Steven Vetter co-founded MMEI and still serves as its President and CEO. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in software engineering and physics at the University of Illinois. He did his MBA studies at the University of Minnesota. He has been studying, consulting, teaching, and public speaking about nanotechnology for over 20 years. Steven has founded or cofounded several companies, including a 20-person consulting business which he lead for ten years. He was a Senior Advisor of the Space Studies Institute and has delivered numerous lectures and published articles on future technologies. He has been an ardent supporter of molecular nanotechnology for many years. His accomplishments in this area include initiating the Senior Associate program at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing and the Foresight Institute, where he was the first Senior Associate in both organizations, and founding the Minnesota Nanotechnology Special Interest Group and leading its meetings for over 15 years. He stimulated the creation of the second nanotechnology college degree program in the world, advised its development, and served as adjunct professor teaching several of its courses.
Scott MacLaren co-founded MMEI and served for a number of years as its Director of Research. He has degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Illinois, where he has been conducting postdoctoral research in materials science. He works on the development of novel nanostructure fabrication techniques, and has extensive experience in materials processing, microanalysis, and characterization. He has consulted on a variety of science and technology policy issues for the Japanese government. Scott is also an accomplished investor.
Dr. Tanya Sienko co-founded MMEI and served as its Director of International Relations for several years. She earned degrees in physics and Japanese from MIT. She continued her graduate studies at Cornell and Tokyo Universities and the University of Illinois, earning a PhD in solid state physics. She returned to Japan in 1991, under a two-year Science and TechnologyAgency Postdoctoral Fellowship. She has developed extensive technical and policy contacts throughout the Pacific Rim. She was the editor of two scientific journals, speaks five languages, and has coauthored a book on Japanese.
Dr. Roald Hoffmann was a senior advisor to MMEI since it’s founding, and has made numerous contributions in the field of chemistry, most notably in the area of geometrical structure and reactivity of molecules. His contributions have earned him numerous honors, including the 1981 Nobel prize in Chemistry.
Dr. Ralph Merkle also served as a senior advisor to MMEI, and is one of the leading researchers in the field of molecular nanotechnology, primarily in the areas of computation, automation, and safety. Prior to his work in this area, he made significant contributions in the field of cryptography. He has worked in molecular nanotechnology for over twenty years, including leading the Computational Nanotechnology Project at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), researching at Xyvex, and writing several books on the subject.