Ed Constable is professor of chemistry at the University of Basel and has published over 600 research papers, reviews and books on this topic. He was one of the pioneers in the development of supramolecular chemistry and was responsible for the expansion of metallosupramolecular chemistry across the entire periodic table. His scientific work is characterized by understanding and utilizing the interaction of light with materials for solar energy and lighting applications. His work on the development of simple fabrication methods using iron compounds for the low cost preparation of highly organized photonic materials led to his identification as one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Leading Global Thinkers.
He is strongly committed to the development of new technologies inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and he believes that a sustainable materials and nanoscale science can help achieve (at least) ten of those goals.
He strongly believes that platforms and environments need to be created allowing exchange and engagement between different areas of knowledge that do not normally coexist. In this sense, involvement with "Entanglements" is a natural opportunity for him to catalyse and nurture exchanges between the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences - where language is often a barrier to communication rather than an enabler.