The center employs about 1,000 staffers, many of them at its East Fishkill, N.Y., site. Su also will oversee IBM’s research and development operations in Albany, New York.

Su earned her B.S., M.S., and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over the last decade she has risen quickly through the ranks at IBM. Her doctoral dissertation was on the design of silicon-on-insulator devices, a technology which IBM uses in all of its high-performance ICs.

Su will report to Doug Grose, general manager, technology development and manufacturing.

Also, Kathleen "Scottie" Ginn was named vice president, enablement and strategy. She will oversee IBM's microprocessor client design enablement efforts, and will help manage the alliance relationships within the chip R&D center.

Bernie Meyerson, who held the chief technologist post at IBM’s semiconductor operations for just over two years, has been promoted to vice president and chief technologist of the IBM Systems & Technology Group.

Last year, IBM merged the former IBM Microelectronics Division into the systems and technology group, with Bill Zeitler as the general manager.

Meyerson earlier was made an IBM Fellow for his work in developing silicon germanium technology.