Richard Jones believes in exploring the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology, and making sure the public understands the issues. As Senior Strategic Advisor of Nanotechnology for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK, Jones is developing a program of Grand Challenges, focused on solving society needs like energy and medicine. He also chairs the Nanotechnology Engagement Group, and his book, Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life, explains nanotechnology issues to the general reader.

Research: Richard Jones' research concentrates on the properties of polymers and biopolymers at surfaces; specifically, Jones studies how Nature self-assembles molecules in order to create synthetic nanodevices, such as molecular motors.

About Video:Richard Jones argues that the main obstacle to viable solar cells isn't that we need to figure out how to make them more efficient, but that we need to make them scalable.

Hür Köser, educated as both an engineer and a physicist, is perhaps described best as an inventor: one whose ideas range from sensors that monitor the structural health of buildings to catheters that are designed to prevent bladder infections. Yet Köser's creativity reaches beyond his laboratory to students in his New Haven community; he's developed an award-winning teaching laboratory that lets kids use nanotechnology to make their own ferrofluids.

Research: Köser has three main projects: developing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) energy harvesting devices, the study of bacterial hydro-dynamics, and understanding the behavior of ferrofluids. His MEMS research on physical modeling and characterization of nanomaterials has potential for all kinds of applications - right now he is focusing on biomedical and portable power technologies.

About Video:Hür Köser discusses how his energy-harvesting sensors might someday save your life, why bacteria are like salmon, and how to get kids to rave to their parents about nanotechnology.

Gary Brudvig helped Yale build a LEED silver-certified, "green" chemistry building - but his goals for the environment are far grander than even this. For decades, photosynthesis researchers have worked to understand plants' water splitting reaction - now, Gary Brudvig and his team at Yale are close to finding that answer, and building the first light-powered hydrogen fuel-forming photochemical cell.

Research: Gary Brudvig's work is focused on what happens in Photosystem II during the light reactions of photosynthesis, using researchers from four areas of chemistry (spectroscopic, biophysical, computational, and molecular biological) to solve how Nature produces dioxygen. By understanding both the organic and inorganic behavior during this part of the reaction, Brudvig and his colleague Robert Crabtree have already succeeded in creating the first biomimetic inorganic manganese water-oxidation catalyst.

About Video:Gary Brudvig explains why understanding inorganic chemistry is crucial to his work, why plants' photosynthesis isn't actually efficient (and how he will improve on Nature), and who is ultimately responsible for funding basic research.

Horst Weller has a big-picture appreciation for his work on self-assembling nanoparticles - he understands the historical magnitude of scientists manipulating materials at Nature's level, the nanoscale. At the same time, Weller is able to direct his perspective towards products, co-founding Nanosolutions GmbH, a company which won the first-place "Science4Life" prize for its business model of increasing collaboration between researchers at Hamburg University and international industrial partners such as Bayer AG.

Research:Horst Weller studies the self-assembly of nanoparticles, particularly the formation of colloidal crystals. His current projects include the study of coating with biocompatible polymers, fluorescence labeling, and embedding nanoparticles for directed delivery in cells.

About Video:Horst Weller gives a historical perspective on the search to create hydrogen fuel from splitting water, explains the relationship between basic research and the price of oil, and proposes two possible applications for every new nanomaterial.