Biography
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
Expertise Areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Humanities
- Governance
- Technological Entrepreneurship and Management
Education
Ph.D. Aerosol Physics. Microstructural Physics Department, Cavendish Laboratory. Thesis: Ultrafine aerosol particle collection and analysis, University of Cambridge, U.K. (1989 – 1992)
B.Sc. Physics (Hons): Iii. University of Birmingham, U.K (1984 - 1987)
Research
The Future of Being Human, including:
Transformative technology innovation, base-code manipulation, human augmentation, transhumanism, emerging sociotechnical trends, future studies, science fiction and science/social reality, AI, genetic manipulation, synthetic biology, metaverse, nanotechnology, neuroscience, cognitive/brain technologies, autonomous technologies, convergent technologies, non-linear innovation, aging, cognitive enhancement, brain machine interfaces, virtual reality, augmented reality, evolving social norms, post-evolutionary development, geoengineering
Responsible innovation, including:
Risk Innovation, Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI), Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Sustainable innovation, Governance of emerging technologies, Public engagement and communication
Technological Convergence and society, including:
Converging technologies, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Ethics and technology innovation, Governance of emerging technologies, Responsible technological innovation, Science and technology policy and regulation, advanced technology transitions.
Communication, education and engagement, including:
Risk Communication, Science Communication, Public Engagement, Science of science communication, Working with media, Social media, Casual learners, Informal Education, YouTube as an emerging science communication channel, User-centric communication and engagement, Use of science fiction movies in communication engagement and education.
Public Health, including:
Risk, Risk Assessment, Policy, Communication, Engagement, Impacts of emerging technologies, Workplace health and safety
Risk Innovation Lab - https://riskinnovation.asu.edu/
The Risk Innovation Lab brings together faculty, students and staff at ASU to explore new ways of approaching and acting on risks. We have eclectic interests – ranging from health, environment and well-being, to policy, governance, and responsible innovation, to equity, sustainability, and security. Underpinning everything though is the realization that, in today’s increasingly complex and interconnected world, creative and innovative approaches to risk are essential if we are to build a better, more equitable future.
The Lab has its roots in a growing realization that current ways of handling risk fall far short of emerging challenges that are being driven by social, economic, political and technological innovation. This is seen in areas such as nanotechnology and gene editing, where technological capabilities far outstrip our collective understanding of how to make smart decisions, and even what “smart” means here.
As new capabilities emerge, from autonomous vehicles and radically new transportation systems such as the “hyperloop”, to cloud-based artificial intelligence, creativity and innovation are needed in how we understand and act on decisions that are impacted by risks, benefits and tradeoffs. These challenges extend to social innovation, where changes in how we live and interact have potentially profound impacts on health, well-being and equity. The same applies to political and economic innovation, where what we can achieve as individuals and society far outstrips our understanding of potential consequences, and how to ensure they are beneficial.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Humanities
- Governance
- Technological Entrepreneurship and Management
Books
AI and the Art of Being Human: aiandtheartofbeinghuman.com
AI Companion to AI and the Art of Being Human (free, AI-readable): aiandtheartofbeinghuman.com/ai-companion
Educator's Guide to AI and the Art of Being Human (free, AI-readable): aiandtheartofbeinghuman.com/ai-companion
Films from the Future: andrewmaynard.net/films-from-the-future/
Spoiler Alert (Films from the Future, AI-navigable): spoileralert.wtf
Future Rising: andrewmaynard.net/futurerising/
Media and podcasts
Modem Futura podcast: modemfutura.com/
Risk Bites (YouTube): youtube.com/riskbites
The Conversation profile: theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-maynard-128048