Fred Thomas is one of America’s more prolific and versatile inventors, with a career spanning four decades and more than 100 U.S. patents. From pioneering removable storage technologies such as the Iomega Zip Drive to advancing electro-optical imaging systems like HP’s recent award-winning HP Z Captis, Thomas has consistently bridged science, engineering, and commercialization. His groundbreaking work in Subwavelength Optical Data Storage earned him the prestigious Lemelson–MIT Inventor Award and a Nano 50 Award, recognizing its potential to redefine optical storage at the nanoscale. He brings to Bucknell a wealth of experience in structured innovation, intellectual property strategy, and mentoring the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs. His monthly column, Innovation & IP Ramblings, offers insights on invention, patents, and technology leadership in Laser Focus World Magazine: Read it here. If you are on LinkedIn, subscribe to the newsletter here.
Fred will be speaking on “The Craft of Becoming an Inventor” during his visit.
Thomas is a Bucknell graduate (’82 & ’90) and presently is employed at HP in the roll of HP Distinguished Technologist for Emerging Technology in their Advance Compute and Solutions (ACS) Business.