Paul Alivisatos is president of the University of Chicago and John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry. President Alivisatos was previously executive vice chancellor and provost of the University of California, Berkeley, where he held numerous positions including director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 2009-2016.

Alivisatos received a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Chicago and his PhD in chemistry from Berkeley. As a preeminent scientist and entrepreneur, his pioneering research in nanomaterials have demonstrated key applications of nanocrystals in biological imaging and renewable energy. For his work, he has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Linus Pauling Medal, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Priestley Medal, and the National Medal of Science. Most recently, he was awarded the 2024 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience and the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award.