Andrew Maynard

Chief Science Advisor

Dr. Andrew Maynard is Chief Science Advisor to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is an internationally recognized scientist, an authority on emerging science and technology policy, and is a leading proponent of public engagement in science.

Dr. Maynard regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress on nanotechnology policy; serves on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group; and is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Challenges of Nanotechnology. He is also on the executive committee of the International Council On Nanotechnology, and has served on panels convened by the National Academies of Science and The Council of Canadian Academies. He was previously a member of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) subcommittee of the US National Science and Technology Council, and was co-chair of the Nanotechnology Health and Environment Implications (NEHI) working group of NSET. In addition, Dr. Maynard is on the editorial board of a number of scientific journals, and is a member of the advisory board of Chemical & Engineering News.

Dr. Maynard’s scientific research ranges from the physics of airborne particles to the biological impacts of nanoscale materials. This is reflected in over one hundred reports, articles and papers, including papers in high impact journals such as Nature and Nature Nanotechnology. He has previously led research groups at the U.K. Health and Safety Executive and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and he currently holds an honorary Senior Lectureship at the University of Aberdeen, U.K.

Dr. Maynard’s current interests extend to the scientific and policy challenges presented by the emerging field of synthetic biology; the effective communication of science; and engaging research communities and members of the public in science-based decision-making processes. He is widely published in the scientific and popular press, and frequently appears on television and radio.

Dr. Maynard was awarded a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge, U.K. in 1992.