Saul Griffith
Australian-American businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saul Griffith is an Australian–American inventor and renewable electricity advocate. He is the founder or co-founder of multiple companies, including Otherlab, Makani Power, Rewiring America, and Instructables. As of June 2026[update] he is chief scientist of OtherLab.
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University of Sydney (M.E.)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
Saul Griffith | |
|---|---|
Griffith in 2008 | |
| Born | Australia |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales (B.MET.E) University of Sydney (M.E.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD) |
| Known for | Energy conservation, Otherlab, Makani Power, Rewiring America |
| Spouse | Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellowship (2007) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Material science |
Early life and education
Saul Griffith grew up in Sydney, New South Wales.[1] His mother is a wildlife artist, early Greenpeace activist and printmaker, while his father is a retired professor.[2]
Griffith graduated from the University of New South Wales with a B.MET.E[citation needed], and then, in 2000, from the University of Sydney with a Master of Engineering degree.[3] He won a scholarship to MIT Media Lab in Boston, Massachusetts, to study towards a PhD, that he completed in 2004. The subject of his thesis was "self-replicating machines". They were one of the first instances of artificial replication being demonstrated using real physics.[4]
Projects
Griffith is the co-founder and as of June 2026[update] chief scientist of OtherLab, a research and development company working on computational manufacturing and design tools[5] and applying those tools to projects such as inflatable pneumatic robots and prostheses,[6] novel approaches to heliostat design,[7] and applications of computational origami to the design of pressure vessels (e.g. for compressed natural gas) in arbitrary shapes.[8] Otherlab's R&D is guided by a vast map of energy flows in the US economy,[9] which they use to identify key leverage points in building a more sustainable energy economy.[citation needed] Griffith used this energy flow mapping for Rewiring America, a nonprofit organization working on electrification,[2] of which he is a co-founder.[10] He argues that the United States can create 30 million jobs, save consumers money, boost energy resiliency, and accelerate achievement of a net zero economy.[11]
Previously, he was a co-founder of Squid Labs,[12] Makani Power,[13] Instructables, Wattzon, HowToons, OptiOpia, Potenco, Sunfolding, Other Machine Company, and Monkeylectric.[14][15]
Personal life
Griffith lived in San Francisco for many years.[16] He married Tim O'Reilly's daughter Arwen,[17] and they have two children.[18] After around 20 years in the US, he relocated with his family to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, settling in Wollongong, New South Wales.[1][2]
A portrait of Griffith by artist Jude Rae was highly commended in the 2022 Archibald Prize.[19]
Publications
- Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future (2021). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT University Press. ISBN 978-0-262-04623-7 (Hardcover edition) ISBN 978-0-262-54504-4 (Paperback edition)
- The Big Switch: Australia's Electric Future (2022). Collingwood, Victoria: Black Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-76064-387-4 (paperback edition).
- The Wires That Bind: Electrification and Community Renewal (2023). Quarterly Essay 89. Collingwood, Victoria: Black Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-76064-420-8 (paperback edition).
- Plug In! The Electrification Handbook (2025). Collingwood, Victoria: Black Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-76064-515-1 (paperback edition).
