Stevens Dr. Yu-Dong Yao Named an IEEE Fellow

Hoboken, NJ, December 24, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Noted wireless technology researcher Dr. Yu-Dong Yao, Professor and Department Director of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Stevens Institute of Technology, has recently been distinguished as an elected Fellow of IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This prestigious recognition demonstrates peer acknowledgement of his seminal research in the field of wireless communications and network security, as well as his influential support of multi-disciplinary research and development.

"Dr. Yao has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the advancement of wireless networking," says Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science. "Through his dedication to innovative research and education, Dr. Yao has led the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to national and international prominence."

Departmental research initiatives directed by Dr. Yao consistently win significant grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Current NSF-funded projects encompass cognitive radio, wireless network security, dynamic spectrum access, integrated wireless sensor networks, and distributed laser array synchronization. Additional funding sources for ECE faculty include the Air Force Research Laboratory, National Institute for Justice, and commercial research and development firms. ECE faculty have also won NSF funding for educational and curriculum development programs and the department includes a recent recipient of the coveted NSF CAREER Award.

As a researcher, Dr. Yao has contributed to our understanding of the fundamental properties of modern communications technologies. His research and publications cover wireless communications and networks, spread spectrum and CDMA, antenna arrays and beamforming, cognitive and software-defined radio, and digital signal processing for wireless systems. Intellectual property resulting from his research have earned him one Chinese patent and twelve U.S. patents in voice-over-data and other wireless and communications technologies. His NSF grants support research on beamforming to protect against denial of service attacks as well as enhance undergraduate education in cognitive and software-defined radio systems.

"Dr. Yao is a dedicated researcher with important patents and contributions to the security of government communications to his credit," says Dr. Harry Heffes, Professor of Electrical Engineering and IEEE Fellow. "Beyond his own research, he has been able to foster academic and industry collaboration and has integrated his research into the Stevens curriculum to provide exceptional educational opportunities for students in wireless communications."

"Prof. Yao's dedication to research and teaching has been a role model for us," says Dr. Yingying Chen, Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering. "We are very proud of his achievement and its distinction for our department."

Students at Stevens get an inside look at fundamental wireless research in the Wireless Information Systems Engineering Laboratory (WISELAB), of which Dr. Yao is the founding director. Support from NSF, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Army, Department of Defense, and other entities from government and industry funds systems-level solutions to wireless network capacity, performance, and security. WISELAB's wireless test bed provides students with hands-on experience in cognitive radio technologies and the physical equipment to conduct graduate-level research advancing critical mobile communications applications.

Dr. Yao sets the bar high for his department. He publishes frequently, and has served as an Associate Editor of IEEE Communications Letters and IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, and an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. Before coming to Stevens in 2000, he held research positions in industry and academia in the United States and abroad.

IEEE, one of the world's leading professional associations, is an authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from telecommunications to biomedical engineering to energy to aerospace. In any year, less than one-tenth of one percent of the total membership of IEEE receives new selection as Fellows. IEEE Fellow is the highest grade of membership and is considered by the technical community to be a prestigious honor and an important career achievement.

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