Richard K. Lester

Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Talks & Media

Recent Media Interviews (selected)

Spectrum interview
Irish Independent interview
National Public Radio interview
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview

Recent Op/Ed Pieces

"Clearing the Path Toward a Nuclear Renaissance", Boston Globe
"Il Destino Energetico", La Repubblica
"How to Prosper in a Globalizing Economy?" Irish Times
"China's Energy Dilemma," Technology Review
"New England's Potential as an Energy Giant," Boston Globe
"A Creative Economy," Industry Week

Recent Public Lectures (selected)

"An Innovation Strategy for the Downturn," address to the John Adams Innovation Institute Board of Governors' Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, 26 January 2009

"Innovation and the Future of Manufacturing", Keynote speech at Manufacturing Forum – 2008, Tallinn, Estonia, 2 December 2008

"The Nuclear Future", American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA, 12 October 2008.

"Energy Innovation: What's Here, and What's Coming," keynote speech delivered at Centennial Meeting of the National Governors Association, Philadelphia, PA, 14 July 2008.

"Regions, Industries, and the University Role in Economic Development", invited lecture, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 22 May 2008.

"Innovation and the Productivity Imperative", keynote speech presented at the AusInnovate Conference, CeBIT Australia – 2008, Sydney, Australia, 20 May 2008.

"Innovation and the Competitiveness of Local Economies," International Conference on Mobilizing Knowledge: Towards Next-Generation Innovation Policy, Espoo, Finland, 29 January 2008

"Innovation and Regional Competitiveness: New Strategies for University-Business-Government Cooperation", Keynote speech, 7th Annual Business-Academia-Government Collaboration Summit, Government of Japan, Tokyo, Japan, 26 November 2007

"Regions, Industries, and the University Role in Economic Development", invited lecture to the Commission on Outreach and Technology, National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, New York City, 11 November 2007

"The Hidden Dimension of Innovation", Invited lecture, MIT-On-The-Road, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 3 November 2007

"The Future of Manufacturing and the Role of Innovation", Keynote speech, National Center for Partnership and Performance Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 28 June 2007.

"Coal, Electric Power, and Carbon Emissions in China", Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research Seminar, Cambridge, MA, 3 May 2007

"Regions, Industries, and the University Role in Economic Development", Sloan Industry Studies Annual Conference, Cambridge, MA, 27 April 2007

"Innovation Management: A Systems View", AIST/NISTEP Seminar, Tokyo, Japan, 22 March 2007

"Growth Through Innovation: New Concepts and New Methods", Keynote speech, METI Symposium on the Management of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 21 March 2007

"A Framework for Understanding How Higher Education Influences Regional Economic Growth", Conference on Can Higher Education Foster Economic Growth?  Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 30 October 2006.

"Regional Competitiveness in the Global Economy: Innovation and the Role of Universities", Invited Lecture, National University of Ireland, Galway, Republic of Ireland, 28 September 2006.

"The Hidden Dimension of Innovation", First Trust Bank Innovation Lecture, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 26 September 2006.

"The Hidden Dimension of Innovation", Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 12 July 2006.

"From Black Gold to Human Gold: The Transformation of a Resource-Based to a Knowledge Economy in the North Sea Oil Province", University of Stavanger, Norway, 23 May 2006.

"Universities, Innovation, and the Competitiveness of Local and National Economies", Center for Business Research 10-year Anniversary Summit on Innovation and Governance, University of Cambridge, U.K., 29 March 2006.

"Is President Bush's Approach the Right Way to Promote Nuclear Power?", Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, Washington, DC, 15 February 2006.

"Innovation – The Missing Dimension", Symposium on Innovation Management, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 5 February 2006.

"Innovation, Competitiveness, and the Role of Universities", Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 3 February 2006.

"Universities, Innovation, and the Competitiveness of Local Economies", Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico, 25 January 2006.

"Universities, Innovation, and the Competitiveness of Local Economies", Lerchendal Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 11 January 2006.

"On Scientific Literacy and National Competitiveness", Colloquium on Scientific Literacy, the College Board Forum – 2005, New York City, 31 October 2005.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology