Name : Om Nalamasu
Designation : CTO
Company Name : Applied Materials
Topic : Technical Career Ladder as a rewarding career path
Abstract : It is probably one of the best times in history to be an engineer/scientist. Over the last 20 years, the privileged commodities of the past, knowledge and capital, have become pervasive in today’s flatter world. The ubiquitous connectivity has created open innovation paradigms where engineers and technologists across the world are collaborating to turn inventions into innovations in creating wealth. The multi-disciplinary nature of scientific inquiry, concurrent and collaborative nature of innovation creates unique opportunities and challenges for an engineer/scientist to be at the cutting edge of technology and relevant. Many leading global corporations have instituted technical career ladders for their top technical talent to have intellectually and financially meaningful careers that provide career growth. The author would share his experiences that spanned industry, academia and public-private partnerships.
Bio : Dr. Omkaram (Om) Nalamasu is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Applied Materials,Inc. In this role, he reports to chairman and CEO Mike Splinter and provides critical technological insight to maintain Applied’s technology leadership in the industries it serves. Nalamasu leads company’s R&D and innovation strategies, funding of global academia and consortia, venture capital investments into start-ups, as well as value-added strategic partnerships with academia, research institutes, customers, supply chain partners and government funding agencies.
He previously was Vice president of Research and a NYSTAR (New York State Foundation for Science,Technology and Innovation) distinguished professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Prior to joining RPI in 2002, Dr. Nalamasu was the CTO of the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium, Nation’s first public/private nonprofit enterprise to foster pre competitive nanotechnology research with Bell Labs, NJ State, and other academic and industrial partners. From1986-2002, He held key R&D leadership positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies, and Agere Systems.
Dr. Nalamasu is a recognized expert in materials science and technology with over 180 publications,review articles, book chapters, 2 books, and has ~50 issued or filed patents. He won several national and international awards including: the 2004 ACS Roy W. Tess Award; the 2000 ACS Team Innovation Award;the 1998 Japan Photopolymer Science and Technology Award; two R&D 100 Awards; and the 1997 Bell Labs President’s Gold Medal.
Dr. Nalamasu is a member of the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), San Jose Tech Museum and Plextronics board of directors, and the National Academies Panel on Materials Science and Engineering, as well as several technical advisory boards and university advisory committees. He received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.