Ross Ulbricht — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Created and operated Silk Road, the first modern darknet market, from 2011 until his arrest in 2013.
Co-founded Good Wagon Books, an online used bookseller.
Published findings five times in peer-reviewed journals on organic solar cells and EuO thin-film crystals.
Graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics.
Received a master's degree in materials science and engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2009.

Biography

Ross William Ulbricht, born March 27, 1984, in Austin, Texas, pursued an academic path early in his career. He graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics and later earned a master's degree in materials science and engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2009. During his five years as a research scientist, he published findings five times in peer-reviewed journals, focusing on organic solar cells and EuO thin-film crystals.