H. Douglas Barber attended the University of Saskatchewan where he earned a B.Sc. with Great Distinction, the Governor General's Gold Medal and a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. He was an Athlone Fellow and NATO Scholar and received his Ph.D. from Imperial College, University of London in 1965. In 1973 he was a founder of Linear Technology Inc., (now known as Gennum Corporation) which manufactures and markets microcircuits. Dr. Barber was President and CEO of Gennum when he retired in 2000 and he continues in his position as a director. He was a part-time Engineering Physics Professor at McMaster University from 1968 to 1994 and in 2001 he was appointed Distinguished Professor-in-Residence. Dr. Barber has authored 29 papers and holds several patents. He speaks frequently on business, technology, learning, innovation and economic development.

Dr. Barber’s honours include the APEO Engineering Medal, the University of Saskatchewan C.J. Mackenzie Distinguished Graduate Award, the Professional Engineers of Ontario Gold Medal and Engineer of the Year Award of the Hamilton Engineering Institute. Dr. Barber has received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the University of Waterloo, an Honorary Doctorate of Science from McMaster University, and in 1999 was named Ontario’s Technology Entrepreneur of the Year and received the National Citation for Innovation & Technology. Most recently, Dr. Barber was named to the prestigious Order of Canada.

Dr. Barber served as a Director of the Strategic Microelectronics Consortium, the Canadian Advanced Technology Association and the Alberta Microelectronics Corporation. He was a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the National Innovation Strategy, the Ontario Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board and served as Vice Chair of the Ontario Science and Innovation Council. He was a founding co-chair of the National Information Technology Initiative that sponsored eMPOWR Canada Inc., and is a past director of the Golden Horseshoe Venture Forum.

Dr. Barber is a member of the Electrochemical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the Hamilton Civic Coalition and the Burlington Post Secondary Task Force. At McMaster University, Dr. Barber is a member of the Board of Governors, the Senate and the Directors College and is Chair of the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board. He is a Director of Micralyne Inc., NetAccess Systems Inc., DALSA Corporation, and AllerGen NCE Inc. He is a member of the Conference Board of Canada Leader’s Roundtable on Commercialization, the Commercialization Advisory Council of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ontario Research and Innovation Council and the Board of the Institute for Quantum Computing.

Dr. Barber and his wife, June, have raised a family of four whose families now include eight grandchildren. He is a man of faith with over 30 years of active involvement in their church.