Solomon Assefa

Dr. Solomon Assefa is the VP of IBM Research – Africa & Emerging Market Solutions. He is responsible for developing strategy for innovative and scalable industry research solutions for emerging markets in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, and public sector. He is also directing the worldwide effort at IBM Research focused on developing technologies, platforms, and partnerships for climate change mitigation and adaptation; under his leadership, researchers from the IBM’s global labs are innovating in areas such as accelerated material discovery, AI-driven climate modelling, carbon footprint optimization, and decision support for business and societal resiliency towards extreme climate events. Furthermore, he is responsible for IBM’s research labs in Kenya and South Africa, and heads IBM’s research strategy and partnership across MEA. IBM Research is pioneering disruptive technologies that will transform industries and society, including the future of AI, blockchain, and quantum computing. Specifically, IBM Research – Africa is developing technologies that address Africa’s grand challenges; promoting Africa’s leadership in science and technology; and fostering local innovation ecosystems. As a Research Scientist, Solomon has worked on IBM’s nanophotonics technology with responsibilities spanning research, development, and technology transfer. He has co-authored over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, has over 50 patents, and has appeared as a guest speaker at numerous conferences worldwide. His work has been featured in Nature magazine, The Wall Street Journal, BBC News, Forbes, Technology Review, EE Times, and IEEE Spectrum, among many others. Solomon is a recipient of several awards including Corporate Recognition Award and Invention Achievement Awards from IBM. He was named one of the World’s Top Young Innovators under 35 and received the TR35 awarded by MIT’s Technology Review (2011). Solomon was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2013. He is a Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, and an Honorary Professor at Wits in South Africa. He received a B.S. in Physics (2001), a B.S. in EECS (2001), a M.S. in EECS (2001) and a Ph.D. (2004) all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).