Sharing that “ah hah” moment with a student struggling and suddenly mastering a difficult concept; helping expand the intellectual horizons of an aspiring engineer; tackling and solving problems that challenge the energy, economic, and environmental security with passionate students; sharing my passion for engineering science: these are the reasons that I am a professor of chemical engineering. WPI students understand the importance of translating their engineering talents into technologies and knowledge that benefit others. My role is to light the fire and open new doors for budding engineers.
The stereotypical view of a scientist or engineer is as a solitary figure, toiling away in the lab. And, if this were true, I’d never have become an engineer because nothing could be further from the truth. I thrive on interactions with my colleagues and students – especially students. I enjoy “talking shop”, whether it be to solve a specific problem we’ve encountered in the lab, to thrash out the details of a new technology, or to take a step back and consider the broader implications and context of our work. Interaction with talented, passionate people who have a different view points and skills than I have is what drives me in this field.
My research interests include the studying the environmental and engineering aspects of clean energy technologies, with a specific emphasis on liquid transportation fuels. Liquid transportation fuels are derived nearly exclusively from petroleum resources – these resources are finite, distributed un-evenly around the world, and their combustion contributes to many different environmental problems. My work involves studying the fundamental chemical engineering science – including transport, phase behavior, and reactor design – to develop new technologies for converting under-utilized energy resources into fuels and chemicals. Specific problems of interest are ones that combine concepts from various sub-disciplines – such as phase equilibria and reaction mechanism analysis – into an integrated process technology. I firmly believe that solving the truly pressing technology problems of the 21st century will require cross-disciplinary collaboration – engineers, chemists, physicists, biologists, etc. Incorporating imaginative collaborations into my work has been and will continue to be a driving force.
Industry Experience:
- 2019-present: William B. Smith Fellow and Dean of Engineering Chair, Chemical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
- 2018-present: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
- 2013-2018: Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
- 2010-2013: Research Engineer & Director of Desulfurization Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- 2009-2013: Principal Engineer, Aerodyne Research Inc., Center for Aero-Thermodynamics, Billerica, MA
- 2006-2009: Senior Engineer, Aerodyne Research Inc., Center for Aero-Thermodynamics, Billerica, MA
Visit Digital WPI to view student projects advised by Professor Timko
Sustainable Development Goals
Research Interests
Scholarly Work
- Full list of publications in Google Scholar
- Full list of publications in Dimensions
- Full list of publications in Scopus
Featured articles:
Cheng, F., Tompsett, G. A., Fraga Alvarez, D. V., Romo, C. I., McKenna, A. M., Niles, S. F., Nelson, R. K., Reddy, C. M., Granados-Fócil, S., Paulsen, A. D., Zhang, R., & Timko, M. T. (2021). Metal oxide supported Ni-impregnated bifunctional catalysts for controlling char formation and maximizing energy recovery during catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of food waste. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 5(4),941–955.
Belden, E. R., Kazantzis, N. K., Reddy, C. M., Kite-Powell, H., Timko, M. T., Italiani, E., & Herschbach, D. R. (2021). Thermodynamic feasibility of shipboard conversion of marine plastics to blue diesel for selfpowered ocean cleanup. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(46), e2107250118.
Ekwe, N. B., Tyufekchiev, M. V., Salifu, A. A., Tompsett, G. A., LeClerc, H. O., Belden, E. R., Onche, E. O., Ates, A., Schmidt-Rohr, K., Yuan, S., Zheng, Z., Soboyejo, W. O., & Timko, M. T. (2022). Mechanochemical Pretreatment for Waste-Free Conversion of Bamboo to Simple Sugars: Utilization of Available Resources for Developing Economies. Advanced Sustainable Systems, n/a(n/a), 2100286.
Zhang, Z., Tompsett, G. A., Granados-Focil, S., Lambert, C. R., & Timko, M. T. (2021). Rational design of solid-acid catalysts for cellulose hydrolysis using colloidal theory. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 23(17), 10236–10243.
Professional Affiliations
Professional Highlights & Honors
News
Media Coverage
Chemical Engineering Professor Mike Timko and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ali Salifu about their research that found bamboo can be converted into biofuel (at the 3:10 mark).
Newsy spoke with Chemical Engineering Professor Mike Timko and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ali Salifu about their research that found bamboo can be converted into biofuel to power vehicles and generators.