We are pleased to honor Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78G, ’80 Ph.D. for their exemplary support of Rensselaer students and research.
Dr. Kelly began his relationship with Rensselaer during his time as a graduate student, receiving a Master’s Degree in Physics in 1978 and a Doctorate in Materials Engineering in 1980.
Dr. Kelly began his 30-plus year career with International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) in 1980, and currently serves as senior vice president of Cognitive Solutions and Research. Dr. Kelly and his teams have been responsible for numerous technology breakthroughs over nearly four decades, including most recently – and perhaps most importantly – advancing the science of cognitive artificial / augmented intelligence (AI) … Watson… a household name. This reignited the field of AI globally, which is now transforming every industry and aspect of life from financial services to healthcare.
While the Rensselaer/IBM partnership dates back decades to the revolutionary IBM System/360, first announced in 1964, Dr. Kelly has been instrumental in further cultivating the IBM/Rensselaer partnership that encompasses platforms such as the IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, the Advanced Multiprocessing Optimized System, or AMOS—after Rensselaer founder Amos Eaton—the most powerful supercomputer at an American private university, the Jefferson Project at Lake George, and the Cognitive and Immersive Systems Laboratory, or CISL@EMPAC.
Dr. Kelly has beenan esteemed member of the Rensselaer Board of Trustees since 2010.
He and his wife, Helen-Jo, have demonstrated a deep appreciation for Rensselaer students by establishing three endowed scholarships to date: the John E. Kelly III ’78 Scholarship, in 2001, the Nicholas M. Donofrio ’67 IBM Scholarship, in honor of his long-time friend and colleague, in 2010, and the Professor Minoru Tomozawa Scholarship, in honor of a respected Rensselaer faculty member, in 2010. Coupled with the Kelly’s support of the Patroon Scholars Program of the Rensselaer Annual Fund, their generous support of scholarship at Rensselear has provided opportunities for numerous students to attend Rensselaer.
Most recently, Dr. and Mrs. Kelly established an endowed fund to support the ongoing research within the Jefferson Project: the Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78 Data Visualization Laboratory, located at the Margaret A. and David M. Darrin ’40 Fresh Water Institute in Lake George.
It will come as no surprise that Dr. Kelly has been honored by Rensselaer Alumni Association for his service to the Institute, receiving the RAA Fellows Award in 2002, and the RAA Alumni Key Award in 2009. In 2006, Dr. Kelly also received the Rensselaer Davies Medal for Engineering Achievement. He and Helen-Jo are members of the Stephen Van Rensselaer Society of Patroons at Rensselaer, for their lifetime commitment to Rensselaer in excess of $1 million.
Through the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award,we further express our appreciation for the dedication, service, and generosity of Helen-Jo and John E. Kelly III ’78G, ’80 Ph.D.