About Bob
Bob is a widely recognized leader in the research / product development / operations concerning emerging / disruptive technologies. For over 35 years, Bob has worked across a spectrum of Fortune 50 to Early Stage Start-Up companies, from corporate laboratories to production operations. These include The Hewlett-Packard Company, Ford Motor Company, Philips Electronics, Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. (MCC), Cadence Design Systems, Broadcom (Avago), Apple Inc, Flex (Flextronics), Sony, JVC, and Samsung, and involve breakthroughs often enabling multi billion dollar valuations. Bob has also worked with a number of academic initiatives including The University of Chicago, Caltech, Rice University, Lehigh University, Stanford, The University of Cambridge, Ulster University, and MIT.
Mr. Gardner’s core technical work has been in the areas of Optomechanical Systems, Microelectronics, and LEDs, including leading automotive and general lighting, electronic packaging, computational / printer engines, CMOS cameras, LCOS micro displays, and optical communications teams. Much of Bob’s time has been leading development, transfer and early stage production teams globally, including facilities in Europe, China and Pacific Rim regions. Bob also performs third party capability audits of technical initiatives on behalf of potential investors, and has also recently served as a Senior Advisor regarding National Microelectronics Capabilities for the Office of Industrial Policy Leadership in the US DOD.
Most recently Mr. Gardner has worked with domestic and international start-up companies involved in FDA/CE cleared Mobile Medical Technologies – including the unanticipated leadership of a finalist QualComm Tricorder X Prize Competition team. An additional recent initiative is the disruptive lighting solution for exhibits in the $470M Museum Kinder Building expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston completed in 2020.
Mr. Gardner holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and an MS in Management of Technology from MIT’s Sloan School of Business. Bob is named co-inventor on 62 issued Patents and has been retained as the Technical Expert on a number of patent actions. He is an Eagle Scout, a volunteer Executive for the PacSky Council (Palo Alto CA) in the BSA, a board member for the Grand Master Fiddle Championship in Nashville Tennessee, has twice played “The Grand Ole Opry”, and has a working beef cattle ranch near Austin, TX.