K. Eric Drexler, PhD

Often described as “the father of nanotechnology,” Eric Drexler set the technical direction for the field in his seminal 1981 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which established fundamental principles of molecular engineering and outlined development paths to advanced nanotechnologies. In his 1986 book, Engines of Creation, he introduced a broad audience to the fundamental technology objective: using machines that work at the molecular scale to structure matter from the bottom up. Drexler’s research in this field has been the basis for numerous journal articles and a comprehensive, physics-based analysis in his textbook Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation. In his publications and lectures, Dr. Drexler describes the implementation and applications of advanced nanotechnologies and shows how they can be used to solve, not merely delay, large-scale problems such as global warming. Dr. Drexler served as Chief Technical Advisor to Nanorex, he writes about nanotechnology and other topics on his blog, Metamodern.com, and has worked in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund to explore advanced nanotechnology solutions to global problems such as energy scarcity and climate change. Recently, Drexler served as Chief Technical Consultant to the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems, a project of the Battelle Memorial Institute in conjunction with several US National Laboratories. He is currently an Academic Visitor at Oxford University, and his recent book, Radical Abundance, has been published in May 2013.