A Passion for Technology

Technology has always fascinated Jan. As a child with an insatiable curiosity, he was always building and experimenting—with mechanisms, chemistry, electricity, or rockets—and often with consequences that inched a bit too close to catastrophic. After surviving childhood, pursuing engineering was only natural. After earning an engineering degree from the Vrije Universiteit van Brussel in Belgium, he was drawn into what appeared the infinite possibility of computers. This prompted him to complete a PhD in geometric reasoning from the University of Rochester.

Throughout his youth, Jan lived in 10 different countries. He has an accent in every language. When asked where he's from, his answer isn't so straightforward.

The Path to PARC

Jan’s entire career has been fixated on creating disruptive technologies. He initially focused on making computers reason at Unigraphics (now part of Siemens). He then joined Boeing, where his work centered upon evolving how the company designs and builds its products. Next up, Jan was a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he managed a comprehensive portfolio to enable breakthrough capabilities. Today, he is the Head of Research at PARC, where he leads the research, development, and commercialization of disruptive technologies in cleantech, intelligent assistance, and next-generation production.

Ironically, one of his favorite subjects in college was a course on very large-scale integration ("VLSI," to those in the know). The textbook on this pioneering work was written by Carver Mead and Lynn Conway. The authors happened to write it while Conway herself worked at PARC, and the book was funded through a DARPA program. Having joined PARC after his tenure at DARPA, Jan feels like he has come full circle from where he started.

An Enthusiastic PARC Leader

PARC is an amazing place. How we all currently use a computer came out of PARC: personal computing (windows, WYSIWIG, MSWord), networking (ethernet, WiFi), PostScript, laser printing, object oriented programming, voice over IP, palm and tablet computing, to name some. Since its founding in 1970, PARC has created over a trillion dollars in value, joining the elite ranks of Apple, Adobe, and 3Com.

PARC is currently working on a number of breakthrough technologies, including mechanisms to radiate energy back into space and best-in-class carbon capture materials and processes to mitigate global warming. They are also working on next generation augmented reality assistance systems that help perform physical tasks, such as repairing airplanes or performing surgery, as well as tools to democratize production to enable smaller firms and less-experienced engineers to design and manufacture sophisticated products.

The diversity of ideas and backgrounds on Jan's team—which represents over 20 nationalities—engages Jan’s curiosity and makes it an invigorating place to work.