Linda Molnar, Program Director, National Science Foundation
May 2021 | 00:17:50
Episode 26 Transcript, Show Notes, and Podcast Feedback Survey
Dr. Linda Molnar is a scientist and entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ experience in the life sciences and chemical industries. She’s integrated her scientific research and engineering background with commercialization for startups and international government, and business environments. Currently, Dr. Molnar is a National Science Foundation Program Director involved with a very new program called the Convergence Accelerator. In this episode, she describes the program and its philosophy:
The premise for “convergence” research is that the big problems we’re facing in the world today are not going to be solved by one discipline or one sector. We need to get the brightest minds in the world working across disciplines and across sectors to tackle the issues currently facing humanity. The “acceleration” part comes in when we’re able to identify an area of convergence research that can result in deliverables for the American people in a three-year timeframe. By approaching big problems this way, we set ourselves up for having real positive impact for society.
