Paul Alivisatos, the University of Chicago’s 14th president, will share the stage with Chiang to discuss the state of higher education in America.

Alivisatos was named the 14th president of the University of Chicago in 2021. He also is the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. 

A preeminent scientist and entrepreneur, Alivisatos has made pioneering research breakthroughs in nanomaterials. Contributions to the fundamental physical chemistry of nanocrystals are the hallmarks of his scientific career. His research accomplishments include studies of the scaling laws governing the optical, electrical, structural and thermodynamic properties of nanocrystals.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1981 from the University of Chicago and PhD in chemistry from University of California, Berkeley, in 1986. He began his academic career with UC Berkeley in 1988 and with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1991.