FutureG: Wireless, Intelligence and Beyond

With the roll-out of 5G starting to happen in several places, academia and industry are already looking forward to the next generation of advances in FutureG networks and technologies that will shape our future connectivity needs and support novel exciting applications, some of which are yet to be imagined. With FutureG becoming an integral part of our national conversations related to technology, spectrum, defense and security, the timing is well-poised to bring together a forum of researchers, practitioners and students to sow seeds for further advancing this space. 

Through this seminar series, we plan to bring together various contributors in the FutureG ecosystem, ranging from chip/device manufacturers and radio vendors to operators and service/content providers. With a large critical mass of students and faculty working in various aspects related to mobile connectivity at GT, the series aims to provide an industrial perspective on where things are headed in the mobile connectivity, networking, intelligence and computing space, as well as the challenges that would inspire the next generation of students towards its R&D.

Advanced wireless networks are seen as essential components of a developed society and they form the bedrock on which innovative services are built. As networks continue to grow faster and more complex, the key questions facing researchers and practitioners are in the domains of optimization, management, deployment and availability. In this talk, I will discuss the different trends of convergence across multiple domains that is impacting next generation wireless network system design, which can offer clues to potential new explorations. We will also take a look at new applications on the horizon that leverage advanced wireless networks.

Dr. Thyaga Nandagopal is the Division Director of the Division of Innovation and Technology Ecosystems in the Directorate of Technology, Innovation and Partnerships at the National Science Foundation. He serves as the co-chair of the Wireless Spectrum Research and Development Interagency Working Group (WSRD IWG), which co-ordinates spectrum-related research and development activities across the Federal government. Dr. Nandagopal is also a co-chair of the NSF-wide Quantum Leap Steering Committee, that coordinates NSF investments in inter-disciplinary research in quantum computing, communications and sensing. Prior to his current role, he was the Deputy Division Director of the Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) Division in the Directorate of Computer & Information Science and Engineering (CISE) at the NSF, where he oversaw the division's investments in the theory and foundations of computing systems and communications technologies, with an annual budget of nearly $200M. His current interests are in research policy, partnerships, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced wireless networks (beyond 5G). He has brought in over $150M from external partners into NSF-funded research programs. He previously served as a Program Director at the NSF in the Networking Technologies and Systems (NeTS) program, where he managed mobile systems and wireless networking research across multiple funding programs with an annual budget of over $50M. At NSF, he started the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research program, a $100M effort over the 2017 - 2024 timeframe involving 30+ industry partners. He is an IEEE Fellow, and holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.