Dr. William Lackowski is currently the chief scientist for the Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology at the University of Texas at Austin. In this capacity he works with over 250 scientists from 11 different academic departments and from several outside institutions. In addition to his duties collaborating with other researchers, he is currently focusing on two areas of nanotechnology: nanoparticle-based thin-film photovoltaics and developing new scanning probe microscopic techniques for probing interfaces at the molecular level.

He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Northwestern University in 1999. After completion of his graduate work he held a joint post-doctoral appointment at Sandia National Laboratory/Texas A&M University. He is also currently a member of the scientific advisory board for Exoteric Instruments.