Emerson W. Pugh (May 1, 1929 – December 8, 2024) was an American research engineer and scientist, whose career at US corporation IBM spanned several decades and resulted in significant technological advances.
He was a leader in magnetic and computer memory technologies and author of several books, including college-level physics textbooks and the history of IBM.
His brother George E. Pugh (1926–2013) spent most of his professional career working as a (nuclear and research) physicist for government support companies.
The second year he transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he developed himself not only as a great student, but a fine debater too.
He remained one more year at Carnegie's to teach physics and coauthoring, with his father, a widely used college text book, published in 1960 with the title: “Principles of Electricity and Magnetism.” Pugh began working at the IBM research facility in 1957.
The group's research led to the development of the thin magnetic film array used in the IBM System/360.