G.B. Stringfellow

Distinguished Professor G.B. Stringfellow describes himself as “born to be an engineer.” He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the development of new semiconductor materials and the techniques used to produce them. He has emphasized basic conceptual problems throughout his career, however, his early fundamental work on the thermodynamics of semiconductor alloys and of the growth process known as OMVPE (organometallic vapor phase epitaxy) has formed the foundation of a multi-billion dollar industry. The materials and process he first proposed approximately 30 years ago are used today for the commercial manufacture of devices such as solar cells and light emitting diodes (LEDs). These devices will directly affect all our lives in the future since they are the basis of “green” energy generation and efficient conversion of energy into light.

This research leadership has translated directly into his teaching. He has supervised 30 Ph.D. graduates and in the classroom his students have repeatedly voted him as among the best Engineering professors. Dr. Stringfellow has his roots in Utah with a B.S. degree from the University of Utah and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University.

Dr. Stringfellow spent his early career at Hewlett Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, California. Since 1980, he has been a professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah. He has published a dozen books, more than 370 scientific papers and is widely honored in the science and engineering community including election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001. He served two terms as the Chair of Materials Science and Engineering and was Dean of the College of Engineering from 1998 until 2003.