Hot Topic: IEEE: Leading Smart Grid Efforts Globally

In his current role as the executive director of IEEE, E. James Prendergast is charged with oversight of initiatives to further IEEE’s role in fostering innovation and technology excellence.  As part of this charter, he is working hand-in-hand with members of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet as part of the smart grid initiative leadership team. In May 2009, Prendergast participated in a smart grid leadership meeting, organized by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, which brought together industry leaders to share their vision on how to utilize standards to create a roadmap for successful smart grid implementation.

Prior to joining IEEE, Prendergast served as a corporate vice president and CTO for DuPont Electronic and Communication Technologies, a four-billion dollar global enterprise. His broad technical background leveraged DuPont's strong materials and technology base to accelerate growth in the 'high-tech' markets of electronics and communications. In this capacity, he led the research and development functions, coordinating long-term applied research efforts in corporate R&D centers and searching out new opportunities for growth. New business ventures emerging from this work, in flat-panel displays, PV, fuel cells and photonics, were incubated under Prendergast’s guidance. In February 2003, he was elected to the DuPont Photomasks (DPMI) Board of Directors and remained through the successful acquisition of DPMI by Toppan in April 2005.

Previously, Prendergast was a vice president and director of Motorola’s Physical Sciences Research Laboratories. During his tenure he directed long-range research in future integrated systems (memory, semiconductor materials, nanostructures, quantum devices, etc.), energy (thermoelectrics, fuel cells, etc.), lab-on-a-chip (microfluidics, DNA analyses, etc), and various speculative 'reach-out' initiatives. Other assignments at Motorola included directing the Wireless Research and  Development Laboratory, leading the Microcontroller and Mixed-Mode Technology Center and serving as Chief Technologist and Director of Strategy, all within Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector (now Freescale Semiconductor).

Prendergast’s first role following his doctorate was leading the development, importation, installation and support of process and device modeling tools for silicon and GaAs technologies for AT&T Bell Labs.

Prendergast earned a bachelor's degree in science and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Sydney University in Australia. He received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cambridge University.

Trends James Prendergast can address:

• How the smart grid will benefit the global market;
• The framework and roadmap of the smart grid;
• The role collaborative technology standards will play in making smart grid a success;
• Debunking the myths of the smart grid.

Read more expert profiles.