Venkatesh Narayanamurti is Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy Emeritus at Harvard University and former Vice President for Research at Sandia National Laboratories. He is Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering. Toluwalogo Odumosu is Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society and Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia.
In this convincingly argued book, Narayanamurti and Odumosu one of them with decades of experience in research management and the other with a deep understanding of science and technology studies explain why the false distinction between basic and applied science has led to profoundly wasteful policy decisions. Their insights also lead to excellent, practical suggestions for change. Cycles of Invention and Discovery is a must-read for research managers, science policymakers, and everyone concerned with the future of innovation.--Ruth Schwartz Cowan, author of A Social History of American Technology