Senior Leadership Insights: A Conversation with Jothy Rosenberg, Ph.D., Executive Chairman, Dover Microsystems

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Jothy Rosenberg received his Ph.D. in computer science from Duke University where he remained as a CS professor for five years after graduation. He left academia and went on to found nine high-tech startups in areas ranging from parallel supercomputers to internet security with some internet infrastructure, television streaming processors, and special effects equipment startups in between. Two of his startups had exits over $100M. In between, Jothy’s stint at Borland International brought him to Boston, where he has lived for 27 years. His most recent startup began as a DARPA program to develop a processor virtually immune to cyber attacks. He then incubated the idea further at Draper Labs and in 2017 he spun it out as Dover Microsystems. He served as CEO there through 2022, when he moved into a role as Executive Chairman. The author of several technical books, he will publish a business book in early 2024, Think Like a Tech Founder: Anecdotes of an Incorrigible Entrepreneur.

Jothy lives by the phrase Who Says I Can’t, which is the title of his memoir and the name of his non-profit foundation, which helps those with disabilities regain their self-esteem through success at athletics. Jothy’s TED talk of the same name is about how he used sports as his way to thrive after losing a leg and a lung to cancer as a teenager. He still does the Alcatraz Sharkfest swim and one 100+ mile charity bike ride every summer.

Dr. Rosenberg will be joined in conversation by Dr. Rong Ge, Cue Family Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director of Graduate Studies. The discussion will focus on six key questions:

1. Tell us about your background. What was your path to your current role?
2. Can you tell us about your organization, and describe a typical day for a Ph.D.-level hire?
3. What do you see as the value that doctoral training has added to your professional trajectory?
4. Beyond strong research skills, what other skills, experience and/or training are important for success in your field? 
5. Are there any skills, training, or experiences you wish you’d had in graduate school to prepare you for your current career path?
6. What can students who would like to work in this field (or explore it further) do to prepare?

Following the key questions, there will be time for Q&A with the audience. The first three students who ask questions on audio/video can receive $15 Duke Dining gift cards.

The Senior Leadership Insights series is sponsored by The Graduate School and offers this session in partnership with the Department of Computer Science.