Michael A. Kelly

Michael A. Kelly begins the interview with a discussion of his childhood and education. Growing up in Roswell, New Mexico, Kelly became interested in radio and television electronics at a young age. After high school, Kelly earned an ROTC scholarship at UCLA, and obtained his bachelor's degree in engineering from that University in 1959. He later earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic, and his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1968, Kelly began as a research scientist for the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). After three years, he was promoted to manager of R&D for electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). While there, he developed and refined the first ESCA instruments for commercial use. Kelly left HP in 1976, and became the president of Surface Science Laboratories; a company that designed and marketed ESCA instrumentation. In 1988, Surface Science merged with the Kevex Corporation, and Kelly became the president and chief operating officer. He stay with Kevex for about a year, but when the company was bought-out by Thermo Vacuum Generators, Inc., Kelly took a teaching position at Stanford University. He currently teaches materials science at the University, and is working on some new analytical techniques. Kelly concludes the interview with a discussion of his impact on ESCA instrumentation, and the importance of innovation in society.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

1964 - 1968 Electrical Engineer, Research Scientist

Hewlett-Packard Company

1968 - 1971 Research Scientist

Hewlett-Packard Company

1971 - 1976 Research and Development Manager, ESCA

Surface Science Laboratories

1976 - 1985 President

Kevex Corporation

1985 - 1989 President and Chief Operating Officer

Stanford University

1989 - Present Consulting Professor, Department of Materials

Stanford University

1989 - Present Consulting Professor, Department of Materials

David C. Brock

David C. Brock is a senior research fellow with the Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. As a historian of science and technology, he specializes in the history of semiconductor science, technology, and industry; the history of instrumentation; and oral history. Brock has studied the philosophy, sociology, and history of science at Brown University, the University of Edinburgh, and Princeton University.

In the policy arena Brock recently published Patterning the World: The Rise of Chemically Amplified Photoresists, a white-paper case study for the Center’s Studies in Materials Innovation. With Hyungsub Choi he is preparing an analysis of semiconductor technology roadmapping, having presented preliminary results at the 2009 meeting of the Industry Studies Association.

Arthur Daemmrich

Arthur Daemmrich is an assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School and a senior research fellow at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. His research examines science, medicine, and the state, with a focus on advancing theories of risk and regulation through empirical research on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical sectors. At HBS he also plays an active role in an interdisciplinary Healthcare Initiative, advancing scholarship and developing applied lessons for the business of creating and delivering health services and health-related technologies. Daemmrich was previously the director of the Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He earned a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University in 2002 and has held fellowships at the Social Science Research Council/Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He has published widely on pharmaceutical and chemical regulation, biotechnology business and policy, innovation, and history of science.