Michael Kent earned his doctorate in chemical engineering and materials science from the University of Minnesota in 1990 and conducted post-doctoral research in neutron and X-ray scattering and polymer physics at the University of Paris VI and the Curie Institute from 1990-1992. From 1992 until his retirement in 2024 Michael was a research scientist at Sandia National laboratories. He also had an appointment as a staff scientist for 15 years at the Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI).
At Sandia National Labs Michael’s research topics included the interaction of proteins with lipid membrane with a specific focus on HIV Nef and the envelop protein of Dengue virus, adapting neutralizing antibodies to closely related virus types and subtypes through a combination of computational modeling and library screening, enzymology, and combining chemical and biological processes to convert biomass and waste plastics to fuels and chemicals. He has published > 80 scientific papers on these and other topics. He was an active member of the American Physical Society, the Biophysical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the Society for Industrial Microbiology.
Motivated by his interest in evidence for intelligent design, Michael developed and co-led a course in the Honors Program at the University of New Mexico titled "Origins: Science, Faith, and Philosophy" with Professor Harold Delaney of the Psychology Dept from 2002 - 2003. The course was offered for two semesters and received favorable reviews from the students that attended. However, the course was controversial in the minds of a small number of faculty members who protested to the University provost, and as a result the course was no longer allowed in the curriculum after 2003. Since 2003, Michael has led a quarterly discussion group on evidence for design in the universe near the campus of the University of New Mexico. The website for this group is www.ABQ-ID.org.