Ikhlaq Sidhu

Ikhlaq Sidhu is the Dean of the IE School of Science and Technology in Madrid, and the founding director of UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology since 2005. He is the author of the book "Innovation Engineering" and the creator of the ground-breaking Data-X Course at Berkeley. He has been granted over 60 patents in internet communication technologies. Dr. Sidhu developed the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship, a teaching framework used at UC Berkeley as part of the Entrepreneurship & Technology area at the #1 university in the world. 

Sidhu received the IEEE Major Education Innovation Award in 2018 and the Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times Award from UC Berkeley in 2021. He received the Berkeley IEOR Emerging Area Professor Award in 2009 at UC Berkeley. In 1999, he received 3Com Corporation’s Inventor of the Year Award. He serves on many advisory boards. He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree and a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Corporate Experience

• Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, Cambia Networks Inc., (1/2001-4/2002)

• Director – Vice President, 3Com Corporation Internet Communications Business (1995 - 2001)

• Director, Advanced Technologies Research Center, US Robotics acquired by 3Com Corporation (1995 - 1998)

• Hardware Engineer, Hewlett Packard, (1989 - 1991)

Academic Experience

• Dean of the School of Science and Technology, IE University, 2021 - Present

• Founding Faculty Director of UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, 2005 - 2021

• IEOR Emerging Area Professor, UC Berkeley, awarded, 2009

• Board of Advisors, Prague School of Economics and Business (VSE) since 2022 

• Board of Directors, Qatar Foundation, since 2019

• Honorary / Visiting: Chair Professor in Computer Science and Physics (joint appointment), Hong Kong Baptist University, through 2018

• Honorary /Visiting: Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia for 2017

• Faculty Committee for Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley since 2016 - 2021

• Board of Trustees of the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar, since 2016

• Faculty Director’s Council, Jacob’s Institute of Design, UC Berkeley 2015 - 2021

• Advisor, Onset Ventures, since 3/2012. For X-Fund, 2017 - 2020

• Fellow, Applied Innovation Institute, since 7/ 2012 (501.3c)

• Founding Chief Scientist, Coleman Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, University of California Berkeley (1/2010-4/2014)

Academic Background

• PhD from Northwestern University, May 1995, Electrical and Computer Engineering

• MS from Northwestern University, May 1993, Electrical and Computer Engineering

• BS from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, December 1988, Electrical Engineering

Industry Awards

• 3Com Corporation: Created and headed the advanced technology development program and spun out businesses for a $1B networking business. 1999, 3Com Corporation’s Inventor of the year, 1999, Awarded Silver, Inventor, U.S. Robotics, 1998. Awarded Gold, Platinum Inventor, 3Com Corporation, Personally filed approximately 10% of 3Com’s intellectual property as of 2001