John Baliga
John Baliga
John Baliga was a distinguished engineer who invented, developed and commercialized the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). IGBTs are used in consumer, industrial, lighting, transportation, medical and renewable energy technologies.
Baliga also made transformative contributions to science education. He founded the Systems Education Experiences program, which has impacted over 2 million students worldwide.
Early Life and Education
John Baliga is an accomplished engineer, researcher and author. His work combines systems biology with nanotechnology to solve complex problems related to global health, personalized medicine, energy and the environment.
He has patented several technologies and has received numerous professional honors. He was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was also honored by President Barack Obama as a “Champion of Innovation.”
His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the Department of Defense. He has made a major contribution to science education through his founding of the systems education experience (SEE) program and is an active advocate for educating students from underserved backgrounds. The SEE program has impacted over 2 million high school students worldwide.
Professional Career
In his professional career, john baliga spent fifteen years at General Electric Company in Schenectady, NY. At GE, he invented, developed and commercialized the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). It is integrated in consumer, industrial, lighting, transportation, medical, renewable energy, and other technologies.
The IGBT is a wideband semiconductor integrated circuit that is very efficient, enabling enormous reductions in gasoline and electrical energy use. The resulting savings are significant to consumers and limit worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.
After 15 years at GE, he joined North Carolina State University in 1988 where he helped develop a successful start-up culture based on some of his 120 U.S. patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an IEEE Fellow. He has been recognized with many honors, including the prestigious ‘Lamme Medal’ in London and an award from the President of the United States.
Achievements and Honors
Baliga invented and developed the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) for General Electric that vastly improves the efficiency of power-hungry devices. It is used in countless industrial, consumer, medical and renewable energy applications.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and received the 2014 IEEE Medal of Honor for his contributions to power semiconductor devices. He is also the founding director of the Power Semiconductor Research Center at NC State.
sujatha baliga, L’99, a Buddhist attorney and restorative justice expert who built one of the nation’s most successful restorative justice programs, has been named a 2019 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and will receive a $625,000 award known as a “genius grant.” She is the director of the Restorative Justice Project at Impact Justice in Oakland.
Personal Life
john baliga’s personal life is deeply connected to his art. Through his work, he explores the intricacies of quotidian moments, and how they can be instilled with emotion.
Through his paintings, he creates surreal visual interventions that convey the poignant and strange nature of memories. He also draws on a sense of memory’s intangibility and its ability to transform.
He paints with casein tempera, a quick-drying pigment derived from milk protein, which lends his works a matte, faintly otherworldly glow.
Having suffered a broken foot in college, Baliga turned to the Catholic faith for healing. She found her way to a retreat at the University of Illinois where she learned to trust and believe in God. She has since served the community of Franciscans of the Eucharist at the Mission of Our Lady of Angels on Chicago’s West Side.
Net Worth
John baliga has an estimated net worth of $5 billion. He is an American electrical engineer and businessman who co-founded Qualcomm, a leading mobile communications company. He also owns a number of other businesses. The majority of his wealth came from his investments in the semiconductor industry. His other notable investments include shares in a venture capital firm and an airline company. He has also been involved in a number of ventures that focus on health and education. In addition, he has published numerous articles in top journals, including the American Economic Review and European Economic Review. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the guitar and going to concerts and the theater. His family includes his wife, Marilyn, and three children. He was born on May 20, 1929, in Johnson City, NY.