Robert Underwood Ayres (born June 29, 1932) is an American-born physicist and economist. His career has focused on the application of physical ideas, especially the laws of thermodynamics, to economics; a long-standing pioneering interest in material flows and transformations (industrial ecology or industrial metabolism)—a concept which he originated. His most recent work challenges the widely held economic theory of growth.
Career
Trained as a physicist at the University of Chicago, University of Maryland, and King's College London (PhD in Mathematical Physics), Ayres has dedicated his professional life to advancing the environment, technology and resource end of the sustainability agenda. His major research interests include technological change, environmental economics, "industrial metabolism" and "eco-restructuring". He has worked at the Hudson Institute (1962–67), Resources for the Future Inc (1968) and International Research and Technology Corp (1969–76). From 1979 until 1992 he was Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, except for two years (and six summers) on leave at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg Austria. In 1992 he moved to the international business school INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France as Sandoz (later Novartis) Professor of Environment and Management. Since his formal retirement in 2000 he has been Jubilee Visiting Professor (2000–2001)and king Karl Gustav XVII professor of environmental science (2004–2005) at Chalmers Institute of Technology Gothenburg (Sweden). He is currently an Institute Scholar at IIASA.
Bob Ayres represented British Empire while at Barrow in 1937 against France, and won caps for England while at Barrow in 1938 against Wales, and France, and in 1945 against Wales.
County honours
Bob Ayres won cap(s) for Lancashire while at Barrow.
The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres
Global Warning Films presents: The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres on Sept. 10, 2023. Directed and edited by Dan O'Connell. Moderated by Janine Cooper Ayres.
published: 29 Oct 2023
EPOG seminar #67: Robert AYRES – The History of Energy and Energy in History
EPOG seminar #67 – Robert Ayres
"The History of Energy and Energy in History"
Speaker: Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Political Science, Technology Management, Novartis Chair, INSEAD
Discussants: Alessandra Celani de Macedo (option C) and Guillaume Royer (option A)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
published: 03 Feb 2016
Security analyst Robert Ayres joins Lateline
Former CIA officer and international security analyst Robert Ayres joins Lateline from London to discuss the latest Al Qaeda-linked bombing attempt.
published: 01 Nov 2010
Security analyst Robert Ayres joins Lateline
Former CIA officer and international security analyst Robert Ayres joins Lateline from London to discuss the latest Al Qaeda-linked bombing attempt.
published: 01 Nov 2010
Meet Robert Ayres
published: 13 Jan 2023
Powering the economic growth engine
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of growth, most recently consumer spending. In a new book, INSEADs Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Political Science and Technology Management, and Senior Research Fellow Benjamin Warr say that economists are missing out on a major growth driver for the economy and that is energy as converted to useful work".
published: 16 Sep 2009
Spirit of These Times with Robert Ayres
published: 29 Jul 2019
ROBERT AYRES
published: 25 Jun 2011
Language of the Soul ~ Robert Ayres
astrologicalalchemy.com
published: 11 Feb 2021
IE Day 2023 - Atlanta - Robert Ayres' Contributions to Industrial Ecology
The session was a part of the International Industrial Ecology Day 2023 (November 30) - the 3rd IE Day organized by the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE).
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:05 - Welcome from session chairs Gara Villalba and Valerie Thomas
1:05 – 1:15 - Buggy Whips, Vaudeville, Technology and the Missing Factor of Production - Ben Warr
1:15 – 1:25 - A few words, and saxophone - Sylvestre Voisin
1:25 – 1:40 - Bob Ayres - An elephant in the porcelain store of economics, and one of the founders of industrial ecology. Marina Fischer-Kowalski
1:40 – 1:55 - Bob Ayres - A pioneer in multidisciplinary and systemic approach to problem solving, and founder of Industrial Ecology. Gara Villalba
Global Warning Films presents: The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres on Sept. 10, 2023. Directed and edited by Dan O'Connell. Moderated ...
Global Warning Films presents: The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres on Sept. 10, 2023. Directed and edited by Dan O'Connell. Moderated by Janine Cooper Ayres.
Global Warning Films presents: The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres on Sept. 10, 2023. Directed and edited by Dan O'Connell. Moderated by Janine Cooper Ayres.
EPOG seminar #67 – Robert Ayres
"The History of Energy and Energy in History"
Speaker: Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Political Science, Techn...
EPOG seminar #67 – Robert Ayres
"The History of Energy and Energy in History"
Speaker: Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Political Science, Technology Management, Novartis Chair, INSEAD
Discussants: Alessandra Celani de Macedo (option C) and Guillaume Royer (option A)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
EPOG seminar #67 – Robert Ayres
"The History of Energy and Energy in History"
Speaker: Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Political Science, Technology Management, Novartis Chair, INSEAD
Discussants: Alessandra Celani de Macedo (option C) and Guillaume Royer (option A)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of grow...
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of growth, most recently consumer spending. In a new book, INSEADs Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Political Science and Technology Management, and Senior Research Fellow Benjamin Warr say that economists are missing out on a major growth driver for the economy and that is energy as converted to useful work".
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of growth, most recently consumer spending. In a new book, INSEADs Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Political Science and Technology Management, and Senior Research Fellow Benjamin Warr say that economists are missing out on a major growth driver for the economy and that is energy as converted to useful work".
The session was a part of the International Industrial Ecology Day 2023 (November 30) - the 3rd IE Day organized by the International Society for Industrial Eco...
The session was a part of the International Industrial Ecology Day 2023 (November 30) - the 3rd IE Day organized by the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE).
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:05 - Welcome from session chairs Gara Villalba and Valerie Thomas
1:05 – 1:15 - Buggy Whips, Vaudeville, Technology and the Missing Factor of Production - Ben Warr
1:15 – 1:25 - A few words, and saxophone - Sylvestre Voisin
1:25 – 1:40 - Bob Ayres - An elephant in the porcelain store of economics, and one of the founders of industrial ecology. Marina Fischer-Kowalski
1:40 – 1:55 - Bob Ayres - A pioneer in multidisciplinary and systemic approach to problem solving, and founder of Industrial Ecology. Gara Villalba
The session was a part of the International Industrial Ecology Day 2023 (November 30) - the 3rd IE Day organized by the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE).
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:05 - Welcome from session chairs Gara Villalba and Valerie Thomas
1:05 – 1:15 - Buggy Whips, Vaudeville, Technology and the Missing Factor of Production - Ben Warr
1:15 – 1:25 - A few words, and saxophone - Sylvestre Voisin
1:25 – 1:40 - Bob Ayres - An elephant in the porcelain store of economics, and one of the founders of industrial ecology. Marina Fischer-Kowalski
1:40 – 1:55 - Bob Ayres - A pioneer in multidisciplinary and systemic approach to problem solving, and founder of Industrial Ecology. Gara Villalba
Global Warning Films presents: The Final Interview with Scientist/Economist Robert U. Ayres on Sept. 10, 2023. Directed and edited by Dan O'Connell. Moderated by Janine Cooper Ayres.
EPOG seminar #67 – Robert Ayres
"The History of Energy and Energy in History"
Speaker: Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Political Science, Technology Management, Novartis Chair, INSEAD
Discussants: Alessandra Celani de Macedo (option C) and Guillaume Royer (option A)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
It has been a key driving force, powering economies since the Industrial Revolution, yet it continues to take a backseat to other heavily-touted engines of growth, most recently consumer spending. In a new book, INSEADs Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Political Science and Technology Management, and Senior Research Fellow Benjamin Warr say that economists are missing out on a major growth driver for the economy and that is energy as converted to useful work".
The session was a part of the International Industrial Ecology Day 2023 (November 30) - the 3rd IE Day organized by the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE).
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:05 - Welcome from session chairs Gara Villalba and Valerie Thomas
1:05 – 1:15 - Buggy Whips, Vaudeville, Technology and the Missing Factor of Production - Ben Warr
1:15 – 1:25 - A few words, and saxophone - Sylvestre Voisin
1:25 – 1:40 - Bob Ayres - An elephant in the porcelain store of economics, and one of the founders of industrial ecology. Marina Fischer-Kowalski
1:40 – 1:55 - Bob Ayres - A pioneer in multidisciplinary and systemic approach to problem solving, and founder of Industrial Ecology. Gara Villalba