James U. Lemke

A founder of the Center for Magnetic Recording Research, (CMRR), Professor Lemke's specialty is nano-tribology, the interactions between surfaces at an atomic level, particularly the wear, interference, and movements between surfaces in magnetic recording devices. Lemke is also known as a founder of many successful technology companies, including Spin Physics in 1968, (sold to Eastman Kodak) a developer and supplier of high-density magnetic recording equipment and materials, and Viscous Corporation (sold to Seagate Technology), among others. Lemke now operates Recording Physics, a high-tech incubator based in San Diego. A new area of interest is telecommunications.

James U. Lemke came to UCSD in 1982. He cooperated with Albert Hoagland to form CMRR. While known for establishing successful high-tech companies, he has remained active at both the Jacobs School and CMRR. In 2000, he served on the Council of Advisors to the Jacobs School Dean. Lemke began his applied work as student in 1948, when he joined the new IBM Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory at Columbia University, working on memory devices for the IBM PAC computer. Employed by major companies, Lemke worked on development of high-density instrumentation and PCM recorders and in magnetics research. A holder of numerous patents, he has received many honors. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an IEEE fellow, and in 1995 he was awarded the IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Award "For contributions to advancing the science and technology of high density magnetic data storage." He was named a distinguished alumnus in 1997 from UC, Santa Barbara, from which received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1966.