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The Wireless Networking and Communications Group is home to some of the brightest minds at The University of Texas at Austin. The Student Leadership Award is presented annually to the student or students who best embody WNCG’s mission and values: academic excellence, leadership, service, and a commitment to innovative and collaborative research. The 2023 award went to two very deserving graduates: Drs. Joshua Ebenezer and Ian Roberts.

Each year, WNCG presents the Student Leadership Award to an outstanding student—or students—who not only displays excellence in research and academic activities, but also embodies the spirit of the group’s mission to create a collaborative research environment. This year, the award goes to two students: Ahmad AlAmmouri and Jessica Hoffmann.

As an interdisciplinary center for research and education, WNCG is home to many talented minds. The group has grown steadily since its inception over 15 years ago and now comprises 23 faculty members and over 150 students and research staff. The upward trends don’t stop simply at the number of group members. Over the years, WNCG has built an exceptional network of industry partners, increased the number of its sponsored research projects yielding groundbreaking results, and successfully graduated Masters and Ph.D. students who go on to a wide range of careers in industry and academia.

Prof. Robert Heath delivered a keynote speech at IEEE Communication Society’s 2018 International Conference on Communications (IEEE ICC).

WNCG Prof. Robert W. Heath, Jr. recently received the 2017 IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Award in Wireless Communications for his work entitled “Spatially Sparse Precoding in Millimeter Wave MIMO Systems,” published in the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications in March 2014. The IEEE Guglielmo Marconi Best Paper Award is an annual award for an original paper in the field of Wireless Communications published in the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. Only papers published within the last three calendar years are eligible for this award. 

Robert Heath, Texas ECE professor, has received the European Association for Signal Processing (EURASIP) 2017 Technical Achievement Award for Significant Contributions to Signal Processing in MIMO Communication Systems. EURASIP serves to further the efforts of researchers by providing a learned and professional platform for dissemination and discussion of all aspects of signal processing.

Robert Heath, Texas ECE professor, has received the European Association for Signal Processing (EURASIP) 2017 Technical Achievement Award for Significant Contributions to Signal Processing in MIMO Communication Systems. EURASIP serves to further the efforts of researchers by providing a learned and professional platform for dissemination and discussion of all aspects of signal processing.

Each year, WNCG faculty nominate one outstanding student to receive the WNCG Student Leadership Award. The award is presented to a student based on their cumulative contributions to the center, including their representation of WNCG to the greater community, their mentorship of fellow students, their research visibility and recognition from external organizations.

Prof. Robert Heath is part of a team that was selected as one of three finalists for the prestigious European Inventor Award in the Non-European Countries category. Robert was part of the team led by his PhD advisor Prof. Arogyaswami Paulraj of Stanford University that was recognized for its contributions to Faster Wireless Connectivity (MIMO).  Robert and his team are in very good company: another finalist this year is Bob Langer, MIT, who is well-known for his contributions to  biotechnology and for arguably being the most successful serial academic entrepreneur.

Every year, from the 100-plus graduate students that constitute WNCG, one or two students are recognized for their leadership: both contributions within WNCG and impact on the broader community. This year two students share this award: Omar and Tom. Omar, working towards his PhD with Prof. Robert Heath, has been a leading student contributor to several WNCG events: multiple open houses, board and WiCAT meetings, and TW Summits. He has also been a dependable resource for organizing student-led and student-oriented activities within WNCG. Omar has also represented WNCG at CTIA 2010.