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John E. Kelly III
Kelly in 2009
Born1954 (age 69–70)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
EmployerIBM
Board member of
Awards

John E. Kelly III is an American executive at IBM. He has been described as the "father" of Watson, a computer system most known for competing against humans on Jeopardy! He joined IBM in 1980 and has served as the director of IBM Research.

Kelly has received the Frederik Philips Award and the Robert N. Noyce Medal, both of which are presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has served as a board member for his alma maters, Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as the New York Academy of Sciences and the Semiconductor Industry Association.

Kelly was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2013 for contributions to the U.S. semiconductor industry through technology innovations and strategic leadership.

Early life and education

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Kelly was raised in Albany, New York, and attended Bishop Maginn High School.[3] He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Union College in 1976. Kelly received his master's degree in physics and doctorate in materials engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1978 and 1980, respectively.[4]

Career

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Kelly has held various roles at IBM since 1980.[5] He was named director of the company's Semiconductor Research and Development Center in 1990, then became IBM Research's vice president of systems, technology and science in 1995. Kelly served as general manager of IBM Microelectronics from 1999 to August 2000. In 2007, he succeeded Paul Horn as the head of IBM Research.[6] He has also served as a senior vice president of cognitive solutions and director of IBM Research,[7][8][9] and an executive vice president.[10] He serves as chairman of the IBM Academy of Technology's board of governors.[11]

In 2020, Kelly represented IBM at a conference on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, where he signed the "Rome Call for AI Ethics", which advocated for the responsible use of AI technologies.[12][13] He also announced IBM's partnership with the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Vatican City to use Watson to gather data about brain cancer and other diseases.[14] In late February, Kelly was tasked with building and directing IBM's COVID-19 Task Force.[15]

On the 18th of December, 2020, IBM announced that Kelly will retire from the company at the end of the year.[16]

Semiconductors

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In 1997, during Kelly's tenure as vice president of IBM's chip division, the company developed a method of manufacturing computer chips with copper instead of aluminum.[17][18]

Kelly is a board member and former chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association.[19][20] He received the IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal for outstanding contributions to the microelectronics industry, as well as the IEEE Frederik Philips Award for accomplishments in the management of research and development.[4] In 2013, he received the National Academy of Engineering's Arthur M. Bueche Award for his work on semiconductor technology.[21]

Intellectual property

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In his role as senior vice president of technology and intellectual property (IP), Kelly led IBM's technical and innovation strategies, as well as the company's IP initiatives.[21][22] He continued focusing on IP during his tenure at IBM Research.[6][23]

Supercomputing and Watson

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Kelly has worked on IBM's Summit and Sierra supercomputers,[24][25][26] and has overseen the company's artificial intelligence and research projects.[27] He has been credited for leading a team to advance the Watson computer system.[4] InformationWeek described Kelly as the "father of Watson" and credited him for encouraging the system to compete against humans on Jeopardy![28] He co-wrote Smart Machines: IBM's Watson and the Era of Cognitive Computing.[7]

Personal life and philanthropy

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Kelly is married and a Catholic.[4][14] He and his wife provided funding for Union College's digital arts lab, which is part of the institution's computer science and visual arts departments.[4] The John E. Kelly III '76 Digital Arts Lab was dedicated in 2006.[29] Kelly also helped fund the Peter Irving Wold Center, which opened in 2011 with the Kelly Advanced Computing Laboratory named in his honor.[29][30] He also helped Union College acquire an IBM Intelligent Cluster, giving the school "one of the most advanced computing capabilities of any undergraduate liberal arts college in the nation".[4][31]

Kelly has served on the boards of trustees for each of his alma maters, Union College and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[32] He has served on Union College's board since 2003, and was elected chairman in 2015.[4][33][34] Kelly received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Union Graduate College in 2004,[29] and an honorary degree from Dublin City University in 2012.[35] He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[32] Kelly is a fellow of the IEEE,[11] serves on the New York Academy of Sciences' board of governors,[36] and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[37]

Publications

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  • Kelly III, John; Hamm, Steve. Smart Machines: IBM's Watson and the Era of Cognitive Computing.
  • Kelly III, John E. (March 21, 2016). "IBM's Top Researcher: A Win for Computers Is a Win for Humans". Time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IEEE Frederik Philips Award Recipients". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal Recipients". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  3. ^ McGuire, Brian (February 23, 2003). "Union College grads thrive in careers at IBM". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved April 14, 2020 – via Union College.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "IBM exec John Kelly to chair Union College Board of Trustees". The Daily Gazette. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Goot, Michael (July 2, 2018). "IBM executive outlines computer growth in talk to EDC members". The Post-Star. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Leopold, George (July 18, 2007). "IBM's Paul Horn retires, Kelly named research chief". EE Times. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Greenemeier, Larry (November 13, 2013). "Will IBM's Watson Usher in a New Era of Cognitive Computing?". Scientific American. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  8. ^ McMillan, Robert; Dwoskin, Elizabeth (August 11, 2015). "IBM Crafts a Role for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Hernandez, Daniela; Greenwald, Ted (August 11, 2018). "IBM Has a Watson Dilemma". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Mukherjee, Sy (April 2, 2019). "Want a Better Health System? You Need A.I. (And Here's Why)". Fortune. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "John E. Kelly III". Computer History Museum. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Brockhaus, Hannah (February 28, 2020). "Pontifical Academy for Life, tech companies, call for ethical use of AI technology". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Pontifical Academy of Life Assembly Attendee Tests Positive for Coronavirus". National Catholic Register. March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Allen, Elise Ann (February 29, 2020). "Tech heads join Vatican in 'clarion call for a new generation of ethics'". Crux. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Lev-Ram, Michal (May 25, 2020). "Who should be on your COVID-19 task force?". Fortune. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "John Kelly, 'Father' Of Watson Computer, Retires From IBM". Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  17. ^ Zuckerman, Laurence (September 22, 1997). "I.B.M. to Make Smaller and Faster Chips". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Ibm Advances Chip Technology Replaces Aluminum With Copper". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. September 23, 1997.
  19. ^ Rogers, Megan (September 15, 2014). "Five questions with IBM's John Kelly on education and the semiconductor industry". Albany Business Review. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  20. ^ "Board of Directors: Dr. John E. Kelly, III". Semiconductor Industry Association. 18 May 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Dr. John E. Kelly". National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  22. ^ LaMonica, Martin (July 17, 2007). "IBM Research head Paul Horn steps aside". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "IBM Picks Kelly to Succeed Horn at Laboratories". The Wall Street Journal. July 18, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  24. ^ Preimesberger, Chris (June 8, 2018). "IBM Watson Gets Brawny Younger Brother in Summit Supercomputer". eWeek. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  25. ^ Siner, Emily (10 June 2018). "How a Tennessee Supercomputer, Now the World's Fastest, Might Find New Cures for Cancer". WKNO-FM. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  26. ^ Mraz, Stephen (November 5, 2018). "Introducing Sierra, the World's Third-Fastest Supercomputer". Machine Design. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  27. ^ Cole, Brendan (June 9, 2018). "The United States Takes Title Of World's Fastest Supercomputer From China". Newsweek. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  28. ^ Babcock, Charles (October 14, 2015). "IBM Cognitive Colloquium Spotlights Uncovering Dark Data". InformationWeek. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c "John E. Kelly III '76 Honored for Outstanding Contributions to New York's Economy". Union College. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  30. ^ "Union shows its new 'Wold'". Times Union. May 18, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  31. ^ Goot, Michael (May 30, 2011). "Supercomputer lends status to Union College's research efforts". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Office of the President: Leadership: John E. Kelly, III '78G, '80PhD, D.H.L. (Hon.)". Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  33. ^ Rogers, Megan (July 13, 2015). "IBM's John Kelly will lead Union College board of trustees". Albany Business Review. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "A conversation with John Kelly III '76: Union's new chair of the board". Union College. October 1, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  35. ^ "IBM Global Innovation Chief honoured by DCU". Dublin City University. 11 June 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  36. ^ "John E. Kelly III: Board of Governors". New York Academy of Sciences. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  37. ^ Schapiro, Morton; Morson, Gary Saul (May 5, 2015). The Fabulous Future?: America and the World in 2040. Northwestern University Press. p. 23. ISBN 9780810131972. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
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