This article, celebrating the life of ECE Professor James D. Meindl, was published on the IEEE Spectrum website on September 8, 2020.
Note: This article, celebrating the life of ECE Professor Emeritus James D. Meindl, was published on the IEEE Spectrum website on September 8, 2020.
James D. Meindl, a treasured friend, colleague, and mentor, died on 7 June at his home in Greensboro, Ga., at the age of 87. Meindl was a giant in the world of semiconductors, a gentleman, and a leader of the highest magnitude.
Meindl served as the Joseph M. Pettit Chair Professor in Microsystems at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1993-2013. He served as the director of the Microelectronics Research Center and the Interconnect Focus Center. Meindl was also the founding director of the Nanotechnology Research Center. Prior to his career at Georgia Tech, he had distinguished and groundbreaking tenures at both Stanford University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He can be said to be among the founding fathers of Silicon Valley.