James D. Plummer is a Canadian-born electrical engineer. He is the John M. Fluke Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, and from 1999 to 2014 served as Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of the School of Engineering.

Education and academic career

Jim Plummer was born in Toronto, Canada, and educated in the United States. Plummer completed his BS in electrical engineering at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 1966. He received his MS in 1967 and PhD in 1971, both in electrical engineering from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. Prior to joining the faculty of the

Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering, also known as EE; Double E, is one of nine engineering departments that comprise Stanford University School of Engineering. History F.A.C. Perrine, in 1893, made an acknowledgement of gifts to Stanf ...

in 1978, Plummer was a research associate and associate director of the Integrated Circuits Laboratory (ICL). Stanford's Integrated Circuits Lab (ICL) was revamped to accommodate microchip fabrication and research, opening a new facility in 1984 under the directorship of

James D. Meindl James Donald Meindl (April 20, 1933 – June 7, 2020) was director of the Joseph M. Pettit Microelectronics Research Center and the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center and Pettit Chair Professor of Microelectronics at the Georgia Institute ...

. The lab's cleanroom and vibration-free construction was state-of-the-art. Jim Plummer was director of the ICL until 1993. From 1993 to 1996, Plummer was senior associate dean of Stanford University School of Engineering. He was director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF) from 1994 to 2000. From 1997 to 1999, he was chair of the

. Plummer was selected as dean of Stanford University School of Engineering from 1999 through 2014. He is the longest-serving dean of the school to date. During his tenure as Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of the School of Engineering, he is credited with changing Stanford's character of graduate and undergraduate engineering curriculum toward being hands-on, interdisciplinary and creative. During his time as dean, the percentage of engineering undergraduates increased from 20% to 35% of the student body. Stanford University's Science and Engineering Quad was also completed in 2014, completing a 25-year effort to house all nine engineering departments in 21st century facilities. Plummer strongly supported and led the School of Engineering toward bioengineering. He helped establish the Department of Bioengineering, which started in 2002. Bioengineering is the only joint department at Stanford, run by the School of Engineering and the School of Medicine.

Research

Plummer's research lies in semiconductor devices and technology, primarily silicon based devices but recently also in wide bandgap materials for power applications. Plummer holds approximately 20 patents.

Awards and honors

* 2015 –

IEEE Founders Medal The IEEE Founders Medal is an award is presented for outstanding contributions in the leadership, planning, and administration of affairs of great value to the electrical and electronics engineering profession. It may be presented to an individual ...

* 2008 – Elected as Fellow,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

(AAAS) * 2007 –

IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award The IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award is a Technical Field Award presented by the IEEE for outstanding contributions to solid-state devices and technology. The award may be presented to an individual or a team of up to three people. It was established ...

* 2004 – McGraw-Hill/Jacob Millman Award, for outstanding contributions to EE education * 2003 – J. J. Ebers Award, IEEE * 1996 – Member of the

United States National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

* 1995 –

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in engineering and ...

, Best Teacher Award * Fellow of the IEEE

References

External links

Stanford profile, Jim Plummer

Stanford School of Engineering Former Deans

Academic Tree, James D. Plummer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plummer, Jim 20th-century American engineers Stanford University Department of Electrical Engineering faculty Living people American electrical engineers Stanford University School of Engineering faculty Fellow Members of the IEEE American university and college faculty deans Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 21st-century American engineers Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Engineers from Toronto Scientists from Toronto 20th-century Canadian engineers 21st-century Canadian engineers Canadian emigrants to the United States University of California, Los Angeles alumni Canadian electrical engineers Canadian university and college faculty deans Year of birth missing (living people)