# Robert Mehrabian

> Robert Mehrabian is an Armenian-American materials scientist and executive chairman of Teledyne Technologies. An MIT-trained metallurgist, he served as engineering dean at UC Santa Barbara and president of Carnegie Mellon before leading Teledyne Technologies after its 1999 spin-off. His career connects research, faculty recruitment, technology commercialization and acquisitions, while his philanthropy with Victoria Mehrabian supports engineering faculty at UCSB.

- **Role:** Executive Chairman at Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
- **Organizations:** Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, Allegheny Teledyne Incorporated, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National Bureau of Standards / National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Academy of Engineering, ASM International, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, PPG Industries (former director), Mellon Financial Corporation (former director), The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (former director)
- **From:** Tehran, Iran
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Secondary school diploma, Phillips Exeter Academy, Bachelor of Science in metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Doctor of Science in metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Holds eight U.S. patents and more than 40 foreign patents., Authored 139 technical papers and edited six materials-science and engineering books., Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1984.

## Career timeline

- **1968-1975** — Research and faculty positions at MIT, including assistant and associate professor.
- **1975-1979** — Professor of metallurgy and mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- **1979-1983** — Government materials-science leadership at the National Bureau of Standards, including directing the Center for Materials Science.
- **1983-1990** — Dean of engineering at UC Santa Barbara.
- **1984** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
- **1987** — UCSB established its Materials Department and completed the Engineering II building during his deanship.
- **1990-1997** — Seventh president of Carnegie Mellon University.
- **1997** — Joined Allegheny Teledyne in a senior executive role.
- **1999** — Became president and CEO of Teledyne Technologies following its November spin-off.
- **2000** — Added the chairmanship of Teledyne Technologies.
- **2009** — Recognized by Carnegie Corporation of New York in its Great Immigrants program.
- **2011** — Teledyne acquired DALSA; Robert and Victoria Mehrabian began UCSB endowments described in the 2025 naming announcement.
- **2012** — Carnegie Mellon named its Collaborative Innovation Center for him.
- **2017** — Teledyne completed the e2v acquisition on March 28.
- **2019-2021** — Served as executive chairman beginning January 1, 2019.
- **2021** — Teledyne completed the FLIR acquisition on May 14; Mehrabian resumed chairman, president and CEO roles on October 15.
- **2024** — Returned to executive chairman on January 1.
- **2025** — UCSB named its College of Engineering for him in June; December employment agreement extended his executive-chairman term through 2028.

## Achievements

- Holds eight U.S. patents and more than 40 foreign patents.
- Authored 139 technical papers and edited six materials-science and engineering books.
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1984.
- During his UCSB deanship, the college recruited 69 faculty; at least 22 later entered the NAE, NAS and/or Royal Society.
- Robert and Victoria Mehrabian endowments support 17 UCSB engineering chairs.
- Carnegie Mellon named its Collaborative Innovation Center for him in 2012.
- UCSB named its College of Engineering for him in 2025.
- Fellow and distinguished life member of ASM International; recipient of its Henry Marion Howe Medal.
- Fellow and Leadership Award recipient of TMS.
- Honorary degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Chatham College.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 21, Teledyne reported Q3 2026 sales of $1,684.9 million, up 9.4% year over year, and operating profit of $347.2 million; Mehrabian was identified as executive chairman.
- **2026-09** — Teledyne announced Jason VanWees would retire from his current position on February 1, 2027. Mary Grace DeForest was appointed Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations and M&A effective November 1, 2026; Mehrabian recognized his partnership with VanWees and recalled DeForest as a CMU student.
- **2026-08** — Teledyne agreed to acquire Varex Imaging for approximately $1.1 billion including equity awards and net debt. The transaction remained pending as of October 21, with anticipated completion in early 2027.
- **2025-12** — December 16 employment agreement continued Mehrabian as executive chairman through December 31, 2028.
- **2025-06** — UC Santa Barbara named its engineering college The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering.

## Links

- Website: https://www.teledyne.com/en-us/about-us/executive-profiles/pages/robert-mehrabian.aspx

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Last updated: 2026-10-21