John Robert Beyster

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Dr. John Robert Beyster (born 1924, often styled J. Robert Beyster) is the founder and, until 2004, the CEO of Science Applications International Corporation.

Educated at the University of Michigan (COE: BSE, MS, PhD), Dr. Beyster worked as a scientist for Westinghouse in the 1950s before finding employment as a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1957 he became the chairman of the Accelerator Physics Department of General Atomics where he remained until it was bought by Gulf Oil in 1968.

In 1969 along with a small group of scientists he formed Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in La Jolla, California. He served as CEO of this company until his retirement on July 16, 2004. In 2007 he wrote a book about his SAIC experiences titled, "The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company."

Dr. Beyster founded the Foundation for Enterprise Development in 1986 "to help develop successful enterprises in the U.S. and around the world" by focusing on "advancing entrepreneurship and employee ownership through its work with technologists, entrepreneurs, executives, governments, and educators." In 2004, the Foundation launched the Beyster Institute, which is "dedicated to training, education, and consulting in employee ownership and entrepreneurship."

A former naval man, Beyster enjoys sailing and is the owner of a 55-foot sailboat. Since 1984, SAIC has backed a number of U.S entries in the America's Cup race.

As a scientist, Beyster is the author or co-author of about 60 publications, including a book entitled Slow Neutron Scattering and Thermalization.