About UChicago Argonne, LLC

Board of Governors

Noel Watson

Member, UChicago Argonne, LLC Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory
Chairman, Jacobs Engineering Inc.

Noel Watson, Chairman, Jacobs Engineering Inc., was recruited by company founder Dr. Joseph Jacobs in 1960. He left for a few years but returned in 1965 and has been with the company ever since. With a degree in chemical engineering from the University of North Dakota, Watson's early focus was mining and minerals processing projects. Over the years, he's worked in several locations and in several roles for the company. First a process engineer and then a project manager, he assumed successive senior management positions until ultimately becoming president in 1987 and CEO in 1992. He became Chairman in 2004 and executive Chairman in 2006 upon the election of Craig Martin as CEO.

As CEO, Watson was responsible for the company's operations. Since he became CEO in 1992, Jacobs' revenues have increased from $1.1 billion to more than $6.0 billion, with a corresponding increase in profits. In that time, Jacobs' backlog has grown from $1.8 billion to $9.0 billion, transforming the company from a mid-sized construction and professional services company with 4,530 employees into one of the world's largest with more than 40,000 employees.