Rohit Karnik to lead J-WAFS as director

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Rohit Karnik has accepted my invitation to lead the Abdul Latif Jameel Water & Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) as director, effective March 1, 2025.

The J-WAFS program is unique at MIT in its interdisciplinary research focus on water and food systems. Building upon 10 strong years since its founding, J-WAFS will continue in its critical mission, under Rohit’s leadership – advancing MIT research and innovation that can contribute to meeting some of humanity’s most basic needs. I am grateful to the members of the search advisory committee, led by Gang Chen, for their outreach and advice on this important role.

Rohit is the Tata Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), where his research focuses on the physics of microfluidic and nanofluidic flows and systems, and the design of water filtration and chemical separation and sensing technologies for applications in water, healthcare, energy, and the environment. Rohit has been associate director of J-WAFS since July 2023, and his close involvement in proposal reviews, research discussions, workshops, and the second round of J-WAFS’s Water and Food Grand Challenge Grant will be a tremendous asset to the continuity of J-WAFS’s smooth operations. He is highly regarded for his research, teaching, and leadership in service to the Institute, as well as for his attentive mentoring of graduate students and postdocs.

A mechanical engineer by training, Rohit earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006, completed postdoctoral work at MIT in Robert Langer’s group, and joined the MechE faculty in 2007. His many awards and recognitions have included the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2010), Department of Energy Early Career Award (2012), and election as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors (2021). He also serves as faculty director of the New Engineering Education Transformation program in the School of Engineering.

Rohit succeeds J-WAFS founding director John Lienhard, whose MIT career has spanned more than three decades and who built J-WAFS into a remarkable community of scholars. Over its 10 years, the program has provided grants to more than 10% of MIT faculty – and, in doing so, it has drawn many to engage in a field that was new to them. Their work, and the efforts of numerous students and other MIT researchers, is helping to protect safe and resilient water and food supplies for people around the world, under the pressures of population growth, urbanization, and climate change. As I shared in November, John intends to retire this year, remaining engaged with J-WAFS until the summer.

I am delighted that Rohit will bring his talent and vision to bear on the J-WAFS mission, ensuring the program sustains its direct support of research on campus and its important impact around the world. You can read more about the leadership transition in MIT News.

Please join me in thanking John and congratulating Rohit on his new role.

Sincerely,

Ian A. Waitz
Vice President for Research