46 Notable alumni of Rochester Institute of Technology
Updated: June 17, 2026 EliteDegrees
Rochester Institute of Technology is 471st in the world, 1st in North America, and 148st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 46 notable alumni from Rochester Institute of Technology sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Rochester Institute of Technology won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Tom McMahon
engineer
politician
Thomas M. McMahon was the Mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania from January 5, 2004 to January 2, 2012.
2. Ron Ferri
1932-2019 (aged 87)
artist
Ron Ferri was an American contemporary artist. He was a multi-media artist employing materials in both traditional and non-traditional ways, like oil on canvas, ink on paper, collage, with later works exploring the digital realm. He was most known for his neon works from the 60s and 70s.
+ show more
3. Elliott Earls
1966-. (aged 60)
graphic designer
sculptor
Elliott Peter Earls is an American graphic designer, artist and one man band performance artist. He is an artist-in-residence and head of the graduate graphic design department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
+ show more
4. Ronald Senungetuk
1933-2020 (aged 87)
sculptor
Ronald Senungetuk was an Iñupiaq artist originally from Wales, Alaska, who worked primarily in wood and metal.
5. Jeffrey K. Harris
1953-. (aged 73)
businessperson
Jeffrey King Harris is an American aerospace executive who served as 11th director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 1994 to 1996. Currently, he is the chairman of the RIT Board of Trustees.
+ show more
6. Emery Bopp
1924-2007 (aged 83)
painter
Emery Bopp was an American artist and long-time chairman of the Division of Art, Bob Jones University.
7. Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla
1984-. (aged 42)
diplomat
politician
Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla is a Kosovan politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2020 to 2021 and as leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.
+ show more
8. Anne Wilkes Tucker
1945-. (aged 81)
exhibition curator
producer
art historian
curator
Anne Wilkes Tucker is a former American curator of photographic works. She retired in June 2015.
9. Paula Bronstein
photojournalist
photographer
journalist
Paula Bronstein is an American photojournalist who entered the profession in 1982 in Providence, Rhode Island. She is now based in Bangkok where she works for Getty Images. Bronstein was a nominated finalist for the Breaking News 2011 Pulitzer Prize.
+ show more
10. Marilyn Bridges
1948-. (aged 78)
photographer
Marilyn Christine Bridges is an American photographer noted for her fine art black and white aerial photographs of extraordinary ancient and modern landscapes. She has photographed sacred and secular sites in over 20 countries, including Peru, Mexico, France, Britain, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Australia, Namibia, Indonesia and India. Bridges is a licensed pilot and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. She...
+ show more
11. Mato Franković
1982-. (aged 44)
politician
Mato Franković is a Croatian politician who has been mayor of Dubrovnik since 2017. A member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), he served as a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2016 to 2017, and is serving since 2020.
+ show more
12. Grant Tremblay
1984-. (aged 42)
researcher
Grant Tremblay is an American astrophysicist notable for research on supermassive black holes, science communication, and public advocacy for large space telescopes. He is currently an Astrophysicist and Director of External Relations at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and was formerly a NASA Einstein Fellow at Yale University, a Fellow at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and an Astronomer at...
+ show more
13. Emma Lampert Cooper
1855-1920 (aged 65)
painter
artist
Emma Lampert Cooper was a painter from Rochester, New York, described as "a painter of exceptional ability". She studied in Rochester, New York, in New York City under William Merritt Chase, Paris at the Académie Delécluse and in the Netherlands under Hein Kever. Cooper won awards at several World's Expositions, taught art and was an art director. She met her...
+ show more
14. David Muench
1936-. (aged 90)
photographer
illustrator
David Muench is an American landscape and nature photographer known for portraying the American western landscape. He is the primary photographer for more than 60 books and his work appears in many magazines, posters, and private collections.
+ show more
15. Foung Hawj
politician
television producer
Foung Hawj is an American media producer and politician who is a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 67, which includes the east side of Saint Paul in Ramsey County.
+ show more
16. Pete Turner
1934-2017 (aged 83)
photographer
Donald Peter Turner was an American photographer.
17. Doug Gillespie
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Douglas Charles Gillespie is an American retired law enforcement officer. He served as the 16th Sheriff of Clark County, Nevada from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party.
+ show more
18. Joyce J. Scott
1948-. (aged 78)
teacher
beadworker
jewelry designer
decorative artist
artist
Joyce J. Scott is an African-American artist, sculptor, quilter, performance artist, installation artist, print-maker, lecturer and educator. Named a MacArthur Fellow in 2016, and a Smithsonian Visionary Artist in 2019, Scott is best known for her figurative sculptures and jewelry using free form, off-loom beadweaving techniques, similar to a peyote stitch. Each piece is often constructed using thousands of glass...
+ show more
19. Elan Lee
1975-. (aged 51)
game designer
Elan Lee is an American game designer, developer, and creator. He has designed games for the Xbox; helped create the world’s first Alternate Reality Games; and with Matthew Inman created the card game Exploding Kittens, whose Kickstarter campaign was the most-backed of its day. He and Inman founded the Exploding Kittens company in 2015.
+ show more
20. Kate Gleason
1865-1933 (aged 68)
philanthropist
engineer
businessperson
Catherine Anselm Gleason was an American engineer and businesswoman known for her accomplishments in the field of engineering and for her philanthropy. Starting at a young age, she managed several roles in the family-owned Gleason Works in Rochester, New York, and later used her experience to launch a successful career in finance and construction. Through a combination of formal education...
+ show more
21. Rick Kittles
1976-. (aged 50)
geneticist
Rick Antonius Kittles is an American biologist specializing in human genetics and a Senior Vice President for Research at the Morehouse School of Medicine. He is of African-American ancestry, and achieved renown in the 1990s for his pioneering work in tracing the ancestry of African Americans via DNA testing.
+ show more
22. Austin McChord
1985-. (aged 41)
businessperson
Austin McChord is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and computer engineer. He founded Datto, a data backup company, in 2007 and served as its CEO until 2018. By 2015, Datto became Connecticut's first unicorn company with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The company was sold to Vista Equity Partners in 2017 for approximately $1.5 billion, went public in 2020, and...
+ show more
23. Stephen R. Lyons
military personnel
Stephen R. Lyons is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who last served as the 13th commander of the United States Transportation Command from August 2018 to October 2021. He previously served as the commanding general of United States Army Combined Arms Support Command/Sustainment Center of Excellence as well as the senior mission commander for Fort Lee,...
+ show more
24. Steve Pinizzotto
1984-. (aged 42)
ice hockey player
Steven Pinizzotto is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
+ show more
25. Alex Kipman
1979-. (aged 47)
Alex Kipman is a Brazilian engineer and inventor who is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Analog AI. Previously, he was the lead developer of the Microsoft HoloLens smartglasses and helped develop the Xbox Kinect.
+ show more
26. Brian Chontosh
1974-. (aged 52)
military officer
Major Brian R. Chontosh is a retired United States Marine Corps officer who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. At the time, he was a platoon commander for Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
+ show more
27. Adam Kubert
1959-. (aged 67)
comics artist
Adam Kubert is an American comics artist known for his work for publishers such as Marvel Comics and DC Comics, including work on Action Comics, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, Wolverine, and Venom.
+ show more
28. Walid Raad
1967-. (aged 59)
creator
performing artist
installation artist
photographer
performance artist
Walid Raad is a contemporary media artist. The Atlas Group is a fictional collective, the work of which is produced by Walid Raad. He lives and works in New York, where he is currently a distinguished visiting professor of photography at Bard College, in addition to being a professor of photography at the Cooper Union School of Art.
+ show more
29. Robert Duffy
1954-. (aged 72)
politician
Robert John Duffy is a former American law enforcement officer and politician who served as the lieutenant governor of New York from 2011 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 65th Mayor of Rochester, New York from 2006 to 2010.
+ show more
30. Michael Slovis
film director
director
cinematographer
television director
camera operator
Michael Slovis, ASC is an American cinematographer, television director, and producer. As a director of photography, he is best known for his work on the AMC series Breaking Bad, which earned him seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He previously won Outstanding Cinematography for a Series for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
+ show more
31. N. Katherine Hayles
1943-. (aged 83)
literary critic
electronic literature writer
documentary participant
writer
university teacher
Nancy Katherine Hayles is an American scholar who focuses on the interconnections "between science, literature, and technology". Originally a research chemist in the 1960s, she then earned her doctorate in English literature and became a distinguished professor. In the humanities, her work, How We Became Posthuman (1999) is a seminal foundation for posthumanism. In literary criticism, she is most notable...
+ show more
32. Tom Keene
1952-. (aged 74)
journalist
radio personality
Thomas Ross Keene is an American journalist and Chartered Financial Analyst. He is a host of Bloomberg Surveillance on Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Podcasts.
+ show more
33. Jerry Uelsmann
1934-2022 (aged 88)
photographer
university teacher
Jerry Norman Uelsmann was an American photographer.
34. Jake Lodwick
1981-. (aged 45)
entrepreneur
Jacob Lodwick is an American software engineer, businessman and investor, best known as co-founder of Vimeo.
35. Bruce Davidson
1933-. (aged 93)
filmmaker
economist
artist
camera operator
photojournalist
Bruce Landon Davidson is an American photographer, who has been a member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published. He is known for photographing communities that are usually hostile to outsiders.
+ show more
36. Christopher Tanev
1989-. (aged 37)
ice hockey player
Christopher Tanev is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Dallas Stars.
+ show more
37. Fiona Ma
1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Fiona Ma is an American politician and accountant. She has been serving as the California state treasurer since January 7, 2019. She previously was a member of the California Board of Equalization (2015–2019), the California State Assembly (2006–2012), and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (2002–2006).
+ show more
38. John Resig
1984-. (aged 42)
computer scientist
technology evangelist
engineer
programmer
John Resig is an American software engineer and author, best known as the creator of jQuery, the most widely used JavaScript library. jQuery is used on approximately 77% of the top 10 million websites, making it the most deployed JavaScript library by a large margin. He is the chief software architect at Khan Academy, where he has worked since 2011.
+ show more
39. Matt Hamill
1976-. (aged 50)
mixed martial arts fighter
amateur wrestler
Matthew Hamill is an American former mixed martial artist and wrestler who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling (167 lb class in 1997, 190 lb class in 1998, and 197 lb class in 1999) while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York.
+ show more
40. Steven Van Slyke
1956-. (aged 70)
engineer
chemist
Steven Van Slyke is an American chemist, best known for his co-invention of the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) with Ching Wan Tang and his contributions to the commercial development of OLED displays. Van Slyke is currently the Chief Technology Officer Emeritus at Kateeva, Inc. Prior to joining Kateeva, he held various positions at Eastman Kodak and was involved in...
+ show more
41. Christine Sun Kim
1980-. (aged 46)
sound artist
Christine Sun Kim is an American sound artist, performer and activist based in Berlin. Working predominantly in drawing, performance, and video, Kim's art practice considers how sound operates in society. Musical notation, written language, American Sign Language (ASL), and the use of the body are all recurring elements in her work. Her work has been exhibited in major cultural institutions...
+ show more
42. David Gantt
1941-2020 (aged 79)
politician
David F. Gantt Jr. was an American politician who served as a member of the New York Assembly from 1983 to 2020 as a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his Assembly tenure, he was a member of the Monroe County, New York Legislature. He was the first and, until the election of Demond Meeks in 2020, only black...
+ show more
43. Tom Curley
1949-. (aged 77)
media proprietor
publisher
journalist
Thomas Curley is an American businessman and journalist who served as president of Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He retired in 2012.
+ show more
44. Michael Smith
1979-. (aged 47)
sports journalist
sports commentator
Michael Smith CC OBC FRS was a British-Canadian biochemist and businessman. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kary Mullis for his work in developing site-directed mutagenesis. Following a PhD in 1956 from the University of Manchester, he undertook postdoctoral research with Har Gobind Khorana (himself a Nobel Prize winner) at the British Columbia Research Council in Vancouver,...
+ show more
45. Ivan Štefanec
1961-. (aged 65)
economist
politician
manager
Ivan Štefanec is a Slovak politician and business manager, former member of the Slovak Parliament and current member of the European Parliament for Christian Democratic Movement.
+ show more
46. Ellen Spijkstra
1957-. (aged 69)
ceramicist
sculptor
photographer
Ellen Spijkstra is a Dutch ceramic artist and photographer, resident in Curaçao.