Oral History: Clark A. Hamilton (2016)

IEEE Life Fellow, (IEEE Fellow, 1995) Clark A. Hamilton was born in Rochester, New York on 22 April 1944. He received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York in 1966, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Rochester in New York, in 1968 and 1971, respectively. He joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; formerly the National Bureau of Standards) in Boulder, Colorado, in 1971, and became a NIST Fellow in 1987. Most of his career at NIST focused on Josephson devices and voltage standards. In 1999, he retired from NIST to start his own company, VMetrix LLC, located in Boulder, Colorado. It specializes in system design, consulting, and training related to Josephson voltage standards.

In 1995, Hamilton became an IEEE Fellow and has authored more than eighty publications. He has received many awards, including the 1995 IEEE Electrotechnology Transfer Award, the 2001 National Conference of Standards Laboratories International (NCSLI) Wildhack Award, the IEEE Council on Superconductivity Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and two U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medals for his work on superconducting integrated circuits using Josephson devices (1984 and 1989). In addition, he shared IR100 awards for his work on infrared detectors (1976) and Josephson array voltage standards (1987).

In this interview, Clark A. Hamilton discusses his childhood education, interests, hobbies, and science projects; college experiences; and career. He also reviews his experiences in electrical engineering, particularly in the Josephson junction development as well as career challenges, successes, and opportunities. In addition, Hamilton also talks about professional organizations and international collaboration, especially with engineers and scientists in China.