Dr. Charles Weiss
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of
Georgetown University; Former Advisor to
the President of the World Bank on STI
Science & Technology Advisor
About
Dr. Charles Weiss was appointed in 1971 as the World Bank’s first Science and Technology Advisor and served in this capacity until 1985. Under his direction, the Bank financed pioneering methods of support to innovative technology in Israel, Korea, and Spain. Between 1985-97, he was the Principal of Global Technology Management, Inc. He taught at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State.
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Dr. Weiss became a Distinguished Professor of Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1997, serving as the Director of STIA until 2006. On his retirement in 2014, the annual medal awarded to the outstanding STIA graduate was renamed in his honor. Dr. Weiss was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was a Visiting Scholar with the Center for Science Diplomacy after he retired from Georgetown. He now holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
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Dr. Weiss has published several books, most recently: Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution (MIT Press, 2009) and Technological Innovation in Legacy Sectors (Oxford University Press, 2015), both with co-author William Bonvillian. He is currently drafting a single-author trade book for the Oxford University Press, an overview of science, technology, and international relations tentatively titled Survival Nexus: How Science and Technology Can, Will and Should Influence International Relations.
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Dr. Weiss has published articles and lectured on various topics, including innovation policy, scientific uncertainty, environmental policy, and science and technology in developing and emerging economies. He has lectured at numerous universities, including Harvard, the University of California (Berkeley), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University (Delhi), Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda), and the Graduate Research Institute for Policy Studies (Tokyo). He has an AB in chemistry and physics, summa cum laude, and a Ph.D. in chemical physics and biochemistry, both from Harvard University.