JUAN M. DE BEDOUT
Technology Director, Electrical Technologies & Systems “The three mechanical engineering degrees I earned at Purdue established a foundation of analytical thinking that has served me well in my career. In the backdrop of a rich and globally diverse culture of discovery and innovation, Purdueʼs curricula not only build world-class technical depth, but along the way also develop the ability to grasp the essence of vaguely defined problems and the mental clarity to formulate plans for resolving them in a systematic and logical fashion. As my responsibilities have grown, not a day goes by that I donʼt leverage these traits for both research and business challenges.” Dr. Juan M. de Bedout is the Global Technology Leader at GE’s Global Research Center for the Power Conversion Systems organization, a group devoted to developing advanced electric machines, power electronics, and power systems technologies for GE’s Infrastructure businesses. He received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Purdue University in 1994, his master’s in 1996, and his Ph.D. in 2000. Under a $27 million partnership between GE Global Research and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), GE Global is currently embarking on a four-year Low Wind Speed Turbine Phase II Development program. The goal is to develop technologies for a multimegawatt offshore wind turbine prototype with high reliability and availability at agreed cost goals. The program will identify innovative solutions for new foundation types, construction techniques, rotor design, drive train and electrical systems, while optimizing the total life cycle cost of offshore wind farms. Turbine design and actual prototype will incorporate the best technology practices from land-based turbines, while incorporating lessons learned from first generation offshore pilot projects, to develop a new, robust turbine concept optimized for offshore operations. Optimum turbine size is expected to be in the 5-7 megawatt range and suitable for a water depth of more than 20 meters. General Electric promoted him in 2008 to become one of the 10 Global Technology Leaders (GTL) at GE’s Global Research operations, and he is currently the youngest of the GTLs. On July 1, 2010, de Bedout was awarded the Purdue Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Award. In September 2011 Dr. de Bedout was recognized in Diversity MBA Magazine’s “Top 100 Under 50” awards.
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