Reposted by Guru MadhavanFinancial Times @financialtimes.com · 18/09/2026The merits of friction-maxxing ft.trib.al/Ha7cx9Nft.trib.alThe merits of friction-maxxingPushing against the move to seamless online efficiency can make us happier and safer 1147
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 30/08/2026🦾YOUR BODY IS NOT A MACHINE My latest for the @financialtimes.com is about letting go of machine metaphors in health and medicine. Taking living things apart has given us immense knowledge. But because such reductionism has worked so well, we can easily miss its limits. www.ft.com/content/360e...ft.comYour body is not a machineMechanical metaphors are useful, but such reductionism is no guide to life 110
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 29/06/2026What keeps a nation free? My latest for @spectrum.ieee.org, feat. JMW Turner: declaring freedom is only the beginning. Engineering it requires the courage to innovate and the discipline to maintain what we build. 👉🏼 spectrum.ieee.org/us-engineere... 131
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 26/05/2026📋The 19th-century guide to running an effective meeting. “Robert’s Rules of Order” turns 150 this year. In the @financialtimes.com, I wrote about what that history says about AI systems now marketed as consensus brokers. #engineering #meetings ➡️ www.ft.com/content/a01d... 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 25/05/2026🕵️"Social engineering" got tainted by association with authoritarian regimes and scammers. So we buried it—and the practice carried on under friendlier names. In @spectrum.ieee.org I argue why reclaiming the term matters. We can't contest what we can't see—and name ▶️ spectrum.ieee.org/social-engin... 000
Reposted by Guru MadhavanIEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 04/05/2026Francis Bacon believed that science, or understanding the world, and creation, or engineering design, were intimately connected. His strong friendships with engineers helped him to imagine a future where science and engineering worked hand in hand. spectrum.ieee.org/francis-baco... 032
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 20/04/2026Francis Bacon died stuffing a chicken with snow, killed by his own experiment--400 years ago this month. ❄️ His scientific method? Inspired by engineers. My latest for @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/francis-baco... #engineering #science #history #philosophyspectrum.ieee.orgHow Engineers Kick-Started the Scientific MethodFrancis Bacon was inspired by the inventors of his day 020
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 30/03/2026"In engineering, you are peer-reviewed by reality." 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 26/03/2026My new @financialtimes.com piece on the engineer who scheduled the apocalypse for his own birthday—and what it reveals about the strange psychology of doomsday deadlines, and why they differ from the ones that actually govern our lives. www.ft.com/content/3256... #engineering #systemsthinking 000
Reposted by Guru MadhavanLucas Laursen @lucaslaursen.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Do inventive engineers need to be lone geniuses or orchestra conductors? Guru Madhavan reflects on Robert Goddard and what Madhavan calls "The Alpha Trap" in this piece for @spectrum.ieee.org: spectrum.ieee.org/robert-godda...spectrum.ieee.orgRobert Goddard's Leadership: From Innovation to IsolationGoddard's rocket defied gravity, but his self-reliance trapped him. How can visionaries transition from lone genius to team leaders? 011
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 11/03/2026🚀 My latest in @spectrum.ieee.org on Robert Goddard: from innovation to isolation, and how leaders can escape the ALPHA TRAP—when the stubbornness that helps a pioneer survive skepticism begins to hinder collaboration as the work grows. #engineering #leadership spectrum.ieee.org/robert-godda...spectrum.ieee.orgRobert Goddard's Leadership: From Innovation to IsolationGoddard's rocket defied gravity, but his self-reliance trapped him. How can visionaries transition from lone genius to team leaders? 010
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 09/03/2026🔧 Engineers see friction as a design feature, not a flaw. A shock absorber adds weight and complexity—yet without it, the suspension shakes itself apart. Not all resistance is waste, some of it protects systems from their own speed. #engineering 000
Reposted by Guru MadhavanRyan McGranaghan @aerosciengineer.bsky.social · 04/03/2026(1/3) Guru Madhavan ( @bioengineergm.bsky.social ) reverences the world and all that is in it. Guru is an engineer, but his conception of engineering is more vast than we typically assign to the role. 211
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 22/02/2026📦 THINKING INSIDE THE BOX. 📖 This #EngineersWeek, I'm pleased to announce 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗫: 𝗘𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 ( @wwnorton.com, April 26, 2026), drawn from "Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World." 100
Reposted by Guru MadhavanPNAS Nexus @pnasnexus.org · 02/02/2026In a Perspective, three engineers propose an expansive mode of engineering practice that seeks to reduce conflict. According to the authors, peace engineering requires competence, capability, and character. In PNAS Nexus: ow.ly/41L550Y7Fk1 012
Reposted by Guru MadhavanFT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 05/02/2026If friction teaches us how to feel the world, what might we be losing by smoothing it all out? Read the full story on #FTEdit 👉 The beauty of friction ft.trib.al/zzfAu7i Then tell us where you stand in today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/S8QnoII 252
Reposted by Guru MadhavanFinancial Times @financialtimes.com · 05/02/2026 The beauty of friction ft.trib.al/Z3XZ4fe | opinionft.trib.alThe beauty of frictionWe are conditioned to treat resistance as a defect, but suppressing it comes with its own risks 0102
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 05/02/2026⚙️ THE BEAUTY OF FRICTION 📰 In my latest for the @financialtimes.com, I explore why GLP-1 and GPT should force us to ask: which kinds of frictions deserve to stay? 🔗Read here (ft.com/content/f9d6...) or 👇🏼 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 28/12/2025Pleased to draw insights from Albrecht Dürer on how measurement must support human judgment, never supplant it. 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 27/12/2025✈️ Frequent-flyer “miles” don’t measure miles anymore. We still call them that anyway. It’s a telling inconsistency that hints at a larger issue. 🗞️ In my @financialtimes.com (@ftweekend.com) piece, starring Albrecht Dürer, I explore a few things. 🔗 Read here (ft.com/content/5e98...) or⬇️ 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 02/12/2025The @raeng.org.uk honors the people who advance our profession, and it also honors the equations that have shaped the world. Along one of its walls, these equations show how we make sense of nature and improve life with precision and purpose. Take a moment to look them up. #engineering 010
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 30/11/2025"The Hard Problem" of User and System Tom Stoppard's passing invites reflection on his 2015 exchange with evolutionist David Sloan Wilson. As Stoppard developed his play "The Hard Problem," Wilson's (and Elliott Sober's) work on altruism shaped his thinking. www.theguardian.com/books/2015/m...theguardian.comThe hard problem: Tom Stoppard on the limits of what science can explainCan evolution explain acts of kindness, and morality? We arranged a debate between a sceptical Tom Stoppard and the evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson. Stuart Jeffries acted as referee 121
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 26/11/2025🙏🏼 This Thanksgiving I am grateful to be included in the fellowship of the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering (@raeng.org.uk), and for its strong partnership with the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Looking forward to the work ahead. #engineering Photos: Rob Lacey. 040
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 05/11/2025Explore the AI-Z of Engineering to discover the amazing breadth of #engineering careers, and find out what is in your future. thisisengineering.org.uk/ai-z-of-engi... #NationalEngineeringDay @raeng.org.uk 011
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 05/11/2025🏗️ Who keeps your world running? Honor them. Begin by seeing them. 🌏 In our pursuit of disruption, we often overlook the foundational care that makes progress possible. My new TEDx talk honors this forgotten courage, vital now more than ever. ▶️Watch + share: lnkd.in/enJxAQEP #engineering #care 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 15/10/2025A thoughtful leadership exchange and common purpose. The @raeng.org.uk, the @qeprize.bsky.social, and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering united in shared commitment to advance #engineering that improves lives, strengthens the profession, and celebrates the excellence that defines it. 020
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 01/10/2025🤖 WHEN AI DIES ⚰️ ✨ In my latest column for the National Academy of Engineering’s Bridge magazine, prompted by the recent events around TikTok, I explore how we’ve built AI into a dazzling yet deficient genius, machines of vast memory but no legacy. 🚨 🔗 Read here: www.nae.edu/340912/Invis... 010
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 24/09/2025🙏🏼 Tremendously honored—and honoured—to be elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering. #RAEngFellows www.nae.edu/340727/Guru-... 020
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 30/07/2025💡TECHNOLOGY. What do we really mean when we use that word? ☢️ In a Financial Times column, I argue “technology” now covers everything from nuclear warheads to noise cancelling headphones, stents to social media, and hair dryers to the Hoover Dam. (💲) www.ft.com/content/a48c... (📄) PDF images 👇 100
Reposted by Guru MadhavanEngineerTeen @engineerteen.org · 01/07/2025We're EngineerTeen, a new program from the National Academy of Engineering and a sibling site to @engineergirlnae.bsky.social which builds on that community to help youth chart their path to become the technical leaders of tomorrow. We're excited to get started! Visit us at engineerteen.org 🙂 032
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 01/07/2025🌍 Engineering is peer-reviewed by reality. 🎙️In the season finale of the @qeprize.bsky.social "Create the Future" #podcast, my cohost and fellow engineer Roma Agrawal and I roam through all sorts of topics. 🎧 Listen here: shows.acast.com/createthefut...shows.acast.comGuru & Roma reflect | Create the Future 121
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 11/06/2025🎧 Fire. Space. Coffee. Disability. Elections. Sanitation. Six conversations. Six dimensions. All engineering. From the everyday to the extraordinary, I’ve had the fortune to explore how #engineering runs through everything—seen and unseen—for the @qeprize.bsky.social podcast “Create the Future.” 110
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 18/05/2025✨ Centuries of dance offer what even our most advanced organizations still chase. 🥁 At the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art's "Delighting Krishna" exhibit, I was drawn to a mid-19th-century painting of garba raas, showing women dancing in a circle with synchronized, alternating claps... 100
Reposted by Guru MadhavanRandolph Nesse @randynesse.bsky.social · 02/05/2025An engineer, an educator, and an evolutionary biologist walk into a bar...(well, actually, we talked at @evmed.bsky.social meetings); today, 3 years later, our plans for a new bridge between engineering and medicine are published in @pnasnexus.org! academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...academic.oup.comExplanations for failures in designed and evolved systemsAbstract. Engineers have long studied the origins of design features that make machines prone to failure, but biologists have only recently begun investiga 192
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 01/05/2025⚠️ Explanations for failures in designed and evolved systems. 🚫 🔓Read here in @pnasnexus.org : academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... 🔍 @randynesse.bsky.social, Jay Labov, and I compare body and machine vulnerabilities such as design deficiencies, corrupted plans, assembly variations, and trade-offs. ⚖️ 130
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 21/04/2025🔄 True #resilience isn’t about bouncing back—it’s about bouncing forward. In my recent #TEDx talk, I challenge what #resilience really means—with help from warships, a pointy-nosed engineer, a childhood memory and a goat-footed god! 🐐 📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5r3... #engineering 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 30/03/2025Bloom brightly and radiate hope, even if only for a season. 🌸 000
Reposted by Guru MadhavanPNAS Nexus @pnasnexus.org · 25/03/2025A review explores the possibilities and challenges of using AI in engineering. From autonomous vehicles, to robots, to AI-assisted surgery, we are entering an era of machines that can sense, learn, and make decisions without human supervision. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... 033
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 18/03/2025⏱️Five years ago, as COVID hit, I wrote in @wsj.com that engineering—not just medicine—would steer our recovery. Time bore it out: logistics outran tactics. 📡 Engineers scaled vaccines to billions in record time, fueled remote work, and held supply chains together when borders shut. 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 12/03/2025Out in @pnasnexus.org! We explore engineered AI systems in autonomous vehicles, robotics, materials discovery, and medical applications—highlighting the need for safety, reliability, and effectiveness in their design and deployment. #AI #engineering academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...academic.oup.comEngineering and AI: Advancing the synergyAbstract. Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), driven by unprecedented data and computing capabilities, have tran 000
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 06/03/2025📝 My opinion "Ports, Politics, and Peace: The Engineering of Stability" is out in The Straits Times, Singapore (straitstimes.com/opinion/port...). Paywalled there, but free via the National University of Singapore Asia Research Institute (ari.nus.edu.sg/app-essay-gu...) and in the image below. 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 26/01/2025🚨 My new piece in @financialtimes.com explores an age-old lesson: peace isn’t an ideal to contemplate but a structure to make and maintain. 🛣️ Ancient India’s greatest engineering achievement wasn’t a monument—it was a metamorphosis. www.ft.com/content/62fc...ft.comLessons from ancient India on post-conflict reconstructionPeace engineering is difficult to measure but critical to do 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 23/01/2025🛕 Revisiting a temple is different from visiting one. The structure doesn’t change, but something else does—the way light falls, the way silence sounds, the way your own presence shifts in relation to it. The same corridors see different feet, the same sanctum absorbs different prayers. #engineering 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 12/01/2025🌍 Disability isn't something to “fix”—it’s a powerful lens for #engineering #innovation and #inclusion. 🌟 The latest Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering podcast "Create the Future" podcast episode challenges how we think about #technology and capability. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...podcasts.apple.comEngineering For DisabilityPodcast Episode · Create the Future · 01/10/2025 · 25m 153
Reposted by Guru MadhavanThe National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 22/12/2024An extensive body of work from the National Academies offers trusted, evidence-based advice to help build a stronger, more competitive U.S. economy. Take a look at a collection of our work to build a robust economy.buff.lyAdvancing a Robust U.S. EconomyMuch of the National Academies’ work is aimed at building a stronger, more competitive U.S. economy. We apply our expertise to spur innovation, bolster industrial capacity, modernize America’s… 0115
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 21/12/2024🌀 The Apocalyptic Ascent of Academia's Semantic Labyrinth 🌀 📖 "Academic writing is getting harder to read—the humanities most of all," notes The Economist, analyzing 347,000 PhD abstracts published between 1812 and 2023. www.economist.com/science-and-...economist.comAcademic writing is getting harder to read—the humanities most of allWe analyse two centuries of scholarly work 100
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 08/12/2024💡”Edison never saw his deafness as a disability. In a 1925 interview he declared it to be ‘not a handicap, but a help to me’ as it meant that he didn’t need to bother with ‘small talk’ and ‘all the meaningless sounds that normal people hear.’” @royalsociety.org royalsociety.org/blog/2024/11...royalsociety.orgInventor and visionary: Thomas Edison’s legacy | Royal SocietyKip Heath explores Edison's legacy as part of Disability History Month. 010
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 07/12/2024Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and engage with it, and to Beethoven for his cameo appearance! As the maestro would say: da-da-da-dum! 🎹 🎵🎼 010
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Fast efficiency is false efficiency. My opinion in the @financialtimes.com on how society seeks efficiency, often without a deep knowledge of what it is. www.ft.com/content/9b14...ft.comThe truth about efficiencyAs our immune systems demonstrate, we need built-in redundancies to function during crisis 032
Guru Madhavan @bioengineergm.bsky.social · 29/11/2024☕️As a steadfast tea drinker, I've admired coffee from afar. From Ethiopian clay pots to South Indian steel filters, from Italian espresso machines to drip-by-drip decoction—coffee’s fascinating journey spans continents, cultures, and centuries! 🌱 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...podcasts.apple.comThe Future of CoffeePodcast Episode · Create the Future · 11/29/2024 · 26m 130
