GlobalFoundries Chairman Thomas Caulfield to Speak at Columbia Engineering Graduate Class Day

Dr. Thomas Caulfield BS’82, MS’84, EngScD’86, executive chairman of GlobalFoundries (GFS), one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing companies, has been chosen as Class Day Speaker for Columbia Engineering Graduate Class Day on Monday, May 18, 2026. 

Caulfield has had an extensive career spanning over 30 years of engineering, executive management, and global operational leadership with leading technology companies. In 2018, he was named CEO of GFS and led the company’s initial public offering in October 2021, which was not only the largest semiconductor IPO in history at that time, but also the largest IPO across all of Nasdaq that year. He joined GFS in May 2014 as senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Fab 8 semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility in Malta, NY.

“I’m honored to address the Class of 2026 at this transformative time for technology and business in the world,” said Caulfield. “My time at Columbia Engineering shaped not only my technical foundation, but also my approach to critical thinking and structured problem solving. The combination of rigorous academic training and hands-on, real-world experience prepared me both professionally and personally, and I continue to draw on those lessons every day.”

Prior to joining GFS, Caulfield served as president and chief operations officer (COO) at Soraa, the premium LED lighting manufacturer, and served as president and COO of Ausra, a leading provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electrical power generation and industrial steam production. He also held roles at Novellus Systems, Inc. as executive vice president of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service, and held a variety of leadership roles at IBM, ultimately serving as vice president of 300mm semiconductor operations for IBM’s Microelectronics division, leading its wafer fabrication and R&D operations in East Fishkill, NY.

He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Sandisk Corporation (following its spinoff from Western Digital, where he also served as a board member) and recently joined the board of USA Rare Earth. He was a Trustee for Union College from 2018 to 2025 and currently serves on the Columbia Engineering Board of Visitors and the Strategic Research Advisory Council for the University of Arizona. In May 2025, he was awarded the prestigious Thomas Egleston Medal by the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association for his distinguished leadership and groundbreaking contributions to engineering innovation in the semiconductor industry. Caulfield also gave a guest lecture to Columbia Engineering students in 2024 as part of the Tech CEO Lecture series.  

“Tom has done so much to support, inspire, and encourage our students over the years,” said Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “We are so happy to have him back to campus to once again share his wisdom and insights with our graduate students as they begin this next chapter.” 

Caulfield earned a bachelor of science in physics from St. Lawrence University and a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate in materials science and engineering from Columbia Engineering. He was also a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia’s Engineering Center for Strategic Materials.