Edmund O. Schweitzer, III

President, Chairman, and CTO
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc.
BSEE 1968, MSEE 1971

Edmund Schweitzer is an electrical engineer, recognized inventor, and the founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). He has served as a member of the faculty for Ohio University as well as Washington State University. Ed Schweitzer is credited with creating the first digital protective relay in 1982, revolutionizing the protection industry. Along with his wife, Beatriz, Schweitzer has donated millions of dollars to various charity and city organizations.

In 2012, Ed was awarded the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, and in 2019 he was formally inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Schweitzer continues to lecture at universities throughout the country and is a visiting professor at Mexico’s Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey. Ed considers himself both a teacher and a working engineer. He believes that if you teach your customers how to use your products to their fullest, it’s the easiest way to sell them.

Ed Schweitzer is an alumnus of Purdue University’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, having received his BSEE in 1968 and his MSEE in 1971. Ed’s innovations have allowed engineers of all backgrounds to monitor, control, and protect power systems in ways not previously imagined. The application of Schweitzer’s digital technology as replacement equipment or in new installations has led to reduced design work in protection and control systems, flexible operation options, and increased reliability, resulting in reduced cost.