Paul R. Gray Named NAE Simon Ramo Founders Award Recipient

Paul R. Gray has been named recipient of the 2024 Simon Ramo Founders Award by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) “for contributions to modern analog integrated circuit design through research and education, and for leadership of academic, philanthropic, and corporate enterprises.” He will be presented with the award at the 2024 NAE Annual Meeting and 60^th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C.

The Simon Ramo Founders Award was established in 1965 to honor an outstanding NAE member or international member who has upheld the ideals and principles of the NAE through professional, educational, and personal achievement and accomplishment.

Gray is recognized as a pioneering researcher in analog integrated circuit design, with far-reaching impact on the global semiconductor industry through his seminal publications, teaching, and leadership. According to the nominations team, many of the analog circuits in wide commercial use today derive from the pioneering research of Paul Gray and his colleagues from the 1970s through the 1990s, enabled by the “remarkably effective dissemination of that work through his writings. Gray’s contributions through his strong leadership, teaching, and institution-building at University of California, Berkeley, and at for-profit and nonprofit organizations, have created a legacy.”

Gray joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley in 1971. His research over a 35-year career there focused on analog-digital interfaces in electronic systems, mixed signal integrated circuit design, and related topics. Many of his large cadre of former graduate students now hold leadership positions in industry and academia around the world. At Berkeley he held several administrative posts, including director of the Electronics Research Laboratory from 1985 to 1986, chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from 1990 to 1993, dean of the College of Engineering from 1996 to 2000, and executive vice chancellor and provost from 2000 to 2006.

Prior to joining the Berkeley faculty, Gray was with Fairchild Semiconductor’s Research and Development Laboratory from 1969 to 1971. During several leaves from Berkeley he served in semiconductor industry management roles, including project manager for telecommunications filters at Intel Corporation from 1977 to 1979, and director of CMOS Design Engineering at Microlinear Corporation from 1984 to 1985.

Gray was elected to the NAE in 1990 and served as an NAE councillor from 2008 to 2014. He is a Fellow of the IEEE. He has co-authored four books, including a widely used college textbook on analog integrated circuits first published in 1977 and now in its sixth edition, and is author or co-author of 14 patents. Recognition of his work includes the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Award (1994), the IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal (2004), the IEEE Robert Noyce Medal (2008), and honorary doctorates from the University of Bucharest in Romania (1999) and from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (2006). He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Arizona. Additionally, Gray has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including 14 years as trustee of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, serving terms as Interim President and Board Chair.

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Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. Its mission is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering.

The 2024 NAE Annual Meeting marks the 60^th Anniversary of the NAE as “advisor to the nation.” This year’s theme, “Reimagining Supply Chains for National Resiliency” represents a call to action for the nation’s top engineers in businesses, government, and academia to come together and reimagine next-generation supply chains. Event registration is now open.