Akinwumi A. Adesina
Akinwumi Adesina, often described as ‘Africa’s optimist-in-chief’ and formerly the Nigerian Agriculture Minister, was elected president of the African Development Bank Group in 2015.
Nobel Week Dialogue
Our line up of panellists participating in this year's Nobel Week Dialogue include world-leading experts and inspiring thought leaders. Keep checking back for the latest updates to the panellist list.
Nobel Prize laureate
Frances Arnold
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018.
Frances Arnold received the chemistry prize for pioneering directed enzyme evolution methods used widely for applications across medicine, consumer products, agriculture, fuels and chemicals.
Zeinab Badawi
Badawi has worked extensively in the British media for four decades and is best known for her work in the BBC’s international division at BBC World News TV and BBC World Service Radio.
Mary Beard
Mary Beard is a distinguished professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, and an author, television presenter and media commentator.
Irina Bokova
Irina Bokova was the first woman to act as the director-general of UNESCO, where she was engaged in the UN efforts to adopt Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Emmanuelle Charpentier
Emmanuelle Charpentier received the Nobel Prize for discovering one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors.
Anna Cristina D’Addio
Anna Cristina D’Addio is an economist by background, and has worked as a senior policy analyst in the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report team at UNESCO since 2017.
Cathy N. Davidson
Cathy N. Davidson is a distinguished professor of English at the City University of New York, and founding director of the Futures Initiative, advancing equity and innovation in higher education.
Esther Duflo
Prize in economic sciences 2019.
Esther Duflo received the prize in economic sciences for her experimental approach to alleviating poverty. Her research seeks to understand the economic lives of the poor, with the aim to help design and evaluate social policies. Esther Duflo will participate online.
Nobel Prize laureate
Bernard Feringa
Ben Feringa’s research interests include organic chemistry, nanotechnology and asymmetric catalysis. He received the Nobel Prize for his work on molecular machines.
A. Lin Goodwin
Lin Goodwin is dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Her varied research interests include teacher beliefs and development, and equitable education.
Lars Heikensten
Lars Heikensten is executive director of the Nobel Foundation, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering. He was previously head of the Swedish Central Bank.
John Holmberg
John Holmberg is a professor of physical resource theory at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Martin Ingvar
Cognitive neuroscientist Martin Ingvar is the Barbro and Bernard Osher professor of integrative medicine at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet.
Asha Kanwar
Asha Singh Kanwar, one of the world’s leading advocates of learning for sustainable development, is the president and chief executive officer of the Commonwealth of Learning.
Carin Klaesson
Carin Klaesson is the Content Manager for Public Programs at Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
Daphne Koller
Daphne Koller is CEO and founder of insitro, a data-driven drug discovery and development company, and co-founder of Coursera, the largest platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs).
Igor Levit
Igor Levit is an internationally renowned pianist and artist in residence of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks as well as portrait artist of the Philharmonie Essen in the 2020/21 season.
Linnéa Lindquist
Linnéa Lindquist is a teacher and principal with extensive experience of teaching vulnerable pupils. She is passionate about ensuring that Swedish students receive a high-quality education, regardless of their background.
Bruce McCandliss
Bruce McCandliss is a professor at Stanford University, in both the Graduate School of Education, and by courtesy, the Department of Psychology.
Konstantin Novoselov
Konstantin Novoselov is an expert in condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics and nanotechnology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his achievements with graphene.
Tsepo Pooe
Student conductor and cellist Tsepo Kolitsoe Pooe hails from Soweto, South Africa. Ten years ago, he joined the South African non-profit organisation MIAGI 'Music is a great Investment' on its mission to utilise music and music education as tools for positive social development and nation-building in the spirit of Nelson Mandela.
Nobel Prize laureate
Didier Queloz
Nobel Prize in Physics 2019.
Didier Queloz received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a star outside our solar system. His research has continued to focus on exoplanet systems, and more recently on the detection of Earth-like planets and universal life.
Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson is adjunct professor for climate justice in Trinity College Dublin and Chair of The Elders. She has previously served as President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Andreas Schleicher
Andreas Schleicher is director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Adam Smith
As chief scientific officer for Nobel Prize Outreach, Adam Smith has played a key role in putting together the Nobel Week Dialogue. His background is in scientific research and science publishing.
Laura Sprechmann
Laura Sprechmann is CEO for Nobel Prize Outreach, the company that aims to spread knowledge and raise interest in the Nobel Prize-awarded achievements to a global audience, through digital media and international events.
Donna Strickland
Donna Strickland’s research group at the University of Waterloo develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations. She received the Nobel Prize for developing chirped pulse amplification.
Carl Wieman
Carl Wieman has done extensive experimental research in both atomic physics and science and engineering education at the university level. He received the Nobel Prize for his work on Bose-Einstein condensation.
Juleen Zierath
Juleen Zierath is professor of clinical integrative physiology at Karolinska lnstitutet. Her research has revealed key steps in insulin signaling pathways that are impaired in diabetic patients.
Nobel Week Dialogue 2020
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