Technical Advisor – Denver

mike.benoit@eriseIP.com

Professional Profile

Mike Benoit is an aerospace engineer with hands-on experience developing a variety of technologies, including spaceflight hardware, medical diagnostics, microfluidics, numerical models, and biocatalysts for CO2 capture.

Mike’s expertise in patent prosecution includes aircraft manufacturing, composite materials, aerospace vehicle design and performance, robotics, control systems, magnetic detection/imaging, medical diagnostics, and semiconductor and photovoltaic devices.

Prior to joining Erise IP, his legal experience included serving as a Technical Specialist in private practice – in that role, he drafted and prosecuted patents, analyzed patentability, and performed research for patent landscape, invalidity, and infringement issues.

His previous experience also includes:

• Product Development Engineer, MBio Diagnostics, Inc.: Mike worked to improve product reliability and manufacturability of disposable fluidic devices for point-of-care diagnosis of infectious diseases. He coordinated product development efforts amongst the engineering, biochemistry, manufacturing and regulatory teams.

• Staff Scientist, Codexis, Inc.: Mike managed a small team in the development of biocatalysts for generating biofuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. His responsibilities included developing high-throughput assays, overseeing their implementation, characterizing enzymes and strains and analyzing data.

• Post-doctoral Scholar, Stanford University: Mike developed a high-throughput microfluidic system for screening biofilm antibiotic resistance. He led a multi-disciplinary collaboration to study magnetotactic bacteria as a novel source of MRI contrast-enhancement for targeted tumor imaging.

Education

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado

M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado

B.S. in Microbiology, University of New Hampshire

Patents

Alvizo, O, Benoit, M, Fusman, I, Liang, J, Nguyen, L, Novick, S.

• Highly Stable β-Class Carbonic Anhydrases Useful In Carbon Capture Systems.
• U.S. 8,354,261.

 

Alvizo, O, Benoit, M, Novick, S.

• Highly Stable Beta-Class Carbonic Anhydrases Useful In Carbon Capture Systems.
• U.S. 8,420,364; U.S. 8,512,989; EP2590991; AU2011272878.

Publications

• Alvizo, O, Nguyen, LJ, Savile, CK, Bresson, JA, Lakhapatri, SL, Solis, EOP, Fox, RJ, Broering, JM, Benoit, MR, Zimmerman, SA, Novick, SJ, Liang, J, and Lalonde, JJ. Directed Evolution of an Ultrastable Carbonic Anhydrase for Highly Efficient Carbon Capture from Flue Gas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111(46): 16436-16441 (2014).
• Wang, JH, Singh, R, Benoit, MR, Keyhan, M, Sylvester, M, Hsieh, M, Thathireddy, A, Hsieh, YJ, and Matin, A. Sigma S-Dependent Antioxidant Defense Protects Stationary-Phase Escherichia coli against the Bactericidal Antibiotic Gentamicin. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 58(10): 5964-5975 (2014).
• Benoit, MR, Conant, CG, Ionescu-Zanetti, C. Schwartz, M. Matin, A. New Device for High Throughput Viability Screening of Flow-biofilms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 76(13): 4136-4142 (2010).
• Benoit, MR, Mayer, D, Barak, Y, Chen, IY, Hu, W, Cheng, Z, Wang, SX, Spielman, DM, Gambhir, SS, and Matin, A. Visualizing implanted tumors in mice with MRI using magnetotactic bacteria. Clinical Cancer Research: 15(16): 5170-5177 (2009).
• Benoit, MR, Brown, RB, Nelson, ES, Todd, P, and Klaus, DM. Buoyant Plumes from Solute Gradients Generated by Escherichia coli. Physical Biology. 5(4): 046007 (2008).
• Lynch, SV, Dixon, L, Benoit, MR, Brodie, EL, Keyhan, M, Hu, P, Ackerley, DF, Andersen, GL, and Matin, A. Role of the rapA Gene in Controlling Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 51(10): 3650-3658 (2007).
• Benoit, MR and Klaus, DM. Microgravity, bacteria, and the influence of motility. Advances in Space Research 39(7): 1225-1232 (2007).
• Lynch, SV, Mukundakrishnan, K, Benoit, MR, Ayyaswamy, PS, and Matin, A. Escherichia coli Biofilms Formed Under Low Shear Modeled Microgravity in a Ground-based System. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72(12): 7701-7710 (2006).
• Matin, A, Lynch, SV, and Benoit, MR. Increased Bacterial Resistance and Virulence In Simulated Microgravity and Its Molecular Basis. Gravitational Space Biology 19(2): 31-41 (2006).
• Benoit, MR, Li W, Stodieck LS, Lam KS, Winther CL, Roane TM, and Klaus DM. Microbial antibiotic production aboard the International Space Station. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 70(4): 403-411 (2006).
• Benoit, M and Klaus, D. Can genetically modified Escherichia coli with neutral buoyancy induced by gas-vesicles be used as an alternative method to clinorotation for microgravity studies? Microbiology 151(1): 69-74 (2005).
• Benoit, MR, Nelson, ES, and Klaus, DM. Numerical model simulations of buoyant plumes resulting from solute gradients around metabolizing bacteria. In: COMSOL Multiphysics Conference 2005, Boston, October 23-25, J. Hiller ed., ISBN: 0976679205, pp. 63-69 (2005).
• Klaus, DM, Benoit, MR, Nelson, ES and Hammond, TG. Extracellular mass transport considerations for space flight research concerning suspended and adherent in vitro cell cultures. Journal of Gravitational Physiology 11(1): 17-27 (2004).
• Owen, RB, Zozulya, AA, Benoit, MR and Klaus, DM. Microgravity materials and life sciences research applications of digital holography. Applied Optics 41(19): 3927-3935 (2002).