J. M. Ledgard

Ledgard was born in the Shetland Islands, off the north coast of Scotland,{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/23/jonathan-ledgard-believes-imagination-could-save-the-world|title=Jonathan Ledgard Believes Imagination Could Save the World|last=Taub|first=Ben|date=2019-09-16|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en|issn=0028-792X}} in 1968.

After reporting on the Romanian revolution for The Scotsman as a student, he worked as a foreign political and war correspondent for two decades. He reported lead stories from 60 countries for The Economist, including stints in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa. His emphasis was on security, natural resources, and macroeconomics. He reported on several conflicts and is a founder member of The Frontline Club. He was a contributing writer to 1843, The Economist's sister magazine. He writes occasional long pieces for The Atlantic and other publications.{{Cite web|last=Ledgard|first=Jonathan|date=2004-04-01|title=The Valley Of The King|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-valley-of-the-king/302915/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US}}

Ledgard is the author of two novels, Giraffe (2006){{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/mar/04/featuresreviews.guardianreview18|title=Review: Giraffe by JM Ledgard|last=Flint|first=James|date=2006-03-04|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2007/mar/30/tallstorythemysteryofthe|title=Tall story: the mystery of the Prague giraffe massacre|last=Connolly|first=Kate|date=2007-03-30|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} and Submergence (2013),{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/books/review/submergence-by-j-m-ledgard.html|title=Into the Abyss|last=Skloot|first=Floyd|date=2013-06-07|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/there-is-another-world-in-our-world-a-conversation-with-j-m-ledgard|title="There Is Another World in Our World": A Conversation with J. M. Ledgard|last=Gourevitch|first=Philip|date=2013-04-30|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en|issn=0028-792X}} which was made into a film in 2017 of the same name by Wim Wenders.{{Cite web|last=Whittaker|first=Richard|date=April 13, 2018|title=Wim Wenders Talks About Submergence|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2018-04-13/wim-wenders-talks-about-submergence/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.austinchronicle.com|language=en-US}} His work has been compared to W.G. Sebald and John Le Carré.{{Cite web|title=FSG Originals {{!}} Terra Firma Triptych|url=https://www.fsgoriginals.com/books/terra-firma-triptych|access-date=2020-08-10|website=FSG Originals|language=en}} Submergence was a New York Times Book of the Year and a pick of the year by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, NPR, and New York.{{Cite web|title=Book Review: 'Submergence'|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/04/05/176368223/book-review-submergence|access-date=2020-08-10|website=NPR.org|language=en}} Giraffe is considered a cult novel in the animal rights movement.{{Cite web|last=Lindner|first=Elsbeth|date=2006-08-20|title=Giraffes penned in zoo wake up dazed Czechs|url=https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Giraffes-penned-in-zoo-wake-up-dazed-Czechs-2513767.php|access-date=2020-08-10|website=SFGate}} A book of essays, Terra Firma, concerned Africa and technology.{{Cite web|date=2015-07-10|title=Terra Firma Triptych|url=https://fsgworkinprogress.com/2015/07/10/terra-firma-triptych/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Work in Progress|language=en-US}}

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He was a fellow and director at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne since 2012, and has been involved in promoting super advanced technology in Africa.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/23/jonathan-ledgard-believes-imagination-could-save-the-world|title=Jonathan Ledgard Believes Imagination Could Save the World|last=Taub|first=Ben|magazine=The New Yorker|date=16 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-21}} He works with leading artificial intelligence scientists and roboticists to improve outcomes in often very poor communities and for nature. He was an early proponent of drone technology.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46139635|title=The airport that welcomes drone flights|last=Wakefield|first=Jane|date=2019-01-26|access-date=2019-10-12|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-possible.com/drones-in-africa-help-boost-connectivity/|title=Drones and Droneports Under African Skies|date=2017-08-31|website=The Possible|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-12}} He invented the concept of blood delivery by drone, introducing the American startup Zipline into Rwanda.{{Cite web|url=http://reporter-forum.de/rw17/wp-content/uploads/Grassegger.Deutsch.Drohnen-statt-Esel.Reportage.pdf|title=Drohnen statt EselÜber Ruanda entsteht das erste Last drohnen-Netzwerk der Welt.Profitiert am Ende wieder nur der Westen?|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=21 April 2020}} He advanced the idea of droneports across the tropics, realising together with the architect Lord Norman Foster{{Cite web|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2016/05/27/norman-foster-partners-vaulted-drone-port-prototype-medical-supplies-remote-africa-venice-architecture-biennale/|title=Foster reveals vaulted drone port prototype at Venice Biennale|date=2016-05-27|website=Dezeen|language=en|access-date=2020-04-21}} a droneport prototype at the 2016 Venice Biennale. His cargo drone work has been taken up and scaled by the World Bank, the UN and commercial partners.{{Cite web|url=https://www.africandroneforum.org/|title=African Drone Forum – Transforming mobility through technology|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-21}} He supports digital self-sovereignty and was involved in early mobile money.{{Cite web |last1=Ledgard |first1=Jonathan |last2=Clippinger |first2=John |date=2013-10-29 |title=How a digital currency could transform Africa |url=https://www.ft.com/content/17f05fe2-3d93-11e3-9928-00144feab7de |url-access=subscription |access-date=2020-08-10 |website=Financial Times}} Since 2018, he has been focused on how artificial intelligence will perceive nature.{{Cite web|title=Een revolutionair plan: dieren die mensen betalen om voor hen te zorgen|url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20200112_04802340|access-date=2020-08-10|website=De Standaard|date=13 January 2020 |language=nl-BE}} He was a visiting professor in AI and Nature at the Czech Technical University.{{Cite web|title=Professor Jonathan Ledgard will lecture at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering - News service - Czech technical university in Prague|url=https://aktualne.cvut.cz/en/news/20190430-professor-jonathan-ledgard-will-lecture-at-the-faculty-of-electrical-engineering|access-date=2020-08-13|website=aktualne.cvut.cz}} He is presently developing a prototype for interspecies money, by which rare non-human life forms may revalue themselves to improve their chance of survival.{{Cite web|title=Linnaeus – first interspecies money transfer service|url=https://linnaeus.life/|access-date=2020-04-21|language=en}} He is an early proponent of the interspecies, an attempt to better comprehend other species using new technologies.{{Cite web|title=Interspecies I/O|url=http://interspecies.io/|access-date=2020-08-13|website=interspecies.io|language=en}} He is a fellow of the Linnean Society and was a visiting fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

He collaborates with major artists on nature based projects, including on the deep ocean and digital futures with Olafur Eliasson,{{Cite web|title=Studio Olafur Eliasso... |url=https://olafureliasson.net/archive/publication/MDA120478/studio-olafur-eliasson-open-house-tyt-take-your-time-vol-7|access-date=2020-08-10|website=olafureliasson.net}} on the interspecies with Tomas Saraceno,{{Cite web|date=2018-10-13|title=On Air|url=https://studiotomassaraceno.org/on-air/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Studio Tomás Saraceno|language=en-US}} and Federico Diaz{{Cite web|title=Signal Festival - I'm Leaving the Body / 2019|url=https://www.signalfestival.com/instalace/im-leaving-the-body/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.signalfestival.com}} on nature based projects.

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Category:1968 births

Category:Living people

Category:The Economist people

Category:British columnists