers when thoughtlessly rolled out. Together with Prof. Manduhai Buyandelger in MIT Anthropology, we explore how anthropologists and engineers can and should work together on equal footing, beyond user-centric design, ensuring that technological progress happens to maximize benefit to the maximum number of people, without causing unheard or marginalized people to suffer. To better define this fledgling field, we begin by crafting an equitable energy transition for locales with significant environmental degradation and healthspan disparities. Together with colleagues from the National University of Mongolia, where we are exploring the relationship between people’s livelihoods and energy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to best design a million-person scalable clean energy and decarbonization strategy which improves livelihoods across the board.