Andrew Maynard

Andrew Maynard is a transdisciplinary thinker, scientist, and writer whose career has been defined by one overarching goal: making knowledge meaningful, accessible, and empowering to all — not just to experts, but to anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world.

He is a professor of Advanced Technology Transitions at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, founding director of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, and a long-time leader in research and policy at the intersection of emerging technologies, society, and the future. With a career that spans aerosol physics, public health, risk innovation, science communication, and technology governance, Andrew is internationally recognized for helping individuals and institutions grapple with the promises and perils of transformative technologies — including artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and more.

His work is driven by a deep belief: that everyone — regardless of background — has a right to understand, shape, and thrive in the future being built around them. This conviction animates everything from his congressional testimony and advisory roles with the World Economic Forum and National Academies, to his writing for platforms like The Conversation, Slate, Scientific American, and The Washington Post, to his highly accessible books Films from the Future and AI and the Art of Being Human to  Future Rising — the latter a personal exploration of humanity’s evolving relationship with the future. It also underpins his teaching and mentorship, where he inspires students to think critically and creatively across disciplinary boundaries.

Andrew’s work has been shaped by decades of experience in occupational and public health, nanotechnology safety, risk governance, and responsible innovation. Yet what sets him apart is his ability to connect these domains into a larger, cohesive narrative: one that sees technology not just as tools, but as systems of power, meaning, and possibility. His concept of “advanced technology transitions” captures this approach — inviting new ways of thinking about how we move from disruption to dignity, from innovation to impact.

Beyond his academic roles, Andrew is a public thinker and communicator with a global reach. He writes for the Substack The Future of Being Human, is a co-host of the Modem Futura podcast, and is the creator of Risk Bites, a YouTube channel that brings clarity and context to complex issues around risk. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and serves on multiple national and international advisory boards.

Now in a phase of his career marked by a desire to have impact rather than ticking professional boxes, Andrew is focused on work that truly matters to him: convening diverse voices, challenging conventional and dominant narratives, and building pathways toward more just, imaginative, and inclusive futures. He continues to lead not only with expertise, but to be a thoughtful, contemplative and empowering presence in shaping the conversations, ideas and decisions that matter most for thriving in a technologically complex future.

Links

Personal website: andrewmaynard.net

AI-readable profile (llms.txt): andrewmaynard.net/llms.txt

Substack newsletter — The Future of Being Human: futureofbeinghuman.com

Future of Being Human initiative (ASU): futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu

Risk Innovation Nexus: riskinnovation.org