As an Austrian with a European identity I am practicing global technology innovation, and it all started with a Fulbright scholarship to the US in 1986. This scholarship enabled me to become a global citizen, pushing technology development across borders. Driven by the excitement of the new, I zig-zagged my way through the US, Germany, US, France, Canada, and back to the US, married a German, and raised two Canadian sons.

My three academic degrees are from three countries (Austria, the US, France). In my present role as Chief Engineer at GE’s Corporate Research Center in Upstate New York I work with a global team of researchers and scientists in New York, Shanghai, Bangalore, Munich and Rio to innovate across time zones and cultures. My strong Austro-European identity has carried me through all these years and places, and I am truly thankful for the path that the Fulbright Scholarship has set me on.

Dipl. Ing (DI) Konrad Weeber is a graduate with a degree in computer science and studied at Drexel University as an Austrian Fulbright Student in 1986–87. Photo courtesy of Konrad Weeber.