John S Thode

John S Thode is a Clinical Professor for Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois. He holds dual roles as Founder & Chairman of Thode Residential Rental Properties, LLC and maintains active board memberships at Illinois Super Conductor (President/CEO), Symbian Ltd., and Ancient Oaks Foundation (nonprofit co-founded with his wife in 2014).

• 35-year technology career spanning startups to multi-billion dollar enterprises
• Notable contributions: Motorola Dyna TAC 'Brick Phone', first touchscreen smartphone (Motorola A1000), Dell's first phablet/2-in-1 PC
• Turnaround leadership at DigitalOptics Corp (customers: Apple/Samsung/Xiaomi)

Research focuses on technology commercialization, leadership in tech innovation, and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Courses taught include 'Idea to Enterprise', 'Startup City Scholars', and 'Deep Tech Accelerator' programs.

His work integrates engineering advancements with business strategy, demonstrated through contributions to 3G cellular systems, computational optics, and MEMS actuators-based imaging technologies.