John Best, Chief Technologist of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, is responsible for the company's overall technical direction. He was previously Chief Technologist for the IBM Storage Technology Division. Dr. Best joined IBM in 1979 at the San Jose Research Laboratory (now the Almaden Research Center) after graduating from the California Institute of Technology, where he received his B.S. in Physics and Ph.D. in Applied Physics. His technical work has spanned a variety of storage technologies, including magnetic bubbles, recording heads, head/disk interface technology, hard disk drive data architecture, and storage systems. John's previous management positions include vice president in the Storage Technology Division, responsible for the Almaden Research Laboratory, and vice president in the Storage Technology Division, responsible for technology and product development. John has 11 patents and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).