International Adviser Prof Richard K. Lester 

Current Appointment

·          Founding Director of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology Industrial Performance Center; and

·          Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.

Current Research

His research focuses on industrial innovation and the private and public management of technology, with an emphasis on the energy and manufacturing sectors. He has led several major studies of national and regional competitiveness and innovation performance commissioned by governments and industrial groups around the world.

As director of the Industrial Performance Center (IPC), Dr. Lester works with faculty and students from all five MIT Schools on a broad range of multidisciplinary research projects concerning the uses of science and technology in industry and the implications for society and the global economy. His current projects include:

·         Accelerating U.S. Energy Innovation, a project to develop a more effective institutional architecture for the U.S. energy innovation system.

·         The Local Innovation Systems Project, an international research collaboration focusing on the technological transformation of industries in regional economies and the role of universities in that process.

·         The IPC Globalization Study, an interdisciplinary investigation of the consequences of globalization and industrial re-organization for employment and innovation in North America, Europe, and Asia.

·         The Innovation Benchmarking Project, an ongoing study of strategies for promoting creativity and innovation in research, product and service development.

Professor Lester is also active in research on energy technology innovation, and co-teaches a popular MIT course on "Applications of Technology in Energy and the Environment.

Professional Activities

A member of the MIT faculty since 1979.

An advisor or consultant to corporations, governments, foundations and non-profit groups, and lectures frequently to academic, business and general audiences throughout the world.