12th Annual Bunshaft Lecture
Hosted by the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE)
Open to the public.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 4 p.m. | Performing Arts Center (PAC) Main Theatre
Reception at 5 p.m. | PAC's Futterer Lounge
If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes: Tech and Career Insights from Industry Legend Nick Donofrio
About the Talk
Widely regarded as the "man who saved the mainframe computer," Nick Donofrio will take us deep inside the development and launch of landmark technologies at IBM, such as the S/360, RS/6000, Blue Gene, Genographic Project and Watson.
His stories are framed by the lessons he learned early in life through his humble, blue-collar beginnings. Nick will also take questions from the audience and sign copies of his book, "If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes," which will be available for purchase.
The book is a powerful testimony to our ability as human beings to drive transformation, not just within the realm of technology but across generations. With both heart and candor, Nick explains how he led IBM's global technical team to embrace a market-centric focus — redefining innovation and sparking worldwide collaboration for a new IBM.
About the Speaker
Nick led the world's largest and most prolific global technology team as IBM's Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology. With decades of experience in tech and innovation, he was selected as an honorary IBM Fellow, the company's highest technical honor.
He holds seven technology patents, is a member of numerous technical and scientific honor societies and serves on scientific boards. As a trustee for the National Semiconductor Technology Center, Nick was instrumental in bringing the first flagship NSTC site — an extreme ultraviolet lithography research lab — to the Albany NanoTech Complex.
Nick was also recognized for his leadership in creating, supporting and enabling an environment of opportunity and growth at IBM with a legacy award at the Waves of Change STEM Global Competitiveness Conference in October 2025.
About the Bunshaft Lecture
Established through the generosity of Albert Bunshaft ’80 and Caryn Bunshaft ’82, The Bunshaft Endowment in the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering supports this lecture, which is designed to provide information to the student community about a broad range of topics related to careers in computing and engineering sciences.