LONDON (TIP): The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has awarded the prestigious Faraday Medal to Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj, an Indian American professor at Stanford University for his contributions to wireless technology. Paulraj was among 11 of the world’s top engineering and technology talent honored by the UK-based multidisciplinary professional engineering institution for services to the industry, on Oct 23 at IET 2023 Achievement Awards. Described as “one of this year’s most significant awards, the Faraday Medal,” was awarded to Paulraj for the invention, advancement, and commercialization of Multiple-antenna Input, Multiple-antenna Output (MIMO) wireless technology, according to a media release.

MIMO is a fundamental breakthrough technology that multiplied the link speed and improved the range and reliability of wireless networks. The performance of today’s extensive 4G/5G mobile and WiFi networks would not be possible without MIMO.

On winning his award, Paulraj said, “The Faraday Medal is such an honor. I am humbled to be included in this distinguished cohort of former recipients. Though the prize is presented to an individual, it also recognizes the field of wireless communications systems and the thousands of researchers and engineers who contributed to MIMO technology for the benefit of humanity.”

The IET Achievement Awards recognize individuals from all over the world who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science in any sector. This can be through research and development in their respective technical field or through their leadership of an enterprise.

Dr. Gopichand Katragadda, IET President, emphasized the importance of Engineering Excellence achieved through knowing and practicing the fundamentals, being systems-oriented and detailed, and having a delivery mindset while preparing for the next. “We’re honored to present these talented individuals with our Achievement Awards. Our medal winners are innovators and pioneers, making a difference to the world in which we live,” he said. Paulraj, Professor Emeritus Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, a pioneer of MIMO wireless communications did his BE from Naval College of Engineering, Lonavala, and earned his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

He is the author of over 400 research papers, two textbooks, and a co-inventor in 80 US patents.

Paulraj has won over a dozen awards, notably the National Inventors Hall of Fame (USPTO), Marconi Prize and Fellowship, 2014 and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, 2011. He is a fellow of eight scientific / engineering national academies including the US, China, India, and Sweden.

In 1999, Paulraj founded Iospan Wireless Inc. – which developed and established MIMO-OFDMA wireless as the core 4G technology. Iospan was acquired by Intel Corporation in 2003.

In 2004, he co-founded Beceem Communications Inc. The company became the market leader in 4G-WiMAX semiconductors and was acquired by Broadcom Corp. in 2010. In 2014 he founded Rasa Networks to develop Machine Learning tools for WiFi Networks. The company was acquired by HPE in 2016. During his 30 years in the Indian (Navy) (1961-1991), he founded three national-level laboratories in India and headed one of India’s most successful military R&D projects – APSOH sonar. He received over a dozen awards (many at the national level) in India including the Padma Bhushan, Ati Vishist Seva Medal and the VASVIK Medal.