Our Story

                                                 Les and Judy Vadasz

When Les Vadasz escaped the Hungarian Revolution and moved to Montreal in 1957, he found a welcome home in the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University. Les Vadasz studied electrical engineering at McGill, and went on to great success in the USA. Joining Intel as its fourth employee, he headed the design department responsible for the Intel 4004, the first commercially produced microprocessor, and eventually became the company’s Executive Vice President. Intel developed the processors found in most personal computers, becoming the world’s largest microchip maker. Les Vadasz has not forgotten McGill University and the Faculty of Engineering, and he generously gives back, ensuring that the next generations of students also have the opportunities that allowed him to excel.

In January 2019, Les and his wife Judy Vadasz announced a landmark $15-million gift through the Vadasz Family Foundation to McGill’s Faculty of Engineering, establishing the creation of the Vadasz Scholars Program. The program supports Ph.D. students who pursue ground-breaking and innovative research at McGill, awarding enhanced fellowships to outstanding students accepted into a doctoral degree program in the Faculty of Engineering, with preference given to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. It aims to strengthen Montreal as an engineering and technology hub, ensuring that the McGill Faculty of Engineering’s graduate program is a world-respected engine for discovery and a launch site for a new generation of successful engineering leaders.