John Hart is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mitsui Career Development Chair at MIT. Prior to joining the MIT faculty in July 2013 he was Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Art/Design, at the University of Michigan. He has Ph.D. (2006) and S.M. (2002) degrees from MIT, and a B.S.E. (2000) degree from Michigan, all in Mechanical Engineering. At MIT, John leads the Mechanosynthesis Group (http://mechanosynthesis.mit.edu), which creates new machines, materials, and design principles for advanced manufacturing, including carbon nanomaterials, additive manufacturing processes, and origami-inspired materials design.

With the Tata Center, John is collaborating with Dr. Chintan Vaishnav and Tata Fellows Soumya Braganza and Ron Rosenberg on the realization of technology for distributed soil monitoring in rural settings. The team’s proposed solution combines point-of-use sensors incorporating low-cost soil sampling methods, along with a distributed information architecture for transmitting local measurements and communicating wider-area information across farms and villages. John’s further interests within the scope of the center include design and manufacturing of customized agricultural tools and medical devices, and empowering creativity using rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing technologies.