JOHN H. VANSTON, Ph.D.

Dr. John Vanston is an internationally-renowned consultant, educator, and author in the fields of technology forecasting, technology/market integration, and technology management in uncertain environments. He founded Technology Futures, Inc. (TFI) in 1978, and served as its president for 14 years, building the Austin, Texas-based company into a leader in the technology forecasting, planning, and management fields. During his career, Dr. Vanston has managed multimillion-dollar high-tech R&D projects, fashioned a computer-based program for planning and managing complex research activities, and developed a formal system for promoting and targeting innovation activities. He was the leader in the development of TFI's Five Views of the FutureTM Analysis Framework and the Technology Advantage Management concept.

During his career at TFI, Dr. Vanston has conducted research, consulting, and education projects for a wide range of commercial, government, and academic organizations, including, among many others, Chevron Chemical, Kodak, Boeing, Nortel, National Security Agency, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and the Texas State Technical College System. He recently conducted a series of technology forecasts for the Texas State Technical College System in a number of emerging technologies, including nanotechnology, fuel cell technology, and technologies associated with Homeland Security.

Dr. Vanston regularly conducts workshops and seminars all over the world and has recently given presentations at the Industrial Research Institute, the Association of Strategic Planners, the Winstead Colloquium on Nanotechnology, and the Futures Studies Program at the University of Houston at Clear Lake.

A respected writer, Dr. Vanston has authored or coauthored the books Minitrends: Profiting from Emerging Business Opportunity Gems; Innovate! Straight Path to Quality, Customer Delight, and Competitive Advantage; Technology Forecasting: An Aid to Effective Technology Management; Introduction to Technology Market Forecasting; Superconductivity: A Practical Guide for Decision Makers; Industrial Electrification in the Information Age; and Principles for Electric Power Policy. Recent published articles include Better Forecasts, Better Plans, Better Results and Testing the Tea Leaves: Evaluating the Validity of Forecasts.

Prior to establishing TFI, Dr. Vanston served on the mechanical engineering faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. He also served as deputy director of the University's Center for Energy Studies, an interdisciplinary organization that he helped establish in 1974. Earlier, Dr. Vanston served as a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army.

Dr. Vanston has a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, M.S. and professional degrees in nuclear engineering from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.