Oral history interview with Michael A. Kelly
- 2002-Mar-19
Michael A. Kelly begins the interview with a discussion of his childhood and education. Growing up in Roswell, New Mexico, Kelly became interested in radio and television electronics at a young age. After high school, Kelly earned an ROTC scholarship at UCLA, and obtained his bachelor's degree in engineering from that University in 1959. He later earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic, and his PhD in nuclear physics from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1968, Kelly began as a research scientist for the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). After three years, he was promoted to manager of R&D for electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). While there, he developed and refined the first ESCA instruments for commercial use. Kelly left HP in 1976, and became the president of Surface Science Laboratories; a company that designed and marketed ESCA instrumentation. In 1988, Surface Science merged with the Kevex Corporation, and Kelly became the president and chief operating officer. He stay with Kevex for about a year, but when the company was bought-out by Thermo Vacuum Generators, Inc., Kelly took a teaching position at Stanford University. He currently teaches materials science at the University, and is working on some new analytical techniques. Kelly concludes the interview with a discussion of his impact on ESCA instrumentation, and the importance of innovation in society.
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About the Interviewers
Arthur Daemmrich is an assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School and a senior research fellow at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. His research examines science, medicine, and the state, with a focus on advancing theories of risk and regulation through empirical research on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and chemical sectors. At HBS he also plays an active role in an interdisciplinary Healthcare Initiative, advancing scholarship and developing applied lessons for the business of creating and delivering health services and health-related technologies. Daemmrich was previously the director of the Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He earned a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University in 2002 and has held fellowships at the Social Science Research Council/Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. He has published widely on pharmaceutical and chemical regulation, biotechnology business and policy, innovation, and history of science.
David C. Brock is a senior research fellow with the Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. As a historian of science and technology, he specializes in the history of semiconductor science, technology, and industry; the history of instrumentation; and oral history. Brock has studied the philosophy, sociology, and history of science at Brown University, the University of Edinburgh, and Princeton University.In the policy arena Brock recently published Patterning the World: The Rise of Chemically Amplified Photoresists, a white-paper case study for the Center’s Studies in Materials Innovation. With Hyungsub Choi he is preparing an analysis of semiconductor technology roadmapping, having presented preliminary results at the 2009 meeting of the Industry Studies Association.
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| Oral history number | 0253 |
Related Items
Interviewee biographical information
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Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | University of California, Los Angeles | BS | Engineering |
| 1963 | Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn | MSEE | Electrical Engineering |
| 1968 | University of California, Berkeley | PhD | Nuclear Physics |
Professional Experience
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- 1964 to 1968 Electrical Engineer/Research Scientist
Hewlett-Packard Company
- 1968 to 1971 Research Scientist
- 1971 to 1976 Research and Development Manager, ESCA
Surface Science Laboratories
- 1976 to 1985 President
Kevex Corporation
- 1985 to 1989 President and Chief Operating Officer
Stanford University
- 1989 Consulting Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1979 | IR(100) Award for an imaging, photon counting detector |
| 1982 | IR(100) Award for a high spatial resolution XPS spectrometer |
| 1986 | Glenn T. Seaborg Laboratory Special Award for a soft x-ray window, Kevex Corporation |
| 1986 | American Physical Society |
| 1986 | American Vacuum Society |
| 1986 | Materials Research Society |
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