As a graduate student, Roger Johnson participated in the early development of the PLATO Computer-based Education System and the invention and development of the Plasma Display Panel (PDP) and touch input technology at the University of Illinois. In 1970, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty as an Assistant Professor, teaching courses in integrated circuit and display technology. In 1976, he was promoted to the tenured position of Associate Professor.
In 1977 he joined Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), where he stayed until his retirement in 1997. He was a founding member of the SAI Technology Co., a Division of SAIC that specialized in developing highly mobile electronics and systems for the Defense and Intelligence Communities. At the time of his retirement, he held the position of Senior Vice President of Technology and Director of SAIC’s Center for Mobile Computing Technology. Dr. Johnson continues to support similar efforts at SAIC as a consulting employee.
Following his retirement from SAIC, Dr. Johnson returned to Information Technology, Ltd. (ITL) as chairman and CEO. ITL is a technology consulting firm providing flat panel display and mobile computer system design services to a variety of corporate and government clients.
Dr. Johnson remains a working expert in high definition displays, workstations, computers and data communication systems. He is currently focusing his efforts in the area of highly energy efficient systems. He holds a number of patents in the flat display and workstation technology areas and has published extensively.
Dr. Johnson served on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Advanced Information Components Manufacturing (NCAICM) at Sandia National Laboratories. He is a Member of the IEEE and was granted the position of Fellow in the Society for Information Display in 1986. In 2005, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois for his contributions to advanced display and mobile computing technology. Dr. Johnson currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA).
