The longtime GE employee--he first joined the GE R&D center in 1969, after receiving his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois in Urbana--specializes in the development of medical imaging scanners.
The Schenectady center is one of 26 R&D facilities run by GE around the United States. In 1991, GE was issued 973 U.S. patents; of them, the R&D center accounted for 313. GE products based on inventions from the center include the "fan-beam" computed tomography scanner, synthetic industrial diamonds, and Lexan polycarbonate resin.
Edelheit says that having a vision for the future as well as quick decision-making are perhaps the most essential characteristics of a successful R&D director. "What I see as the key part of my job is getting the right people working on the right projects every day," he says. "We've got to balance off high-risk and low-risk projects; balance off near-term and short- term projects; ...
