About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

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Piotrek Gierszewski

Research Lead, Challenge Works

With over 10 years of research experience, Piotrek is passionate about using foresight to explore possible visions of the future, anticipate obstacles and enable opportunities.

At Challenge Works, he is leading the research and design of our programmes. He has helped governmental agencies, regulators and mission-driven NGOs both at home and abroad to articulate the challenges they are facing and identify opportunities for innovative solutions.

Over the years, Piotrek has informed the design of many innovation programmes on topics ranging from emerging innovations in whale conservation and AI-powered legal services to scaling up access to surgical procedures in low-resource settings.

Before joining Challenge Works, Piotrek had worked as a technology scout for a science commercialisation consultancy and a life scientist specialising in epigenetics and molecular biology at the University of Cambridge.

Outside of work, you’re likely to find him on a climbing wall, in a gym or doing fire performances with poi and fire breathing (though less so since he grew a beard).