Bob Eisenhart

Biography:

Dr. Bob Eisenhart has a deep connection to the military through family and his own service.  Born in San Antonio, Texas, into an Air Force family, his passion for military aviation, especially the B-29 bombers that helped end WWII—action his father was directly involved in—shaped his early interests.  A 1960 Distinguished Army ROTC graduate with a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Bob served two years of active duty with the U.S. Army Security Agency in Arlington, Virginia, followed by three years in the reserves in Frankfurt, Germany.  During the Cold War, he managed critical "Electronic Monitoring Equipment," earning a special Letter of Commendation from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for his impactful work in Europe.  After earning a Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1970, he joined Hughes Aircraft Company, focusing on Research & Development and retiring as Chief Scientist after 23 years.  He subsequently established Eisenhart & Associates, consulting on microwave circuits and antennas—technologies vital to military communications and radar—until 2018.  Within IEEE, Dr. Eisenhart served in multiple leadership roles over two decades, notably as General Chairman of the 1999 International Microwave Symposium. Elected an IEEE Fellow in 1995 and Life Fellow in 2005, he received the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society’s prestigious Microwave Pioneer Award in 1999. His career focused on design, and he shared his expertise through numerous seminars at companies and universities.