Dr. David Parekh
Vice President, Research, and Director, United Technologies Research Center

David Parekh holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and master's degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from Stanford University, as well as a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Parekh came to UTRC in 2007 from the Georgia Tech Research Institute, where he was deputy director. While at GTRI, Parekh had primary responsibility for research operations, business development, commercialization, and the institute's internal research portfolio. He served as president of Georgia Tech Ireland, the university's non-profit corporation, which he founded in 2006 to conduct basic and applied research programs with multinational corporations and universities in Europe. Early in his career, Parekh held several positions at Boeing Phantom Works and the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories.

Dr. Robert Hobbs
Director of Operations, United Technologies Research Center

Bob Hobbs is responsible for the management of resources supporting the execution of research accomplished at UTRC. This extends to staffing, budget, and connections to research partners throughout the world. Hobbs joined UTRC in 1971 as a research scientist, and has served as senior theoretical physicist, director of mechatronics, and director of chemical science and fluid mechanics.

Hobbs earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a doctorate in theoretical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.