Age: 68
Occupation: Egyptian democracy advocate and possible presidential candidate, retired head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
After his return to Egypt in 2010, Nobel laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei was the preeminent elder statesman championing change in one of the region's longest-running dictatorships. First hailed as a possible challenger to President Hosni Mubarak, ElBaradei helped fuel the Twitter and Facebook rebellion that younger Egyptians eventually seized to bring an end to Mubarak's oppressive regime. ElBaradei's influence has since died down, but he remains rooted among Egypt's political opposition, challenging the decisions of the new status quo — a military-led interim government — as Egypt fitfully struggles toward a democratic future.