Dr Arogyaswami J Paulraj, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University and Senior Advisor for deep tech venture capital firm Celesta Capital, has been awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s highest individual accolade, the Prince Philip Medal. He received the award from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Royal Fellow of the Academy, in London on 11 June.
The medal is awarded biennially to an engineer who has made outstanding contributions to engineering through practice, management, or education. It was first awarded in 1991 to Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, the pioneer of jet engine technology.
The 2024 Prince Philip Medal acknowledges Dr Paulraj’s invention and commercialisation of Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless technology, which is fundamental to 4G, 5G mobile, and WiFi networks.
Currently, more than 6.5 billion smartphone users worldwide benefit from MIMO-powered wireless networks, with 75% of global internet access occurring via wireless means. This technology has significantly accelerated the growth of the digital economy, which now accounts for 10% of GDP in advanced economies and is projected to rise to 40% within the next three decades. The global economic value of wireless networks is estimated to exceed $7.5 trillion annually.
India alone has over 1.1 billion 4G/5G subscribers. Affordable entry-level smartphones and low-cost access charges have enabled people from all economic backgrounds in India to utilise the growing digital public infrastructure. Wireless internet, facilitated by MIMO technology, has become a key driver of India’s economic growth.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Dr Paulraj. “After pioneering this breakthrough wireless technology and now seeing its transformative impact, it is indeed humbling. I remain excited for more opportunities for innovations driven by new applications and the increasing geographic spread of wireless networks.”
Dr Paulraj served in the Indian Navy for 25 years, undertaking R&D assignments ranging from developing ASW sonar systems to taking sabbaticals at Stanford University and IIT Delhi, where he made significant contributions to the theory of signal processing. He also played a key role in establishing three national labs in India: AI and Robotics, High-speed Computing, and Military Electronics. Dr Paulraj retired from the Navy in 1991 with the rank of Commodore and joined Stanford University as a research associate.
Dr Paulraj has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Faraday Medal, the Alexander Graham Bell Medal, and the Marconi Prize. He has also been honoured with the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India and the Friendship Award from the Government of China.
Nominating Dr Paulraj for the award, Dr Mallikarjun Tatipamula FREng FRSE, CTO at Ericsson Silicon Valley, said: “Professor Paulraj is a most deserving winner of the Prince Philip Medal, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual award, not only for the theoretical breakthroughs that led to the invention of MIMO, but also for his successful development and commercialisation of the technology, which today is deployed at a global scale. The 4G and 5G mobile and WiFi access that we often take for granted would simply not be possible without MIMO.”
Professor Lajos Hanzo FREng, Chair of Telecommunications at the University of Southampton, added: “I cannot help but stress my great admiration for Paul’s contributions both to theoretical breakthroughs and his ability to translate them into practical systems. Entering the Navy at a very young age, Paul had very little formal academic education, but he repeatedly entered new fields, teaching himself a broad range of mathematical and engineering topics.”
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