Dr. Bifano was named Boston University’s Vice President and Associate Provost ad interim for Research as of July 1, 2024. He is responsible for BU’s research enterprise, representing the University to key stakeholders in government, industry, and foundations, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to streamline and manage research.
Dr. Bifano also directs the Boston University Photonics Center, a core facility and academic center of excellence. He leads Photonics Center programs for education, scholarly research, and development of advanced photonic device prototypes for commercial and military applications. He manages a state-of-the-art facility that includes several shared research laboratories and a large business innovation center.
A professor at BU since 1988, most recently in the mechanical engineering department, Dr. Bifano’s research focuses on modeling, design, production, and use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) in optical applications. He received his BS and MS in mechanical engineering and materials science from Duke and his PhD in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University.