Creating our annual list of Young Innovators, which recognizes 35 exceptional leaders in technology who are under the age of 35, is an exhaustive–­and exhausting–process. We start by scouring the world to find outstanding candidates and recruiting a panel of expert judges; we end with a concerted effort to create profiles that precisely and clearly explain the winners’ accomplishments and why they matter. But every year, there is a moment for each of us, as we talk to these amazing technological trendsetters and hear about their work firsthand, when the excitement that TR35 members feel about their work becomes contagious.

Though they work in disparate fields and places–from clean rooms and labs to factories and slums, from New England to Nicaragua–this year’s winners are united in their urgent desire to improve what we do and get it done sooner, to help us accomplish more and live better. They’re building safer, simpler, speedier electronics and software; better, more resilient medical tests and treatments; cheaper, cleaner energy sources. The 2009 TR35 are out to change our world. We hope you enjoy learning about them as much as we did.