Matthew Chase Levy

Biography

Matthew Chase Levy, 2026
Photo: Levy in 2026

Matthew Chase Levy is a scholar and statesman, most recently a candidate for Governor of California in 2026, on a platform of clean energy, education, and affordability. He stepped down on 15 April, calling for unity among Democratic Party leaders. He is a Trustee of The Washington Institute, a former member of the Finance and Inaugural Committees for the Office of the Mayor of Oakland, Hon Barbara Lee (2025–2026), and a former “Voice of the Future” in the United Kingdom Parliament.

Levy is an internationally recognised entrepreneur and physicist. In 2026 he donated three patents to the University of Oxford in renewable energy using fusion, artificial intelligence, and biology. He is the author or co-author of more than twenty peer-reviewed manuscripts and named on six patents. He founded the early AI company Noble Artificial Intelligence, Inc (Founder, Chairman & CEO, 2018–2022), serves as Advisor to the clean-investment firm AE Blue Capital (formerly General Partner & Managing Member), is an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford — the youngest in history — and is the first and only American physicist named a Newton International Fellow of the Royal Society.

He has written extensively on fusion, policy, clean energy, entrepreneurship, and leadership, and has organised or co-organised workshops on science, technology, and policy at organisations including Stanford University and the University of Oxford. In 2024, Levy was interviewed by The New York Times' John Markoff on fusion, policy, and energy security. At Oxford he is a member of Wolfson College's Cherwell Society, and previously served as a Junior Research Fellow of Wolfson College (2015–2020) and an elected member of the College's Governing Body. He has held visiting and affiliated appointments at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Levy holds a BS in physics from UCLA (2008), an MSc and PhD in physics and astronomy from Rice University (2011, 2014), and the Oxford MA (2016). He was a William F Marlar Scholar — the highest award in space science at Rice — and a Lawrence Scholar at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he began his career working on issues adjacent to United States strategic security. He is a member of the Oxford and Cambridge Club.

Selected Writings

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Selected Talks

Additional invited lectures and workshops are available upon request.

Public Service

Other Affiliations and Conflict Disclosure

Dr Levy in San Francisco, 2026
Dr Levy in San Francisco, 2026
Board of Trustees, Advisors, or Directors
The Washington Institute, Francon Foundation, AE Blue Capital, Laser Fusion X
Co-Founder
Noble Artificial Intelligence, Inc; Mosaic Chapter, Young Presidents' Organization
Member
Young Presidents' Organization; Forbes Finance Council; Institute of Physics; American Physical Society; IEEE; Wolfson College Cherwell Society, University of Oxford
Alumnus
Royal Society Newton International Fellow Alumnus Programme; Global Young Academy
Personal investments in
AE Blue Capital (limited partner interest); Noble Artificial Intelligence, Inc; a small number of private companies in clean energy, AI, advanced materials, and biotechnology; publicly traded index funds and ETFs

During the most recent six-year period, Levy has received speaking, consulting, or advisory fees, honoraria, or other forms of compensation from, or has accepted travel and accommodation arranged by: AE Blue Capital; Noble Artificial Intelligence, Inc; Microsoft Corporation; the Royal Society; Stanford University; the University of Oxford; the Tsukuba Conference for Future Shapers; the American Geophysical Union; the WI Harper Group; the University of Nevada, Reno; the University of California, San Diego; Dartmouth College; the University of Texas at Austin; the University of Chicago (Flash Center); the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Perkins Coie; Seattle Fusion Week; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; AWE Aldermaston; the United States Department of Energy; the United Kingdom Central Laser Facility; and academic conferences associated with IFSA, ICHED, and IPELS. During 2018–2022, Noble Artificial Intelligence, Inc — for which Levy served as Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO — received cumulative venture financing of approximately $47 million from M12 (Microsoft Ventures), WTI, Stanford University DAPER Fund, Streamlined Ventures, Prime Movers Lab, and Robert Nelsen (Arch Venture Partners). Levy assigned three patents to the University of Oxford in 2026 and retains no continuing financial interest in those instruments. [Last updated: 11 June 2026]