Richard K. Lester
Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineer, and Author
Richard K. Lester is an American educator, researcher, engineer, and author. He is the Japan Steel Industry Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT, where he served most recently as Vice Provost, overseeing the international activities of the Institute, and as Vice President for Climate, advancing MIT’s efforts on climate research and innovation. He previously served as head of MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, and he is the founder and faculty chair of the MIT Industrial Performance Center. Dr. Lester is the author or co-author of eight books, including Unlocking Energy Innovation, which outlined a strategy for mobilizing America’s innovation resources in support of the transition to an affordable and reliable low-carbon global energy system, and Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge (with Michael Dertouzos and Robert Solow), which became the best-selling book in the history of MIT Press.