Michael Hurlston
President and Chief Executive Officer, Synaptics Incorporated
B.S. Electrical Engineering, '88, M.B.A. '90, M.S. Electrical Engineering, ‘91
Michael Hurlston has been a director and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Synaptics since August 2019. Synaptics is changing the way humans engage with connected devices and data, engineering exceptional experiences throughout the home, at work, in the car and on the go. Synaptics is the partner of choice for the world’s most innovative intelligent system providers who are integrating multiple experiential technologies into platforms that make our digital lives more productive, insightful, secure and enjoyable. These customers are combining Synaptics’ differentiated technologies in touch, display and biometrics with a new generation of advanced connectivity and AI-enhanced video, vision, audio, speech and security processing. Michael serves on the Board of Executive Trustees of the UC Davis Foundation and on the Dean’s Executive Committee for the College of Engineering and the Dean’s Advisory Counsel for the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering and a Master of Business Administration from UC Davis.
What research or technology are you most excited about right now, and why?
Of course, AI. I think AI will ultimately touch every facet of our lives.
How did your time at UC Davis impact you and/or prepare you for your career?
Incredibly helpful. Today, I would say that I am 90% business, 10% engineer, but that 10% is still very important as I need to be at least conversant in the language … of course, I also got a business degree from UCD so that helps.
Did you have a favorite course or instructor at UC Davis?
Device physics, which at the time had a very simple semiconductor manufacturing lab that went with it. After taking several years of circuit design, it was fun seeing how these devices actually got made.
What advice would you give to young people who are currently seeking a degree in electrical and computer engineering?
There are not enough of you! Persistence will pay handsomely. It is the law of supply and demand. Demand is larger than it has ever been while supply is far tighter.