Kelly has received the Frederik Philips Award and the Robert N. Noyce Medal, both of which are presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

He has served as a board member for his alma maters, Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as the New York Academy of Sciences and the Semiconductor Industry Association.

Kelly was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2013 for contributions to the U.S. semiconductor industry through technology innovations and strategic leadership.

Kelly received his master's degree in physics and doctorate in materials engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1978 and 1980, respectively.

[12][13] He also announced IBM's partnership with the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Vatican City to use Watson to gather data about brain cancer and other diseases.

[4] In 2013, he received the National Academy of Engineering's Arthur M. Bueche Award for his work on semiconductor technology.

[6][23] Kelly has worked on IBM's Summit and Sierra supercomputers,[24][25][26] and has overseen the company's artificial intelligence and research projects.

[4][31] Kelly has served on the boards of trustees for each of his alma maters, Union College and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.