Robert Joseph Davis died unexpectedly at his home in Gahanna, OH on March 8, 2024.
Born December 30, 1961 in Bellefonte, PA, he was the son of Helen (Lerchenberger) Davis of State College, PA and the late Robert Franklin Davis.
Bob is survived by sister Rose Marboe (Richard) of State College PA, brother Timothy Davis (Carol Critchlow) of Trumansburg, NY, niece Teresa Marboe (Brian Smith) and great nephew Jacob of Mohegan Lake, NY, and nephews Paul Marboe of State College, PA, and Eric Davis of Boston, MA.
Bob was a 1980 graduate of State College Area High School and a 1983 graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Engineering Science (with Honors), also obtaining an M.S. in Engineering Science in 1984. He continued his education at Cornell University, earning an M.S. in Applied Physics in 1987 and a PhD in Applied Physics in 1990. While pursuing his degrees, he spent over a year at the Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany as a Visiting Researcher. He enjoyed mastering the language and connecting with his German relatives.
Bob’s career followed his love of science and nanotechnology. He started as a Visiting Scientist at IBM TJ Watson Research Center from 1990-1992. He then was an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in New York from 1992-1994. From 1994-2000, Bob was Associate Director of the Electronic Materials and Processing Research Lab (EMPRL) at Penn State University. He then switched from academia to industry, working as Process Engineering Manager of Electron Beam and Photolithography at TriQuint Semiconductor in Dallas, TX from 2000-2005. He returned to academia in 2005 when he became Laboratory Director of the Nanotech West Lab at The Ohio State University. He had many responsibilities at OSU, including Assoc. Director of the OSU Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Co-Director of the Ohio Third Frontier Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization Center (PVIC). He proudly installed solar panels on his house since he had long been involved in photovoltaic research. He retired from OSU in 2017.
Bob loved art and classical music, and was an avid photographer and collector of old camera equipment. He had a beautiful tenor voice, singing in ensembles at the high school and college level. He also loved to travel, highlighted by his trips to Africa and the Galapagos, and shared his experiences with his family through slideshows.
A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, March 22 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Church, 820 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA with Father George Jakopac officiating. Interment will be private at Centre County Memorial Park, State College.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Savethechildren.org.