Eric Pearson
Vice President, Physical Sciences Division

Eric Pearson joined SRI in 1989 as a materials scientist and later became director of SRI's Physical Electronics Laboratory. Most recently he was director of the Applied Optics Laboratory, a position he held from the laboratory's creation in 1997 until being named vice president of the Physical Sciences Division in 2007.

Pearson’s responsibilities as vice president include developing R&D programs to provide valuable solutions to government and commercial clients, and pursuing partnerships and alliances that leverage SRI’s capabilities and intellectual property. Under his direction, the Physical Sciences Division pursues research on advanced materials, microfabrication, power sources, molecular and optical physics, catalysts, coatings and environmentally benign processing.

His technical background includes the electromagnetic, optical, and infrared properties of materials; visible and infrared coatings; thin-film nucleation and growth; classical statistical mechanics; nonimaging optics; nonlinear optical materials and devices; and optical signal processing.

Prior to joining SRI, Pearson was a materials development scientist in the Office of Research, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/OR). He has a B.S. in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. and Ph.D., also in materials science, from Stanford University.  He has been published in refereed journals and government reports on topics ranging from statistical mechanics and silicon surfaces and defects to the electromagnetic properties of materials. He holds two issued patents. Pearson received a Defense Meritorious Service Medal from the U.S. Air Force in 1989 and was named an SRI Fellow in 1996.