News J-WAFS Community Spotlight on Jonathan Bessette

As both a J-WAFS Fellow and 2024 J-WAFS India grantee, Bessette aims to create low-cost, community-scale desalination and water treatment systems for the developing world. 

Avery Plachcinski, J-WAFS August 26, 2024

In observance of National Water Quality Month,  J-WAFS spotlighted the water filtration and desalination research of Jonathan Bessette, a PhD student in the MIT mechanical engineering department. A 2024-25 Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellow for Water Solutions, Bessette is working in the lab of Professor Amos Winter to create low-cost, community-scale desalination and water treatment systems for the developing world. Additionally, Bessette is the co-recipient of the 2024 J-WAFS India Grant, working with fellow MIT PhD student Gokul Sampath on an innovative project involving "smart buckets" that use remote sensors to gather data on water collection practices in remote regions in India.

In this video, Bessette discusses how his J-WAFS projects tackle water access challenges in low- to middle-income countries. He also highlights his broader objective of enabling developing nations to advance directly to sustainable water technologies powered by renewable energy, bypassing dependence on fossil fuels.

Learn more about Jonathan Bessette in this video