Irwin Jacobs

Irwin M. Jacobs is a scientist and the co-founder and chairman of Qualcomm. As a scientist and businessman, Dr. Irwin Jacobs has made several contributions to technology. As a philanthropist, he has served by contributing his wealth to education and the arts.

Irwin Jacobs’ wrote the seminal textbook Principles of Communication Engineering in 1965, a textbook that pioneered important concepts in communication engineering.

As an engineer, Mr. Jacobs helped popularize the use of CDMA technology as a means of transmitting voice and data through wireless networks. Because of this technology, wireless communication has become accessible to people across the globe.

Irwin Jacobs has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the field of education through generous donations and grants to several schools and organizations. Most of these contributions went to fellowships and scholarships for deserving students, particularly in the field of engineering and computer science.

Irwin Jacobs has given grants to the following institutions/organizations:

• $31 million to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (where Irwin Jacobs received his post-graduate degrees)
• $15 million and another $110 million to University of California at San Diego (where Irwin Jacobs was professor of computer science and engineering for several years)
• $62 million total to American Technion Society, Cornell University (Irwin Jacobs’ alma mater), KPBS Radio and Television, and San Diego Natural History Museum.

Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs has also given grants amounting to around $130 million to the following institutions:

• La Jolla Playhouse
• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• San Diego Symphony