Irwin M. Jacobs | |
|---|---|
 Jacobs in 2005 | |
| Born | Irwin Mark Jacobs (1933-10-18)October 18, 1933 (age 92) |
| Alma mater | Cornell University (BSc) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSc,DSc) |
| Occupations | Engineer, businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder ofQualcomm |
| Spouse | Joan Klein (m. 1954, died 2024) |
| Children | 4, includingGary E. Jacobs andPaul E. Jacobs |
| Relatives | Sara Jacobs (granddaughter) |
| Awards | |
Irwin Mark Jacobs (born October 18, 1933) is an Americanelectrical engineer and businessman. He is a co-founder and former chairman ofQualcomm, and chair of the board of trustees of theSalk Institute for Biological Studies. As of 2019, Jacobs had an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.
Jacobs was born to a Jewish family inNew Bedford, Massachusetts.[1][2][3] He earned hisBachelor of Science in electrical engineering fromCornell University in 1956, and hisMaster of Science andDoctor of Science degrees inelectrical engineering and computer science from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1957 and 1959, respectively. His doctoral advisor was Edward Arthurs. He is a member ofSigma Alpha Mu fraternity.[4]
Jacobs was assistant and associate professor of electrical engineering at MIT from 1959 to 1966 and professor of computer science and engineering at theUniversity of California, San Diego (UCSD) from 1966 to 1972. WithJohn Wozencraft, he co-authored a textbook entitledPrinciples of Communication Engineering in 1965, which is still in use today. UCSD'sJacobs School of Engineering is named for him and his wife.[5]
In 1968, Jacobs co-foundedLinkabit Corporation withAndrew Viterbi to develop satellite encryption devices. That company merged withM/A-COM, Inc. in 1980, becoming M/A-COM Linkabit.[5]
In 1985, Jacobs went on to co-foundQualcomm Inc. along with Viterbi, Harvey White, Adelia Coffman, Andrew Cohen, Klein Gilhousen, and Franklin Antonio. Qualcomm developed the OmniTRACS system that was deemed one of the world's most "technologically advanced two-way mobile satellite communications and tracking systems". He pioneered these systems which use the communication bandwidth more efficiently than the older fixed time-slicedTDMA technology. ItsCode-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) has been adopted as one of two digital standards (the other beingGlobal System for Mobile Communications [GSM]) used in the next generation of cellular telephones in North America at the time. Jacobs announced in March 2009 that he had stepped down as chairman of Qualcomm and thatPaul E. Jacobs, his son, would succeed him.[5]
Jacobs was elected a member of theNational Academy of Engineering in 1982 for contributions to communication theory and practice, and leadership in high-technology product development. He is also aFellow of the IEEE.[5] He is a member of theInter-American Dialogue.[6] He is a chairman on the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and is on the international advisory board for theIsrael Institute of Technology. He is on the advisory board for the School of Economics and Management atTsinghua University in Beijing. He is on the board of directors of thePacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles.[4]
In 1980, Jacobs was the co-recipient, with Andrew J. Viterbi, the 1980 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) biannual award. In 1992, Jacobs was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in High Technology by the Institute of American Entrepreneurs, and in May 1993, he was awarded the American Electronics Association (AEA) "Inventing America's Future" award.[5]
In 1994, for his development ofCDMA, Jacobs was awarded theNational Medal of Technology and Innovation.
In 1994, he was also awarded the "Cornell University Entrepreneur of the Year" Award.
In 1995, Jacobs won the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal – For outstanding contributions to telecommunications, including leadership, theory, practice, and product development.[5]
In 2000, Jacobs was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame for his role in the cellular industry.[7]
In 2001, Jacobs was awarded theBower Award for Business Leadership in 2001.[5][8]
In 2004, Jacobs and his wife Joan Jacobs are contributors to public arts and education in San Diego. For this, Jacobs was awarded theWoodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship in 2004.
In 2005, Jacobs delivered the 2005commencement speech atMIT,[9] and the 2008 commencement speech at the Jacobs School of Engineering.[10]
In 2007, Jacobs and Viterbi received the 2007IEEE/RSE Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award, for "fundamental contributions, innovation, and leadership that enabled the growth of wireless telecommunications".[11]
In 2009, he was named a Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).[12]
In 2011, he received[13] theMarconi Prize together withJack Wolf.
In 2011, he was named a Marconi Prize recipient and Marconi Fellow.[14]
In 2011, Jacobs was inducted into theInternational Air & Space Hall of Fame at theSan Diego Air & Space Museum.[15]
In 2012, Jacobs was named theW. P. Carey School of Business Dean's Council of 100 Executive of the Year.[16]
In 2013, Jacobs was inducted into theNational Inventors Hall of Fame.
In 2013, he received theMedal of Honor from theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which is the highest honor an engineer can receive from his or her peers. The IEEE said he was receiving the award not just for his innovations but for "the ability to translate innovation into industry applications, time after time after time."[17]
In November 2013, he was conferred the title of "Distinguished Honor Chair Professor" of National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan.[18][19]
In 2013, he was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society.[20]
In August and October 2014, Jacobs was awarded honorary doctorates byNational Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, andHong Kong Polytechnic University.[21][22]
In 2014, Jacobs was elected to theComputer History Museum as a Fellow – for "his pioneering work in digital mobile telephony, data and communications, and technology".[23]
In 2015, Jacobs received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.[24]
In 2017, Jacobs received an honorary Doctor of Engineering and Technology degree fromYale University.[25]
In 2017, Jacobs and Viterbi received the IEEE Milestone Award for their CDMA and spread spectrum development that drives the mobile industry.[26]
In February 2018, he was appointed an honorary advisor to the president of National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan.
In March 2018, he was named the winner of IMEC Lifetime of Innovation Award.[27]
In July 2019, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by theUniversity of York, UK.[28]
In October 2019, he received the IETMountbatten Medal in London.[29]
As the co-founder and chairman ofQualcomm, Jacobs has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the field of education through donations and grants to several schools and organizations. His donations have gone mostly towards fellowships and scholarships for students in the fields of engineering and computer science, as well as the arts, and are focused in the San Diego area.[30][31]The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2011 dubbed him the "Philanthropist in Chief".[32]
As of September 2009, Jacobs had donated a total of $31 million to his post graduate degrees school, theMassachusetts Institute of Technology. He had donated $15 million and another $110 million to theUniversity of California, San Diego where he was a professor of computer science and engineering for several years. Additionally, he has donated $62 million total to the American Society forTechnion, his alma materCornell University, andKPBS Radio andTelevision.[30] His KPBS donation was in the sum of $1 million, and the multi-year gift is designed to strengthen the station's local journalism and news collaboration withNPR. The Jacobs have donated funds to build studios for KPBS and have supported the station for decades.[33] In 2010, he funded an engineering study on how to fulfill a proposal to remove automobiles from thePlaza de Panama in San Diego'sBalboa Park and agreed to chair a committee to study the proposal and develop private funding for it.[34]
Irwin and Joan Jacobs donated $5 million in 2002 to theMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diego downtown location for the renovation of the former train station baggage building which was named in their honor.[35]
Jacobs has pledged $120 million for theSan Diego Symphony, a similar amount for theJacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, $100 million for UCSD's future specialty hospital and $20 million to replace the central library in downtown San Diego. Also in 2005, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for theLa Jolla Playhouse was named after Jacobs and his wife in honor of their philanthropic contributions towards the institution's development.[31][36]In April 2013, the Jacobs donated $133 million to the jointCornell Tech campus development on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs TIX Institute atNational Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, was sponsored by Jacobs with the mission of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.[37]
TheAmerican Civil Liberties Union Foundation announced in January 2022 that it was renaming its list of pending United States Supreme Court cases the "Joan and Irwin Jacobs Supreme Court Docket" in honor of the couple's $20 million gift, the largest one-time endowment gift in the organization's history.[38]
In August 2010, Irwin and Joan Jacobs joined theGiving Pledge, pledging to give away most of their fortune to philanthropy.[36]
In 1954, Jacobs married Joan Klein.[39][40] The couple resided inLa Jolla, California, and had four sons.[41] Their sonPaul E. Jacobs succeeded Irwin as CEO of Qualcomm until stepping down in March 2014. Their eldest son,Gary E. Jacobs, is the head of the board of theGary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High Charter School.[5] His granddaughter,Sara Jacobs, aDemocratic politician, is the representative forCalifornia's 51st congressional district.[42] During her political campaigns, she received significant funding from her grandfather.[42][43][44]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by (First) | IEEE/RSE Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IEEE Medal of Honor 2013 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
