Olle Häggström is a professor of mathematical statistics at Chalmers University of Technology, a researcher at the Institute for Future Studies in Stockholm, and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His most noted research achievements are in probability theory and statistical mechanics, where in particular his invention of the mass-transport method became influential in the study of percolation processes.

Over the last few years his taste for cross-disciplinary research has increasingly taken over, and now most of his efforts go into futurology, existential risk studies, AI safety and the ethics of emerging technologies. He is a prolific populariser of science and the author of four books, including most recently ‘Here Be Dragons: Science, Technology and the Future of Humanity’ (Oxford University Press, 2016), which is a passionate plea for acting with foresight, so as to maximise humanity’s chances of reaping the benefits of the emerging new technologies while avoiding the worst dangers.