Robert (Bob) F. Karlicek, Jr. received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining RPI, he spent over 30 years in industrial research and R&D management positions with corporations including AT&T Bell Labs, EMCORE, General Electric, Gore Photonics, Microsemi, Luminus Devices and SolidUV.

Bob’s technical experience includes epitaxial growth of high-performance LEDs and lasers, advanced device fabrication and high power LED packaging, thermal management, control systems design and applications in solid-state lighting as well as other novel LED uses such as IR and UV LED applications. Bob is well known globally as an LED industry expert. He is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops, and has over 40 published technical papers and 24 U.S. patents.