Dr. Patrick Chapman

Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Advanced Development, SolarBridge Technologies

Dr. Patrick Chapman
"Purdue is highly regarded for its power electronics and electric drives research. As such, completing a Ph.D. here under Professor Sudhoff was clearly the springboard into my academic career. He taught me to think big as well as how much hard work and sacrifice it really takes to succeed at the highest levels. I was also privileged to work with Professors Krause and Wasynczuk, who provided my first exposure to faculty entrepreneurship. I came to realize research becomes even more impactful on society when transferred into real products, leading me to eventually co-found my own company. I formed many friendships at Purdue that now, almost 15 years later, are still intact. Overall, my years at Purdue were the best time of my life and I am very grateful to receive this recognition."
 
Dr. Patrick Chapman is co-founder, chief technology officer, and vice president of advanced development at SolarBridge Technologies, Inc. He leads product development for next-generation microinverters, plans the technology roadmap for advanced development of hardware, software and firmware for solar power electronics, and is responsible for diligence related to outside investors, acquisitions, and competitor IP. Prior to SolarBridge Technologies, he was a Willett Faculty Scholar, Grainger Associate, and associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Chapman is a senior member of the IEEE and a member-at-large for the IEEE PELS administrative committee. He served as the general chair for the 2011 IEEE APEC. He received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from the University of Missouri-Rolla, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award. He was named the Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer in 2006. Dr. Chapman received a Ph.D. from Purdue University in electrical and computer engineering in 2000, and master's and bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1997 and 1996, respectively.