Paul Eremenko

Paul Eremenko (Ukrainian: Єременко Павло Олександрович; 1979 in Lviv, Soviet Union) is a Ukrainian American Innovator and Technology executive. He was formerly the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of United Technologies Corporation. Earlier, he served as the CTO of Airbus,[1] and former CEO of Airbus Silicon Valley innovation center.[2][3] He is a former Google executive and head of Google's Project Ara, an effort to create an open, modular smartphone platform.[4][5][6] Eremenko was named one of the Top-10 Tech Leaders of 2015 in FORTUNE Magazine.[7] Eremenko has also come out as a strong proponent of artificial intelligence and autonomy research, brushing away the growing chorus of concerns by many prominent technology and business leaders.[8][9] Eremenko has cited his desire to build a starship as the motivation underpinning his career.[10]

Paul Eremenko
Born
Єременко Павло Олександрович

1979
Lviv, Soviet Union
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.S. (aeronautics and astronautics), Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
M.S. (aeronautics), California Institute of Technology.
J.D. (law), Georgetown University.
OccupationAerospace, Technology
Years active2001–present
Known forFounding CEO of Airbus Silicon Valley Innovation Center
Project Ara at Google
DARPA
Adaptive Vehicle Make
Fractionated Spacecraft
Value-driven design
100 Year Starship
TitleFormer Chief Technology Officer of United Technologies Corporation

Education

Eremenko earned a bachelor's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT,[11] a Master's in Aeronautics from Caltech, and a J.D. (law) degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[12] He trained as a pilot at Aretz Airport near Purdue University.[10]

Career

Universal Hydrogen

On 23 September 2020, Eremenko announced Universal Hydrogen, a new business venture in aviation conversion systems for hydrogen fuel cells.[13]

United Technologies Corporation

On 30 November 2017, Eremenko was named Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, effective 1 January 2018.[14] Eremenko will provide strategic leadership for the company's research, engineering and development activities in the global aerospace and building systems industries. He will also oversee the United Technologies Research Center.[14] On 18 September 2019, he decided to leave UTC to pursue new opportunities.[15]

Airbus Group

On 29 May 2015, Eremenko was named the founding CEO of Airbus Group Silicon Valley technology and business innovation center. In this capacity, he was responsible for establishing Airbus's Silicon Valley presence.[3] Eremenko became Airbus Group CTO in July 2016 and left Airbus on 31 December 2017 citing pressures on his work-family life balance.[16]

Google

At Google, Eremenko created and headed Project Ara, which seeks to democratize the mobile phone hardware ecosystem and to make the mobile internet accessible to the next five billion people.[6] The project is also developing a production 3D printer to enable aesthetic customization of the modules that form the device.[17][18] The ATAP division at Google aims to replicate the innovation model of the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) in the private sector.[5]

Motorola

Before moving to Google, Eremenko was Vice President of Advanced Technology at Motorola[18] where he started Project Ara prior to Google's sale of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, while retaining the project.[4][5]

DARPA

Eremenko served as the Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Tactical Technology Office at DARPA, the office responsible for the agency's drones, robotics, X-planes, and satellite programs.[19][20] While at DARPA, Eremenko developed and managed several projects, including an effort to revolutionize design and manufacture of complex military systems (such as vehicles and aircraft) called Adaptive Vehicle Make,[21][22][23][24] the System F6 fractionated spacecraft program,[12][25] and the 100 Year Starship.[26] Eremenko was also responsible for a crowd-sourced military vehicle effort called XC2V which was said to revolutionize auto manufacturing.[24]

At DARPA, Eremenko developed two education-themed efforts: DARPA's MENTOR program focused on building a manufacturing workforce,[23] and InSPIRE which made the SPHERES robotic platform on the International Space Station accessible to high school students.[27]

Booz Allen Hamilton

Eremenko started his career as an associate in the defense business segment of Booz Allen Hamilton, consulting in particular for DARPA, which he later joined.

Controversies

Since Eremenko was responsible for DARPA's drone and robotics programs, he was asked in the 2013 Nova documentary Rise of the Drones whether he was concerned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, he replied "if you were to ask ... whether the Rise of the Machines-type scenario is a real concern ... my response would be, 'We should be so lucky.' In fact, if we could get little slivers of that kind of adaptive and cognitive capability into systems, that would be a very significant breakthrough, from where we stand today."[8][9]

The 100 Year Starship, which Eremenko headed at DARPA, was named by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn as one of the 100 most wasteful government spending projects. Coburn specifically cited a 100 Year Starship workshop that included one session, entitled "Did Jesus die for Klingons too?" that debated the implications for Christian philosophy should life be found on other planets.[28]

Other work

Eremenko was one of the creators and early proponents of a systems engineering strategy for creating more flexible and adaptable products known as value-driven design.[12]

Personal life

Eremenko is the son of the Ukrainian-American mathematician Alexandre Eremenko and the great grandson of a Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Eremenko[10]’s brother Semion. Paul Eremenko was one of the most senior aerospace industry executives who is openly gay.[29]

References
  1. "Airbus Confirms Departure of Paul Eremenko, Appoints Marc Fontaine Acting Chief Technology Officer". Airbus. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  2. https://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/news-media/press-releases/Airbus-Group/Financial_Communication/2016/06/en_PE-new-CTO-of-Airbus-Group.html
  3. http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/news-media/press-releases/Airbus-Group/Financial_Communication/2015/05/20150529_airbus_group_silicon_valley.html
  4. McCracken, Harry (26 February 2014). "Project Ara: Inside Google's Bold Gambit to Make Smartphones Modular". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  5. Helft, Miguel (14 August 2014). "Google goes DARPA". FORTUNE. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  6. Bohn, Dieter (15 April 2014). "Building blocks: how Project Ara is reinventing the smartphone". The Verge. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  7. "Microsoft CEO bests the rest in tech leadership, says researcher". Fortune. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  8. Yost, Peter (23 January 2013). "Rise of the Drones". Internet Movie Database. PBS Nova. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  9. Yost, Peter (23 January 2013). "Rise of the Drones". YouTube. PBS Nova. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. Daniels, Pres. Mitch. "Purdue Presidential Lecture Series - Paul Eremenko".
  11. "Aero/astro confers awards on 26". MIT News. 6 June 2001. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  12. Brown, Owen; Eremenko, Paul (November 2009). "Acquiring Space Systems in an Uncertain Future: The Introduction of Value-Centric Acquisition" (PDF). High Frontier. 6 (1): 43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  13. Alcock, Charles. "Conversion Plan Set To Promote Early Switch to Hydrogen Fuel". Aviation International News. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  14. "Paul Eremenko Joins United Technologies Corporation as Chief Technology Officer". United Technologies. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  15. "UTC technology chief Paul Eremenko steps down". Reuters. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  16. "Airbus technology head Eremenko to leave for UTC -report". REUTERS. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  17. Halleck, Thomas (25 November 2013). "Phonebloks: Motorola Partners With 3D Systems For Modular Smartphone Future In 'Project Ara'". International Business Times. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  18. Talbot, David (7 April 2014). "Why Google's Modular Smartphone Might Actually Succeed". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  19. Strohm, Chris (15 April 2013). "Google's Motorola Mobility Taps U.S. Defense Agency for Talent". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  20. Aguirre, Lauren (17 January 2013). "How Dumb Are Drones?". PBS Nova. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  21. "How DARPA Aims to Revolutionize Defense Manufacturing". Armed with Science. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  22. Kenyon, Henry (17 September 2010). "DARPA wants to blow up military design process, start over". Defense Systems. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  23. Gallagher, Sean (6 December 2011). "DARPA's factory of the future looks like open source development". Ars Technica. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  24. Belfiore, Michael (26 January 2012). "Adaptive Vehicle Make: DARPA's Plan to Revolutionize Auto Manufacturing". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  25. Montalbano, Elizabeth (16 November 2011). "DARPA Wants Wireless Network For Satellite Clusters". Information Week. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  26. Page, Lewis (3 November 2010). "DARPA, NASA team on '100-Year Starship' project". The Register. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  27. Buck, Joshua; Jones, Johanna. "NASA, DARPA Seek Satellite Research Proposals For Space Station". NASA. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  28. Kennedy, Sean (December 2012). "Defense Waste: The Final Frontier". Citizens Against Government Waste. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  29. Hsiao, Jensen (6 July 2015). "Google Director of Engineering Offers Insight Into Aerospace Tech & Trends in the Hardware Industry". Founder Institute Spotlight. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
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