List of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute people explained

This is a list of people associated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, including presidents, institute leaders, trustees, alumni, professors and researchers.

For a list of the highest elected student leaders at RPI see: List of RPI Grand Marshals.

Presidents of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Name	Years	Previous position
	(1837–1926)	Chief Engineer for Brooklyn Bridge
	(1824–1828)	Pastor of the Lansingburgh and Waterford Church
	(1828–1829)	Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Albany
	(1829–1845)	Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Albany
	(1845–1865)	Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Troy
	(1865–1868)	Businessman and iron manufacturer
	1868	Troy physician
	(1868–1886)	Attorney and banker
William Gurley, 1839	(1886–1887) (acting)	Businessman, co-founder of Gurley Precision Instruments
	(1887–1888) (acting)	Banker
	(1888–1901)	Attorney and judge
	(1901–1934)	Professor of rational and technical mechanics and academic director of RPI
	(1935–1943)	President of the Michigan Mining School
Livingston W. Houston, 1913	(1943–1958)	President and board chairman of the Ludlow Valve Manufacturing Co. and treasurer of RPI
	(1958–1971)	Director of the Engineering Research Institute at the University of Michigan
	(1971–1976)	Dean of the School of Engineering at Purdue University
George M. Low, 1948	(1976–1984)	Deputy administrator of NASA
Daniel Berg	(1984–1985) (acting) (1985–1987)	Vice-President and Provost of RPI
Stanley I. Landgraf, 1946	(1988–1988) (acting)	Chairman of Mohasco Corporation
	(1988–1993)	Senior vice president for science and technology for General Electric
	(1993–1998)	Provost and professor of engineering at the University of Delaware
Cornelius J. Barton, 1958	(1998–1999) (acting)	CEO of Dorr-Oliver Incorporated, a chemical engineering firm
	(1999–2022)	Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Martin A. Schmidt, 1981	(2022–present)	Provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Notable alumni

See main article: category.

Business

• John J. Albright (1868), businessman and philanthropist
• Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks.com
• Gary Burrell, founder of Garmin
• Dan Buckley (1991), president of Marvel Entertainment
• George Lewis Capwell Cronin (1925), businessman and founder of the Ecuadorian baseball & soccer team Club Sport Emelec
• Nicholas M. Donofrio (1967), director of research at IBM, trustee
• Joseph Gerber (1947), founder of Gerber Scientific^[1]
• William Gurley (1839), and Lewis E. Gurley, brothers and founders of Gurley Precision Instruments.
• J. Erik Jonsson (1922), co-founder and former president of Texas Instruments Incorporated, and mayor of Dallas
• William Mow (1959), founded apparel maker Bugle Boy in 1977.
• Nicholas T. Pinchuk Chairman & CEO of Snap-on
• Curtis Priem (1982), NVIDIA co-founder; architect of the first PC video processor and many that followed; trustee
• Sean O’Sullivan (1985), along with three other RPI students (Laszlo Bardos, Andrew Dressel, and John Haller), founded MapInfo on the RPI campus
• William Meaney President & CEO of Iron Mountain
• John Rigas, co-founder of Adelphia Communications
• Sheldon Roberts (1948), member of the "traitorous eight" who created Silicon Valley; co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Amelco
• Bert Sutherland, manager of Sun Microsystems laboratories
• William H. Wiley (1866), Civil War artillery commander, co-founder of publisher John Wiley and Sons, and US State Representative
• Edward Zander, former CEO of Motorola
• Keith Raniere, American felon, convicted sex trafficker and the founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York.

Humanities, arts, and social sciences

• Felix Bernard, composer of a Christmas song, Winter Wonderland
• Julie Berry, children's author
• Charles Amos Cummings, architect and historian
• Bobby Farrelly, film director, writer and producer, Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal, There's Something About Mary
• Fitzedward Hall (1901), Orientalist
• David Hayter, Canadian voice actor
• Ned Herrmann, creator of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument
• Lily Hevesh, YouTuber and domino artist (attended RPI for less than a year before dropping out to pursue domino art full time)^[2]
• Erin Hoffman, game designer and author
• Tyler Hinman (2006), multiple winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament^[3]
• Joe Howard, Jr. (1857), reporter and war correspondent
• Jennifer & Kevin McCoy (1994), artists who both graduated from RPI^[4]
• Meera Nanda, writer, philosopher of science, and faculty Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• Luis Francisco Peraza (1985), television producer and executive, International Emmy winner
• Mary Pride (1974), Christian author
• Samuel Wells Williams, 19th century linguist
• Warren Davis (1977), video game designer/programmer (co-creator of Q*bert)^[5]
• Zachary Barth, video game designer (founder of Zachtronics), creator of Infiniminer

Invention and engineering

• Truman H. Aldrich (1869), civil engineer, also briefly a US State Representative
• Karthik Bala, co-founder of Vicarious Visions and Velan Studios
• Garnet Baltimore (1881), first African-American engineer and Garnet D. Baltimore Lecture Series honoree
• Peter Bohlin 1958, architect of the famous 5th Avenue Apple Store
• Virgil Bogue (1868), chief engineer of Union Pacific Railroad and Western Maryland Railway constructions
• Bimal Kumar Bose (1932), electrical engineer
• Leffert L. Buck (1968), civil engineer and a pioneer in the use of steel arch bridge structures, including the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC
• Alexander Cassatt (1859), civil engineer and railroad executive
• George Hammell Cook (1839), state geologist of New Jersey
• Dr. Allen B. Dumont (1924), perfected the cathode ray tube; the "father of modern TV"
• Theodore N. Ely (1896), railroad executive
• George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1881), inventor of the Ferris wheel
• Lois Graham (1946), the first woman to receive an engineering degree from RPI, and the first woman in the U.S. to receive a PhD in mechanical engineering
• Frederick Grinnell (1855), inventor of the modern fire sprinkler
• Walter Lincoln Hawkins (1931), African-American inventor of plastic telephone wire
• Beatrice Hicks (1965), co-founder of Society of Women Engineers
• Henry Wilson Hodge (1885), Director of railroads for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I
• Marcian Hoff (1958), "father of the microprocessor"
• Dorothy Hoffman (1949), the first woman to serve as president of any scientific society in the US, elected president of American Vacuum Society in 1974
• J. Christopher Jaffe (1949), leader in architectural acoustic design; taught acoustics at the Juilliard School, City University of New York, and Rensselaer
• Theodore Judah (1837), visionary of the transcontinental railroad
• Robert Loewy (1947), aeronautical engineer
• William Metcalf (1858), steel manufacturing pioneer
• Keith D. Millis (1938), metallurgical engineer and inventor of ductile iron
• Ralph Peck (1937), geotechnical engineer
• Emil H. Praeger (1915), designer of Shea and Dodger Stadiums, Tappan Zee Bridge, Arecibo Telescope and a renovation of the White House^[6]
• George Brooke Roberts (1849), civil engineer, 5th president of the Pennsylvania Railroad
• Washington Roebling (1857), chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge
• Mortimer Rogoff (1943), first to patent an Electronic navigational chart and setup industry standards
• James Salisbury (1844), physician and inventor of the Salisbury Steak
• Steven Sasson (1973), engineer and inventor of the digital camera
• Robert "RJ" Scaringe (2005), CEO & Founder of Rivian^[7]
• Massood Tabib-Azar, chemical engineer
• Raymond Tomlinson (1963), inventor of the email system
• David L. Noble (1940), inventor of the floppy disk
• Alan M. Voorhees (1947), city planner and traffic forecaster; former Rensselaer trustee; principal supporter for the Voorhees Computing Center at Rensselaer
• John Alexander Low Waddell (1871), civil engineer and prolific bridge builder
• Robert H. Widmer (1938), aeronautical engineer and designer of the B-58 supersonic bomber^{[8] [9]}
• John F. Schenck (1961), physician and co-inventor of the first clinically viable high-field MRI scanner at General Electric^[10]

Military

• William L. Haskin (1861), U.S. Army brigadier general^[11]
• Harold J. Greene (1980), major general, U.S. Army, highest ranking casualty of War in Afghanistan
• Arthur L. McCullough, U.S. Air Force general
• Ario Pardee Jr. (1858), Union Army veteran who attained the rank of brigadier general by brevet
• L. Scott Rice (1980), major general, U.S. Air Force; commander of Massachusetts Air National Guard
• Thomas R. Sargent III, vice admiral, U.S. Coast Guard; Vice Commandant 1970–1974
• Walter L. Sharp, General, U.S. Army; Commander of United Nations Command, Commander of ROK-US Combined Forces Command and Commander of U.S. Forces Korea (2008–2011); former Director of the Joint Staff (2005–2008)
• Franklin Guest Smith, Union Army veteran who attained the rank of brigadier general^[12]
• Blake Wayne Van Leer, (1953), Commander and Captain in the U.S. Navy. Lead SeaBee program and lead the nuclear research and power unit at McMurdo Station during Operation Deep Freeze.
• Peter D. Vroom (1862), Inspector General of the U.S. Army^{[13] [14]}
• Arthur E. Williams, lieutenant general, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Chief of Engineers in 1992
• Ronald J. Zlatoper (1963), Chief of Naval Personnel; Battle Group Commander in Desert Storm and Desert Shield; former Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense; trustee
• Christopher E. van Avery, Commander, U.S. Navy, geopolitical analyst and writer. Critic of and contributor to the U.S. military's current Principles of War.

Politics and public service

• J. Frank Aldrich (1877), U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Truman H. Aldrich (1869), U.S. Representative from Alabama (1896–1897)
• Myles Brand (1964), president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
• William Beidelman, Union Army Second Lieutenant, Second Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania
• George R. Dennis, United States Senator from Maryland
• Francis Collier Draper (1854), Toronto lawyer, Toronto Police Chief
• Thomas Farrell (1912), Deputy Commanding General of the Manhattan Project
• Nariman Farvardin (1983), Provost of the University of Maryland
• Lincoln D. Faurer (1964), director of the National Security Agency and chief, Central Security Service, 1981–1985
• Richard Franchot, U.S. Representative from New York (1861–1863)
• Arthur J. Gajarsa (1962), Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, trustee
• Naeem Gheriany, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Libya
• Thomas J. Haas (1983), current president of Grand Valley State University^[15]
• John Hammond, US Representative from New York, iron manufacturer^[16]
• Walter F. Lineberger, U.S. State Representative of California, 1917–1921
• Richard Linn (1965), Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• George Low, manager of NASA's Apollo 11 project; President of RPI (1976–1984); namesake of RPI's Low Center for Industrial Innovation
• Hani Al-Mulki (MA, PhD), former Prime Minister of Jordan
• John Olver (1958), Massachusetts State Representative (D) since 1991
• Ely S. Parker, Civil War statesman, author of Appomattox Courthouse agreement
• Clarkson Nott Potter (1843), U.S. Representative from New York, surveyor, lawyer, and president of the American Bar Association^[17]
• Mark Shepard (1994), Vermont State Senator
• Clement Hall Sinnickson, U.S. State Representative from New Jersey, 1875–1879
• Peter G. Ten Eyck, New York State Representative
• Tony Tether (1964), director of DARPA, 2001–2009
• W. Aubrey Thomas, U.S. State Representative from Ohio, 1900–1911
• De Volson Wood (1857), first president of the American Society for Engineering Education^[18]

Science and technology

• David Adler (1956), physicist
• Don L. Anderson (1955), geophysicist
• James Curtis Booth (1832), chemist
• James Cantor (1988), neuroscientist, sex researcher
• Ronald Collé (1972), nuclear physicist at NIST
• George Hammell Cook (1839), state geologist of New Jersey
• Edgar Cortright (1949), former NASA official
• Ebenezer Emmons (1826), geologist, author of Natural History of New York (1848) and American Geology
• Asa Fitch (1827), entomologist
• Alan Fowler (1951), physicist, NAS member
• David Ferrucci (1994), computer scientist, developed IBM Watson AI Jeopardy player
• Claire M. Fraser (1977), President and Director of The Institute for Genomic Research
• Jeffrey M. Friedman, discovered leptin, a key hormone in the area of human obesity
• Ivar Giaever (1964), shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries on tunneling phenomena in semiconductors; Institute Professor of Science
• Morton Gurtin (1955), mathematical physicist
• James Hall (1832), geologist and paleontologist
• Jon Hall (1977), Executive Director of Linux International
• Peter E. Hart, group senior vice president of the Ricoh company; artificial intelligence innovator
• Edward C. Harwood, economist
• Hermann A. Haus (1951), optical communications researcher, pioneer of quantum optics
• Eben Norton Horsford (1838), "father of food science" and author, discovered baking powder
• Douglass Houghton (1829), Michigan's first state geologist; namesake of a Michigan city, county, and lake
• Robert Kennicutt (1973), astronomer
• Nimai Mukhopadhyay, physics
• Richard Klein (1966), astronomer
  • David Korn (1965), computer programmer who created the Korn Shell Richard Mastracchio (1987), NASA astronaut, flew on STS-106 Atlantis, 2000
• Mark T. Maybury, Chief Scientist of U.S. Air Force
• Pat Munday (1981), environmentalist
• Heidi Jo Newberg (1987), professor of astrophysics at RPI
• James "Kibo" Parry, satirist, Usenet personality, and typeface designer
• Henry Augustus Rowland (1870), first president of the American Physical Society; Johns Hopkins University's first physics professor
• Mark Russinovich, Windows software engineer
• Peter Schwartz, futurist and writer
• Robert C. Seacord, computer security specialist and author
• Kip Siegel (1948), physicist, professor of physics at the University of Michigan
• Andrew Sears, computer science professor at UMBC
• Marlan Scully, physicist known for work in quantum optics
• George Soper (1895), managing director of the American Society for the Control of Cancer, later the American Cancer Society
• Chauncey Starr (1935), pioneer in nuclear energy
• John L. Swigert Jr. (1965), astronaut, member of Apollo 13; recipient of 1970 Presidential Medal of Freedom; elected to U.S. House of Representatives for Colorado, 1982
• Dennis Tito (1964), millionaire and the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket
• Michael Tuomey (1835), state geologist of South Carolina and Alabama
• Chris Welty (1995), computer scientist
• Gregory R. Wiseman, NASA astronaut
• Chris Wysopal, also known as Weld Pond (1987), member of the hacker think tank L0pht Heavy Industries, founder of Veracode

Sports

• John Carter (1986), NHL forward 1986–1993
• Kevin Constantine (1980), NHL head coach of the San Jose Sharks 1993–1995, the Pittsburgh Penguins 1997–2000, and the New Jersey Devils 2001–2002; recipient of USA Hockey's Distinguished Achievement Award
• Erin Crocker (2003), NASCAR driver
• Don Cutts (1974), NHL and International Hockey League (1945–2001) goaltender 1974–1984
• Oren Eizenman (born 1985), Israeli-Canadian ice hockey player
• Andrew Franks (2015), NFL placekicker for the Miami Dolphins since 2015.
• Tim Friday (1985), NHL defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings 1985–1986
• Ken Hammond (1985), NHL defenseman 1985–1993
• Michael E. Herman (1962), President of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball 1992–2000
• Joé Juneau (1991), NHL forward 1991–2004, selected to the 1993 NHL All-Rookie Team, top scorer at the 1992 Winter Olympics while playing for the Canadian Olympic hockey team
• Jason Kasdorf (2016), NHL goalie for the Buffalo Sabres since 2016.
• Neil Little (1994), NHL scout for the Philadelphia Flyers organization; Goaltending Coach for the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League 2007–2008; AHL goaltender 1994–2005; won the '97–98 and '04-05 Calder Cup with the Philadelphia Phantoms; inducted into the Philadelphia Phantoms Hall of Fame in 2006
• Andrew Lord (2008), professional ice hockey player
• Mike McPhee (1982), NHL forward 1983–1994; won the '85–86 Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens; played in the 1989 NHL All Star Game
• Matt Murley (2002), NHL forward 2003–2008
• Kraig Nienhuis (1985), NHL forward 1985–1988
• Adam Oates (1985), co-head coach of the New Jersey Devils 2014–2015; Head Coach of the Washington Capitals 2012–2014; Assistant Coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning 2009–2010 and the New Jersey Devils 2010–2012; NHL forward 1985–2004; played in the 1991–1994 and 1997 NHL All Star Games; inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 2012
• Matt Patricia (1996), Senior football advisor New England Patriots
• Brian Pothier (2000), NHL defenseman 2000–2010
• Daren Puppa (1985), NHL goaltender 1985–2000, played in the 1990 NHL All Star Game
• Brad Tapper (2000), head coach of the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL; NHL forward for the Atlanta Thrashers 2000–2003
• Graeme Townshend (1989), head coach of the Jamaican Men's National Ice Hockey Team; Player Development Coordinator for the San Jose Sharks 2004–2008, NHL forward 1990–1994

Faculty

See main article: category.

Past

• Sharon Anderson-Gold : Science and Technology Studies
• George C. Baldwin (1967–1977) : Nuclear Engineering
• Bimal Kumar Bose (1971–1976) : Electrical Engineering
• George Hammell Cook (1842–1846) : senior professor, Geology
• Richard DiPrima (1957–1984): Fluid dynamics
• Amos Eaton (1824–1842) : first professor, Geology
• Michael James Gaffey (1984–2001) : Planetary Science
• Sorab K. Ghandhi (1963–1992): Electronic Materials, Microelectronics
• Benjamin Franklin Greene (1846–1859) : third senior professor and first director of RPI
• James Hall (1833–1850) : Geology and Chemistry
• Granville Hicks (1929–1935) : English
• Matthew A. Hunter : Metallurgy, first to isolate titanium metal
• Annette Kolodny : English
• Matthew Koss (1990–2000) : Physics
• Edith Hirsch Luchins : Mathematics
• James D. Meindl (1986–1993) : Microelectronics
• Vincent Meunier (2010-2022) : Physics
• Henry Bradford Nason : Chemistry
• E. Bruce Nauman (1981–2009) : Chemical Engineering
• Gina O'Connor (1988–2018) : Business
• Pauline Oliveros : Music
• Robert Resnick (1956–1993): Physics
• George Rickey : Architecture
• Neil Rolnick : Music, founder of iEAR
• Henry Augustus Rowland (1870?–1876) : Physics
• Lee Segel (1960–1973) : Mathematics
• Stephen Van Rensselaer : founder of the institute
• Robert H. Wentorf, Jr. : Chemical Engineering

Current

• Robert A. Baron : Psychology
• Laura K. Boyer : Science and Technology Studies
• Selmer Bringsjord : Artificial Intelligence, Logic
• Linnda R. Caporael : Science and Technology Studies
• Jonathan Dordick : Biochemical Engineering
• Evan Douglis

Architecture

• Faye Duchin : Economics
• Anna Dyson : Architecture ^[19]
• Ron Eglash : Science and Technology Studies
• Peter Fox : Earth and Environmental Science, Computer Science, Cognitive Science
• Ivar Giaever : Physics Professor Emeritus
• Wayne D. Gray : Cognitive Science
• James Hendler : Computer Science
• Nikhil Koratkar : Nanotechnology
• Robert J. Linhardt : Bioengineering
• Deborah McGuinness : Computer Science
• Don Millard : Electrical Engineering, Electronic Media
• David Musser : Computer Science
• Leik Myrabo : Spacecraft Propulsion
• Satish Nambisan : Management
• Heidi Jo Newberg : Astrophysics
• Sal Restivo : Science and Technology Studies
• David Rosowsky : Civil Engineering
• Michael Shur : Semiconductor Electronics
• Ron Sun : Cognitive Science
• Boleslaw Szymanski : Computer Science
• Jeff Trinkle : Computer Science
• William A. Wallace : Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems
• Langdon Winner : Science and Technology Studies
• Houman Younessi : Systems Engineering (Hartford)
• George Xu : Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear
• Xi-Cheng Zhang : Physics and Terahertz Technology
• Georges Belfort

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Alumni Hall of Fame. www.rpi.edu.
2. Web site: 2018-10-12. Dominoes as an art – and a job. 2020-08-05. All Over Albany.
3. Web site: RPI: News & Events - WordPlay Crossword Puzzle Movie Features Rensselaer Grad Tyler Hinman '06 . 2008-05-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071219085641/http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=1630&setappvar=page(1) . 2007-12-19 . dead .
4. Web site: Jennifer and Kevin McCoy . Postmasters Gallery.
5. Web site: Games at the American Classic Arcade Museum – Q*Bert. www.classicarcademuseum.org.
6. Web site: Emil H. Praeger. RPI: Alumni Hall of Fame: Emil H. Praeger. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 2 July 2011.
7. Web site: Meet R.J. Scaringe, Founder Of Rivian Automotive—And Tesla's Worst Nightmare. Chuck. Tannert. February 8, 2019. Forbes Wheels.
8. Web site: Robert H. Widmer. RPI Alumni Hall of Fame: Robert H. Widmer. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 2 July 2011.
9. News: Martin. Douglas. Robert H. Widmer, Designer of Military Aircraft, Dies at 95. 2 July 2011. The New York Times. 2 July 2011.
10. Cline HE, Schenck JF, Hynynen K, Watkins RD, Souza SP, Jolesz FA . MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery . J Comput Assist Tomogr . 16 . 6 . 956–65 . 1992 . 1430448 . 10.1097/00004728-199211000-00024 . 11944489 .
11. Book: Nason . Henry B. . 1887 . Biographical Record of the Officers and Graduates of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1824–1886 . Troy, NY . William H. Young . 341–342 . Google Books.
12. Book: Reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland . 1914 . Reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland: Forty-first Reunion . Chattanooga, TN . MacGowan–Cooke Printing Company . 115 . Google Books.
13. Book: Scannell . John James . 1919 . Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens and State Guide . II . Paterson, NJ . . 637 . Google Books.
14. Book: Johnson . Rossiter . Rossiter Johnson . 1904 . The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans . X . Boston, MA . The Biographical Society . Voorhees–Vroom . Google Books.
15. Web site: Archived copy . 2007-06-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081014125408/http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/news/newsletter/ewp_fall06.pdf . 2008-10-14 .
16. Web site: HAMMOND, John – Biographical Information.
17. Web site: POTTER, Clarkson Nott – Biographical Information.
18. 2969269. Biography: De Volson Wood. F. P.. Matz. 1 January 1895. The American Mathematical Monthly. 2. 9/10. 253–256. 10.2307/2969269.
19. Web site: Anna Dyson. 2021-03-30. faculty.rpi.edu. en.