Name: Heike Riel
Hails From: Zurich, Switzerland
Working On: Building AMOLED displays using nanowires
Fun Fact: Once worked as a furniture maker’s apprentice

Q. What is your approach to problem solving?
In the lab, you’re focused on the problem right in front of you, and sometimes that doesn’t solve a problem. So, I take my mind off the problem by going for a run. My subconscious keeps working on the problem. And inevitably, while I’m out running, the solution hits me. By running, it’s almost like I’m letting my brain work independently, without me getting in the way.

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11 years ago

Name: Jon Casey
Hails From: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Working On: Innovations in semiconductor packaging 
Fun Fact: Enjoys deep sea fishing and woodworking

Q. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 
Take some courses in political science and psychology since the world is not binary. In a big organization like IBM, you have to understand human dynamics to make an impact. 

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11 years ago

Name: Jason McGee
Hails From: North Carolina
Working On: Architecting problem-solving software
Fun Fact: Rides motorcycles and is an active blogger and tweeter

Q. Where do you get your best ideas?
There’s always eureka moments when you have been brewing on something for a while and it clicks, but on the whole, it’s an evolution. I’ve been working in this space for a while and you start to see patterns and gaps that would make something orders of magnitude better. You get a lot of inspiration from others. 

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11 years ago

Name: Monty Denneau
Hails From: Westchester, NY
Working On: Building a faster supercomputer
Fun Fact: Always works out ideas on pencil and paper first

Q. Any advice for aspiring Fellows?
Surround yourself with a network of the smartest and most dedicated colleagues you can find. Being around a lot of such people, who might very well be smarter than you, will go a long way toward helping you be part of greater things.

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11 years ago

Name: Dinesh Verma
Hails From: Westchester, NY
Working On: Developing more efficient networks
Fun fact: Has published 52 books on teaching Hindi to kids 

Q. What do you do outside of work to recharge?
As a family, we started Chanda Books in 2008, when I wanted my children to learn Hindi – but the books I could find for this purpose were boring to them. Today, the books are sold world-wide and my children can speak Hindi too.

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11 years ago

Name: Chandu Visweswariah
Hails From: Bangalore
Working On: Testing the limits of chip design
Fun Fact: Lives in a zero carbon footprint home 

Q. What big advances do you foresee ahead in your field?
Microelectronics will change form factor and become ubiquitous. What we call “chips” today will be stacked in interesting three-dimensional configurations, worn on the human body, swallowed, or painted on streets or walls.

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11 years ago

Name: John Ponzo
Hails from: New York City
Working On: Bringing social, analytics, cloud, and security together with mobile
Fun Fact: Plays the electric and classical guitar 

Q. When are you most innovative? 
Innovation can be nurtured like anything else. Personally, when I really need to think about something, I’ve found late-night coding to be when I’m most creative.

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11 years ago

Name: Neil Bartlett
Hails From: London
Working On: Analyzing risk with specialized software
Fun Fact: Speaks English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Thai & Russian

Q. What are some of your interests? 
I love learning lots of different things. I can talk a bit of math, a bit of physics. I love learning new languages. I play a lot of instruments, none particularly well. My wife would tell you I have too many Interests.

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11 years ago