Jon Bessette
PhD student
Desalination team
Research Interests
Jon’s passion for mechanical design and interests in the future of water in developing economies led him to the GEAR lab. Here, he is researching rapidly deployable desalination system design for applications in humanitarian aid missions and disaster relief, migrant camps, and forward operating bases. His research interests include machine & product design, fluid mechanics, design theory and methodology, optimization, and mechatronics.
Education
S.M. Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, SUNY University at Buffalo, 2020
Honors and Awards
MIT Morningside Design Fellow, 2022
NSF Graduate Research Fellow, 2020
SUNY Chancellor’s Award, 2020
Marshall Scholar Finalist, 2019
SUNY University at Buffalo SEAS Dean’s Award, 2019
William J. Fulbright Scholar, 2017
Publications
Hobbies
Taking things apart (sometimes they go back together), soccer, hiking & backpacking, guitar, drawing & sketching