James Hillier

James Hillier (August 22, 1915 – January 15, 2007) was a Canadian-American scientist and inventor. He is best known for designing and building the first successful high-resolution electron microscope in North America in 1938, along with Albert Prebus. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hillier earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Physics in 1937, and went on to complete his Master of Arts in 1938 and Ph.D. in 1941 from the University of Toronto. He joined the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in Camden, New Jersey in 1941 and held various positions throughout his career, including General Manager and Executive Vice President of Research and Engineering.