Eden: Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Chair: Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering was established by dedicated alumni working at Intel, including Mark Bohr (MSEE ’78), an Intel Senior Fellow and Director of Process Architecture and Integration. Mark joined Intel in 1978 and has been responsible for process integration and device design on a variety of logic technologies for microprocessor products, including Intel’s 45 nm high-k metal gate transistor technology in 2007 and 22 nm tri-gate transistor technology in 2011.

Mark continues to be a corporate champion for Illinois ECE at Intel. He received the Illinois ECE Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 and the Marcia Peterman ECE Award in 2016, and he served on the ECE alumni board from 2003-06.

In addition to Mark and his wife Jean, other major contributors included Jerry Marcyk (BSEE ‘73, MSEE ‘76, PhD ‘78), Carl (BSEE ‘74) and Patricia Simonsen, Alan (MS-physics ‘75, PhD ‘79) and Carole Stivers, Leo (PhD ‘69) and Bella Yau, and Intel co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty.

This endowed chair arose from the partnership between the department and Intel. The chair was created to recruit or retain a top researcher in integrated circuit technology within the department.

Faculty: J. Gary Eden

James Gary Eden
James Gary Eden

J. Gary Eden is known internationally for his work in laser physics, ultraviolet photonics, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and plasma science. He and his students have discovered more than 15 lasers in the visible and ultraviolet, including two biomolecular lasers. His research contributions include the first ultraviolet and violet fiber lasers, the co-discovery of the krypton-chloride (KrCl) laser at 222 nm, the development of efficient, high power lamps in the vacuum ultraviolet and ultraviolet, and the invention of microcavity plasma devices and systems.

Eden received a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1976 and was appointed a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. As a research physicist in the Optical Sciences Division of NRL from 1976 to 1979, he made several contributions to the areas of visible and UV lasers and laser spectroscopy, including the co-discovery of the first proton beam-pumped laser. He joined the University of Illinois faculty in 1979 and has served in several campus positions, including Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Associate Dean of the Graduate College, and Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering. Since 1994, he has served as the director of the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering.

Eden has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded 86 patents. Fifty-three individuals have received the PhD degree in electrical and computer engineering, physics, materials science and engineering, bioengineering, or nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering under his direction. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the SPIE. He has received numerous awards, including the OSA C.E.K. Mees Medal for his work in laser spectroscopy, the Harold Edgerton Award from the SPIE, and the Aron Kressel Award from the IEEE Photonics Society. Eden also served as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, and Progress in Quantum Electronics. He was elected into the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors in 2014. He co-founded Eden Park Illumination (2007) and EP Purification (2010) which manufacture flat, thin UV/VUV lamps and ozone systems for water and medical disinfection, photochemistry, and materials analysis.