# Building the Future, Atom-by-Atom, in the Nano Workshop with Robert Macfarlane

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nanoscape-exploring-the-frontiers-ahead-6988860/building-the-future-atom-by-atom-in-the-nano-workshop-with-robert-macfarlane
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/nanoscape-exploring-the-frontiers-ahead-6988860/building-the-future-atom-by-atom-in-the-nano-workshop-with-robert-macfarlane.md
Podcast: [Nanoscape: Exploring the Frontiers Ahead](https://stenobird.com/podcast/nanoscape-exploring-the-frontiers-ahead-6988860)
Published: 2025-12-15T18:04:00+00:00
Episode link: https://4f9db048-11ae-4a1c-b59d-b1dfaf60b492.libsyn.com/building-the-future-atom-by-atom-in-the-nano-workshop
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/4f9db048-11ae-4a1c-b59d-b1dfaf60b492/Nano_Macfarlane.mp3?dest-id=4592637
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Duration seconds: 1498

## Resource

What if the next industrial revolution is happening molecule-by-molecule? In this episode we explore this idea with Robert Macfarlane, PhD , a Northwestern alumni and MIT materials scientist who is pioneering programmable materials that self-assemble and respond to their environment. Macfarlane explains how his work moves beyond DNA-based assembly to create scalable nanomaterials with real-world potential—from flexible electronics and biomedical devices to photonic materials that manipulate light. Guest : Robert J. Macfarlane, Richard P. Simmons (1953) Professor in Metallurgy, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Hosts: Seth Zimmerman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, IIN and Erin Spain, MS, Podcaster and Science Communicator

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