Greg Hinckley, ’68, COO and President of Mentor Graphics, has been inaugurated as an honorary professor of electrical and electronic engineering at the University of Nottingham at Ningbo, China (UNNC).
Hinckley has worked in the integrated circuit world for more than two decades. He joined Mentor Graphics in 1997 and has served as president and director of the company since 1999. In 2011, he was named Oregon’s Technology Executive of the Year.
The honorary degree recognizes Mentor Graphics’ deep and ongoing collaboration with UNNC which includes a new electronic design laboratory that will advance China’s rapidly-growing integrated circuit design industry.
The laboratory will provide UNNC students with in-depth knowledge of the design methodologies needed to create integrated circuits. As part of a mutual agreement, Mentor also donated more than $10 million worth of electronic design automation software, which will support the laboratory in becoming a centre of excellence for future engineers in the region.
Hinckley’s own strong connection with University of Nottingham, dates back to his studies in the University of Nottingham through the Fulbright Scholar program from 1968-69. The University of Nottingham at Ningbo, China is a branch of Nottingham University in the UK and offers a broad curriculum including computer science and electronic engineering. The branch opened in 2006 and now has 5500 students.
Mentor Graphics, a multinational technology firm that provides Computer Aided Design software and hardware to the electronics industry, is the largest pure technology company headquartered in Oregon.