Dr. Andrew Dent

Vice President, Library & Materials Research

Material ConneXion

Dr. Andrew Dent plays a key role in the expansion of Material ConneXion’s technical knowledge base. His primary function is to direct research into innovative products and processes for the global materials consultancy. His research directs the implementation of consulting projects and the selection of the more than 50-60 new materials juried into Material ConneXion’s Materials Library monthly. He oversees Material ConneXion’s libraries in New York, Milan, Cologne, Daegu, and Bangkok as well as an online database of over 4,500 materials.

Dr. Dent received his Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Cambridge in England. Prior to joining Material ConneXion, Dr. Dent held a number of research positions both in industry and academia. At Rolls Royce PLC, Dr. Dent specialized in turbine blades for the present generation of jet engines. He has completed postdoctoral research at Cambridge University and at the Center for Thermal Spray Research, SUNY, Stony Brook, NY. Other research projects, during this period, included work for the US Navy, DARPA, NASA, and the British Ministry of Defense.

Since joining Material Connexion, Dr. Dent has helped hundreds of clients—from Whirlpool and Adidas to BMW and Proctor & Gamble—create better, more sustainable products. From customized sustainable roadmaps to sustainable material trend reports, his expertise in sustainable materials has played an important part in creating a new generation of more sustainable products.

Dr. Dent has contributed to many publications and books and is a frequent speaker on materials innovation across many design disciplines. He is the co-author of ‘Material Connexion: A Global Resource Of New And Innovative Materials For Architects, Artists And Designers’ with George M. Beylerian and “Ultramaterials: How Materials Innovation is Changing the World.” He currently writes “Material Innovation” - a bi-weekly column for BusinessWeek’s online Innovation Page.