Alex Pentland

• Toshiba Professor of Media, Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Pioneer in "big data", social networks, mobile information systems and computational social science. Co-Founder of several companies. Director, MIT Human Dynamics Laboratory and MIT Media Laboratory Entrepreneurship Program. One of the most-cited scientists in the world. Recipient of awards and honours, including: Winner, 40th Anniversary of the Internet Grand Challenge (2010); Breakthrough Idea of the Year, Harvard Business Review (2009); Inventor of One of 10 Emerging Technologies that Will Change the World, Technology Review (2008). Interests: development of human-centred technology, creation of ventures that take technology into real world.