IBM Fellow

An IBM Fellow is an appointed position at IBM made by IBM’s CEO. Typically only four to nine (eleven in 2014) IBM Fellows are appointed each year, in May or June. It is the highest honor a scientist, engineer, or programmer at IBM can achieve.

The IBM Fellows program was founded in 1962 by Thomas J. Watson, Jr., as a way to promote creativity among the company’s “most exceptional” technical professionals. The first appointments were made in 1963. The criteria for appointment are stringent and take into account only the most-significant technical achievements. In addition to a history of extraordinary accomplishments, candidates must also be considered to have the potential to make continued contributions. Francis E. Hamilton is believed to be the first IBM Fellow, appointed in 1963 for amongst other things his work on the development of the IBM 650.[1][2]

IBM Fellows are given broad latitude to identify and pursue projects in their area of expertise.

As of 2014, only 257 IBMers have earned the IBM Fellow distinction, and 85 of them remain active IBM employees. IBM Fellows have generated nearly 7,700 patents, received five Nobel prizes, thousands of government and professional citations and have a massive store of published research in scientific journals.[3]

List of IBM Fellows

In chronological order, as of 2014, incomplete:

References



  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 "There are but a few," IBM Corporation, 1981
  2. 650 Chronology, IBM Corporation, retrieved June 16, 2013, Refinement of the concepts and engineering design of the eventual production 650 system were carried out in the early-1950s, principally at IBM's laboratory in Endicott, N.Y., under the direction of Frank E. Hamilton, Ernest S. Hughes, Jr., and James J. Troy, who were the chief inventors.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "IBM Awards Highest Technical Honor to Eight New Fellows as Company Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Program". IBM. April 3, 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 David W. Kean, "IBM San Jose A Quarter Century of Innovation" IBM Corp. circa 1977
  5. Herman Heine Goldstine, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland.
  6. Richard Goering: “Bill Beausoleil, 1950s Computer Pioneer, Shapes RTL Emulation Technology Today”, Industry Insights Blog, Cadence. November 15, 2012.
  7. ″Harlan D. Mills retires,″ press release, IBM Federal Systems Division. June 23, 1987. (Last page in linked document.)
  8. "Honorary Fellows - 2003 - Professor Sir Alec Broers". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 16 October 2011. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. "Computer Pioneers - George Radin". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "IBM Names Three Fellows For Technical Contributions". Computerworld. May 25, 1981. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  11. DRAM - the Team
  12. Short bio in: “Two-level coding for error control in magnetic disk storage products”, IBM Journal of Research and Development, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 470-484, 1989.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 “Five top innovators named IBM Fellows”, IBM. 2004.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 “2012 IBM Fellows”, IBM.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10 2014 IBM Fellows