Colin Harrison

Colin Harrison grew up in Scarborough in the north of England. He studied engineering and physics in London and Munich and was awarded a PhD in Materials Science. He first practiced engineering at the CERN nuclear physics lab in Geneva. He then returned to England to lead the development of the first MRI scanner to show structure inside the human head (Colin's). By that time he was married to Lynn Awtrey from Fresno, California and this eventually drew him to San Jose, where, somewhat by accident, he joined IBM. Since then he has enjoyed a wide ranging career as a technologist at IBM. In 1982 they moved to Connecticut, where their son Mark was born. Colin has since enjoyed several extended stays in Switzerland where long ago he lost his heart in the mountains. He is currently the leader for the technical strategy of IBM's Smarter City initiative.