Kurt E. Petersen (born February 13, 1948) is an American inventor and entrepreneur. He is known primarily for his work on

microelectromechanical systems Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), also written as micro-electro-mechanical systems (or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems) and the related micromechatronics and microsystems constitute the technology of microscopic devices, ...

. Petersen was elected a 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 ...

in 2001.

Biography

Petersen received his BS degree ''cum laude'' in Electrical Engineering from The

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

in 1970. In 1975, he received a PhD degree in EE from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. He established a micromachining research group at IBM from 1975 to 1982, during which he wrote the review paper “Silicon as a Mechanical Material,” published in the '' IEEE Proceedings'' (May 1982). This paper is a highly referenced work in the field of micromachining and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS); it is considered to have helped establish MEMS as its own branch of technology. As of September 2017, Google Scholar reported 3,795 citations.

Career

Since 1982, Dr. Petersen has co-founded six successful companies in MEMS technology, including Transensory Devices Inc. in 1982 and NovaSensor, a company which develops low-cost micromachined blood pressure sensors using bulk silicon micromachining technology, in 1985. In 1996, he co-founded

Cepheid A Cepheid variable () is a type of star that pulsates radially, varying in both diameter and temperature and producing changes in brightness with a well-defined stable period and amplitude. A strong direct relationship between a Cepheid varia ...

, a company which uses microfluidic technology for rapid PCR detection. Dr. Petersen also co-founded

SiTime SiTime Corporation is a publicly traded fabless chipmaker based in Santa Clara, California that develops micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), used for timing devices in electronics. History SiTime was founded in Santa Clara, California in 2005 ...

in 2004 and Profusa in 2008. In 2009, he co-founded Verreon and joined as Chief Technology Officer, helping to coordinate the company’s sale to Qualcomm in 2010. In 2011, Petersen joined the

Band of Angels ''Band of Angels'' is a 1957 psychological drama film set in the American South before and during the American Civil War, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren. It starred Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Poitier ...

in Silicon Valley, an angel investment group which mentors and invests in early stage, high-tech, start-up companies. He served as co-chair for the Band of Angel’s hardware subgroup. He joined the Board of Directors for Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) in 2013. Dr. Petersen has published over 100 papers and has been granted over 35 patents over the course of his career. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the IEEE.

Honours

In 2001, he was elected a member of the

for "contributions to the research and commercialization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)," and he received the Fellowship of the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

in recognition of his contributions “for pioneering contributions and successful commercialization of micromechanical systems”. That same year, he was awarded the

Simon Ramo Medal. In 2002,

Red Herring A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question. Red herring may also refer to: Animals * Red herring (fis ...

ranked him as a Top Ten Innovator. In 2019, Petersen received the

IEEE Medal of Honor The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It has been awarded since 1917, when its first recipient was Major Edwin H. Armstrong. It is given for an exceptional contribution ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Kurt American businesspeople 21st-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors 21st-century American inventors UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni MIT School of Engineering alumni 1948 births Living people IEEE Medal of Honor recipients