Co-Inventor of the Personal Computer to Join the University of Tennessee Faculty

Mark Dean was named the John Fisher Distinguished Professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has been serving as the chief technology officer for IBM Middle East and Africa, based in Dubai.

Dean is considered a co-inventor of the personal computer. He holds three of the nine original patents on the computer on which all current PCs are based. His research focused on developing the technology to have the PC and peripheral devices communicate effectively. In all, he is the owner of 40 patents.

Professor Dean is a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Engineering. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in California.