Biography

Bill Diamond is a Silicon Valley technology veteran and current President and CEO of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. The SETI Institute is a nonprofit astrophysics and astrobiology research and education organization focused on the study of life in the Universe. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Diamond held various executive management positions in applied technologies, most recently at the optical networking company, Oclaro, Inc.

Mr. Diamond has over 30 years’ experience in laser photonics and optical communications networks, X-ray imaging, and semiconductor processing technologies. His corporate background ranges from venture-backed start-ups to Fortune 100 multinationals, including CEO positions at WaveSplitter Technologies, Denselight Semiconductor (Singapore) and Xradia, Inc, (now part of Zeiss). He was also President of COMET Technologies USA, leading US operations for the Swiss COMET, AG corporation.

Mr. Diamond holds a B.A. in physics from Holy Cross College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University. He is a past member of the Advisory Board for the McDonough School of Business Administration at Georgetown and is a current member of the Optical Society of America, the International Astronomical Congress and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Science and Innovation Council, BASIC, in San Francisco.