George H. Atkinson, Ph.D

Founder and Executive Director

Dr. Atkinson is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Optical Science at the University of Arizona. His professional career includes academic teaching, research, administration, roles as a corporate founder and executive, and public service at the federal level. He is former Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arizona, the founder of a laser sensor company serving the semiconductor industry, and Science and Technology Advisor (STAS) to U.S. Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice. In 2014, Dr. Atkinson was named president of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Based on principles derived from his personal experiences, he launched the ISGP in 2008 as a new type of international forum in which credible experts provide governmental and societal leaders with the objective understanding of the science and technology that can be reasonably anticipated to help shape the increasingly global societies of the 21st century.