Jamie Metzl Profile
Jamie Metzl is a leading futurist and geopolitical expert who specializes in making revolutionary science and related geopolitical trends understandable to the general public. He speaks regularly at some of the world's most prestigious venues including South by Southwest, Google Zeitgeist, and Singularity University, and is a regular guest on CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, CBS, and other national and international media. His syndicated columns and other writing on genetics, virtual reality, Asian affairs, and other topics are featured regularly in the New York Times, Washington Post, TechCrunch, Foreign Affairs, and other publications around the world. Jamie is the author of a history of the Cambodian genocide, the historical novel The Depths of the Sea, and the genetics sci-fi thrillers Genesis Code and Eternal Sonata.
Jamie is a Senior Fellow for Technology and National Security of the Atlantic Council, a faculty member for Singularity University's Exponential Medicine track, and an expert in international affairs and biotechnology policy. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Asia Society, Deputy Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senior Coordinator for International Public Information at the U.S. State Department, Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council, and as a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations in Cambodia. He has testified before Congress on the national security implication of the biotechnology and genomics revolutions and was Chief Strategy Officer for a genetics biotechnology company.
A founder and Co-Chair of the national security organization Partnership for a Secure America, Jamie is a board member of the International Center for Transitional Justice and the American University in Mongolia, a member of the Advisory Board of the Brandeis International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and 92Y's Center for Innovation and Social Impact. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former White House Fellow and Aspen Institute Crown Fellow, Jamie holds a Ph.D. in Asian history from Oxford, a JD from Harvard Law School, and is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University. He has completed thirteen Ironman triathlons, twenty-nine marathons, and twelve ultramarathons.
"San Jose State thinks a great deal these days about how to approach healthcare studies with our students, how that interacts with technology and the humanities, and the complexity of programs we need to create that will allow us to think differently about our place in an ever changing world, as well as how we can have a positive impact. At our event, Jamie was exceptionally engaged with the students, and in both sessions before the lecture, everyone one came up with him afterwards to talk further with him. He offered thoughtful insights into these issues in an engaging, entertaining way that I know is going to generate a great deal of discussion and debate among our students and staff. He reminded us that the future is already here and we should engage with it actively and in the spirit of our values"
- Dr. Mary A. Papazian, President, San Jose State University
"Provocative, challenging, wonderful, exciting and a bit scary are just a sampling of the reactions from the nearly 1500 attendees at Jamie Metzl's talks we hosted in advance of the debut of his book Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Jamie's fast pace and vast knowledge kept audiences of all ages and persuasions locked on."
- John Carney, CEO, Center for Practical Bioethics