Thought Leaders in Nanotechnology Research

The field of nanotechnology research is very broad, ranging across fundamental studies into the properties of new materials, to the basic science of chemistry, and to innovations in device design and engineering. It also encompasses new manufacturing technologies, emerging use models for biomedical applications, as well as scale-up issues for the production of innovative devices and services. Additionally, the field considers emerging markets and trends and is the basis of many strategies for environmental remediation, food security, and artificial intelligence. Moreover, the application space is vast, from nanometrology to modeling nano-scale phenomena. Due to the increasingly dynamic nature of nanotechnology, it is progressively more difficult to identify key barriers to advancement, major unrealized opportunities, and challenges the nanotechnology community is not addressing.

This type of strategic “Prospective” forum is generally missing in the literature, the overwhelming focus being on the “now” (research articles) and “retrospective” (review articles). To address this gap, Frontiers in Nanotechnology has assembled a group of globally acknowledged leaders in nanotechnology research and innovation, researchers with decades of experience and contributions to their field that have been of the highest quality throughout their careers. We have invited these ‘thought leaders’ to speculate on key challenges and unrealized opportunities that require a fundamental advance in the associated science, which, if achieved, could profoundly improve the world we live in. We will also include a number of young, emerging leaders in nanotechnology research to complement the more established contributors. In this way, we aim to build a resource of unique value to researchers and innovators, a resource that will grow and develop and will encourage debate in this fascinating arena of human endeavor.