California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bradford W. Parkinson was the chief architect of the technology that became known as the global positioning system (GPS). He originally advocated for the system in his role as a U.S. Air Force colonel and became the first director of the GPS Joint Program Office. He continued to lead the GPS program through an extensive test validation process, including serving as the launch commander for the first GPS satellite launches. Dr. Parkinson retired from the Air Force in 1978 and became a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University. At Stanford, Dr. Parkinson led the development of many innovative applications for GPS technology, including the use of GPS for “blind” commercial jet landings, fully automatic GPS control of farm tractors and the development of the wide area augmentation system that improved the accuracy, integrity and availability of GPS.
Dr. Parkinson received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957, his master’s degree in aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961 and his doctoral degree from Stanford University in 1966.
Dr. Parkinson is the Edward C. Wells Professor in the School of Engineering, Emeritus, at Stanford University and the first vice chair for the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board. He is the co-author of the two-volume book series “Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications,” which won an award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also the author or coauthor of more than 80 technical papers. Dr. Parkinson has served as the chief executive officer of PlantStar, a manufacturing execution system company, and Trimble Navigation (now known as Trimble Inc.), a software, hardware and services technology company.
In 2003, Dr. Parkinson was named co-recipient of the National Academy of Engineering’s Charles Stark Draper Prize, one of the field’s most prestigious awards, for his contributions to the development of GPS. The following year he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 2016, Dr. Parkinson received the Marconi Prize, an annual award that honors innovators who have made a significant contribution to increasing digital inclusivity through advanced information and communications technology. In 2019, Dr. Parkinson and his fellow co-creators of GPS were awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
In recognition of his innovative and outstanding contributions to the engineering industry, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo are proud to confer upon Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson the honorary degree of Doctor of Science.