Jean-Michel Molenaar is a driving force behind many of the Fab Foundation’s global initiatives. Since 2007, he has played a key role in establishing Fab Labs—innovation spaces equipped with digitally controlled machines—across diverse environments, from cutting-edge university research centers to refugee camps and war zones. His expertise spans installations, training, and strategic development, continually fostering innovation and collaboration worldwide.

Over the years, Jean-Michel has launched Fab Labs in numerous countries, tailoring them to vastly different contexts. He previously managed the Bio Academy, an advanced course in synthetic biology, and served as a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University, where he guided students and faculty in prototyping and advancing research.

In his current role at the Fab Foundation, Jean-Michel oversees the deployment of Fab Labs both internationally and within the U.S., while also managing much of the organization’s online presence. His work encompasses everything from project development and contract negotiations to procurement, logistics, installations, and training—ensuring the successful creation of new labs that expand the network and drive shared research forward.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Jean-Michel enjoys skiing, long hikes, home- cooked meals, and sharing these experiences with friends and family. A published author in both French and English, he is fluent in multiple languages and lives in the breathtaking French Alps with his wife and three adventurous sons.

Synopsis:

The SUU Festival of Excellence Keynote presentation featured Senior Deployment Manager at the Fab Foundation, Jean-Michel Molenaar. His presentation was titled, “Beyond Prototypes: Building a More Inclusive Future with Fab Labs”.

He began with some background on Fab Labs, including the first 3D printer he built in 2008, which he said, “changed my life. Just the concept that I could make a machine that could make objects for me was sort of a life-changing thing for me, and started off this path I’ve been on.” He further dove into the history of computation and fabrication, and summarized that the goal was the Star Trek Replicator. He said, “We’re trying to get to a situation where you can make anything anywhere and you don’t have to send truckloads of stuff all across the globe.” 

He spoke of Neil Gershenfeld’s grant he received at MIT, “with the idea to work on this road map towards the future”. In order to do that, he’d need a machine that would allow him to work on every scale, from furniture to the molecular scale. In the center of all this, Molenaar stated, is a Fab Lab. The equipment required for it, as well as the course that Gershenfeld built around it, was for personal fabrication. He showed photographs of Fab Labs, which include laser cutters, precision machining, large format machining, electronics, vinyl cutters, 3D scan and printing, and more. In addition to that, Molenaar noted the importance of the global connection between Fab Labs. 

He spoke briefly about biology, and progressions that have been made in that field. The machines are becoming more effective, cheaper, and we’re getting closer to the Star Trek Replicator in that sense. In our world, things are made out of varied materials, from biological processes to inorganic materials, and Molenaar said, “For me, it’s important that in education we start to look at all these things in a less siloed way and in a way that’s more transversal, and will allow us to create things in radically different ways.”

He took time to acknowledge the community that has formed around Fab Labs, and the global teamwork that happens because people are able to work on projects around the world. The Fab Foundation, which is the non-profit organization behind the Fab Labs, was started 16 years ago. They had realized that “what we needed to do is create an organization that was there for the labs, but that wouldn’t tell any of the labs what to do or how to do it.” The Fab Foundation, with team members across the globe, is a diverse group joined together because, “we have this naive notion that maybe we can change the world and make it a little more equal and equitable.”

One of the main programs the Fab Foundation offers is education. They have various courses, including the Fab Academy, which is the same course that Neil Gershenfeld offered at MIT. They also offer textile and technology courses, Fab Lab learning for education professionals, and inclusion courses. 

They also host various events, as well as setting up the Fab Labs themselves. They have different kinds of Fab Labs, with the highest level being able to produce the equipment needed for standard Fab Labs. Jean-Michel Molenaar concluded his presentation by sharing that the Fab Foundation is establishing their global headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, which he was excited to say would help them prototype things for the global community.