Analog Devices Fellow Bob Adams was awarded the 2016 Industrial Pioneer Award from the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Circuits and Systems Society for his groundbreaking work on commercial delta-sigma converters. He is one of only 16 people to receive this prestigious honor.

Adams is an Analog Devices Fellow, which is a distinguished technical position awarded to engineers who contribute significantly to the company’s business success through exceptional innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship and an unparalleled ability to bridge organizations and mentor other Analog Devices employees. Adams is well known in the semiconductor field for his discoveries and inventions, many of which have had a profound impact across a number of industries. His development of the log-domain analog filter principle is now used in ultra-low-power medical ICs that require highly programmable filters. Adams is also recognized for his work on the first integrated asynchronous rate-converter for audio and the first analog-to-digital converter for audio with 18-bit resolution. Both innovations are widely regarded as industry standards.

“Bob pioneered a number of disruptive technologies that have changed how many important technical problems are solved,” said Gabriele Manganaro, ADI engineering director, high speed converters. “His infectious enthusiasm and down to earth personality have positively shaped many other innovators at ADI, as well as at other companies and in academia.”

The Industrial Pioneer Award honors individuals with exceptional and pioneering contributions in translating academic and industrial research results into improved industrial applications and/or commercial products.

In addition to this most recent recognition, Adams was the recipient of the 2015 IEEE Pederson Award. He is also an IEEE Fellow and an Audio Engineering Society Fellow.