Ashok Vaseashta

Bio:

Prof. Dr. Acad. Ashok Vaseashta received a Ph.D. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, in 1990, followed by Kobe’s post-doctoral fellowship. He was awarded an Honoris Causa doctorate from Riga Technical University, Honorary membership of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, membership of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, membership of the Euro Mediterranean Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Gold Medal for his leadership in Nanotechnology from the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Research at the International Clean Water Institute in Virginia, USA. He served as a Professor at Virginia Tech and Marshall University, Director of Research at the Institute for Advanced Sciences Convergence and International Clean Water Institute for Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, Vice-Provost (Rector) for Research in South Carolina, and Executive Director and Chair of the Institutional Review Board at a State University in New Jersey. He held visiting positions as a Professor at the Riga Technical University, Latvia, 3 Nano-SAE Research Center, University of Bucharest, Romania, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania; member of CIRET, France, and a scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. He served the U.S. Department of State in two rotations as a strategic S&T advisor in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism. He served as NATO project director (NPD) for eight activities funded under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security program. Inspired by nature and guided by societal needs, he strives to advance technology to address the global challenges of the 21st century. He specializes in dual-use research to identify embedded hybrid threats, using research tools such as foresight, heuristics, artificial intelligence, and complexity science. His research interests include chemical-biological sensors, nanotechnology, environmental/ecotoxicology science, critical infrastructure protection, and the environmental impact of micro- and nano-plastics, all utilizing the nexus of advanced technological solution platforms. He is a Fulbright Specialist through 2026 and serves as a research fellow at the Center for Disruptive Technologies and Future Warfare in the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He is the author/editor of 30 books and has published over 400 articles in scientific journals, book chapters, and conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and is an active member of various professional organizations.