As the Director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center, Richard Lester’s research is concerned with innovation strategy and management, with a frequent focus on the energy and manufacturing sectors. He is widely known for his work on local, regional, and national systems of innovation, and he has led major studies of national and regional competitiveness and innovation performance commissioned by governments and industry groups around the world. Lester brings with him decades of experience in the field, having been with MIT since 1979.

Lester is the author of Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System. He obtained his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College and earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT.