King named to ChicagoNEXT council

Professor William P. King has been named to ChicagoNEXT, a council of business and technology leaders focused on new venture formation and rapid expansion of science, innovation, and technology-driven entrepreneurship in the Chicago area.

King holds the Ralph A. Andersen Endowed Chair in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. He has courtesy appointments in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

ChicagoNEXT is part of World Business Chicago, a non-profit economic development organization working to position the city as a thriving location for business and to accelerate economic growth.

“I am excited to join this energetic and forward-thinking organization. ChicagoNEXT has done a great job of bringing together the right people to grow the Chicago business environment and ensure that the city continues to be a leader in entrepreneurship and innovation,” said King. “The University of Illinois plays a critical role in the economic growth of Chicago and the state of Illinois – we create new knowledge and grow talent that is equal to the best in the world.”

King and his research group at Illinois work across the technical areas of manufacturing, thermal energy, nanotechnology, and materials science. He focuses on problems at the intersection of technology and business.

Last year, King became Chief Technology Officer for the new Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) at UI LABS, which was created to address many of the same manufacturing challenges on which King has worked for years. DMDII is a Chicago-based public-private partnership that will develop digital manufacturing technologies and commercialize them within key industries. The University of Illinois and its Top 5 College of Engineering are central to the Institute.