Vaclav Smil

Václav Smil is a Czech-Canadian scientist and political analyst. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba, in Canada. His research area is broad and encompasses topics of energy, environment, food, population, economy, history and public policy.

He is a member of the Royal Canadian Society (Academy of Sciences) and was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology in 2000.

In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of the 100 thought leaders and public intellectuals. Among his followers is Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who publicly acknowledges that he reads all the books Smil writes.