Paul Alivisatos is an American scientist of Greek descent who has been hailed as a pioneer in nanomaterials development, and is an internationally recognized authority on the fabrication of nanocrystals and their use in biomedical and renewable energy applications. He is ranked fifth among the world's 100 top chemists in the list released by Thomson Reuters. In 2009, he was named the Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Alivisatos is also University of California Berkeley?s Samsung Distinguished Chair in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research, and holds professorships in UC Berkeley?s materials science and chemistry departments. In addition, he directs the Kavli Energy Nanosciences Institute, a new institute on the UC Berkeley campus launched by the Kavli Foundation to explore the application of nanoscience to sustainable energy technologies. 

November 12th, 1959 in Chicago (Age 65)