Keith Odom
B.S.E.E 1989, M.S.E.C.E. 1991
Keith Odom earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1989, with a computer engineering specialization. He was a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi on campus, participated in sports and shared his passion for science with grade school students through Project SEEE.
While starting his career at National Instruments, he completed a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering in 1991, focusing on VLSI design and computer architecture. That combination of hardware, software, and design architecture allowed the company to improve its ability to leverage computer technology for testing, measurement, and system control of customer applications.
Keith has spent his entire career at National Instruments, holding all positions on the technical career path. He was recently named to the most prestigious technical position, R&D Fellow, where he is considered the "go to" person for all difficult technical challenges in hardware and architectures. Keith directs the company's Architecture and Technology group, a small team of highly respected senior digital engineers that develops key new architectures, key ASICs, and serves as technical leads on many projects.
Through his leadership, National Instruments has had incredible success with ASIC design, providing a major competitive advantage. Keith's skills at innovation have also contributed to other essential designs and architectural components, resulting in more than 37 patents. His patents are in areas that include: bus interfacing, hardware/software interaction, reconfigurable I/O, and timing/synchronization.
Keith's broader company contributions have involved mentoring and developing key programs to maximize National Instrument's technical capabilities and innovative nature. These programs have included model training programs, technology exchanges, and initiatives for fostering innovation.
A member of the Friends of Alec, he has given back to the College by serving as a guest lecturer and helping with student recruitment. In his spare time, he also enjoys working with children by coaching youth sports and participating in programs to stimulate their interest in science. Keith and his wife Mary have two boys, Kelvin and Kaleb.