Richard Lester is Associate Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he oversees the international activities of the Institute.  Dr. Lester is the Japan Steel Industry Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the founder and faculty chair of the MIT Industrial Performance Center.  He previously served as head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT.

Professor Lester’s research focuses on innovation, productivity and industrial competitiveness, and he has led several major studies of innovation and industry performance in the U.S. and around the world.  He is also well known for his research on energy and climate policy and nuclear policy. Professor Lester’s most recent book, Unlocking Energy Innovation, with David M. Hart, outlines a strategy for mobilizing America’s innovation resources in support of the transition to an affordable, reliable low-carbon global energy system. He is the author or co-author of seven other books, including The Productive Edge--A New Strategy for Economic Growth; Innovation--The Missing Dimension (with Michael Piore); Making Technology Work–Applications in Energy and the Environment (with John M. Deutch); Made By Hong Kong (with Suzanne Berger); and Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge (with Michael Dertouzos and Robert Solow.)