Creating a Safer, More Resilient Society: 2023 Marconi Prize Awarded to Hari Balakrishnan

Innovator and entrepreneur honored for his fundamental contributions to mobile sensing, networking, and distributed systems

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marconi Society is proud to award the 2023 Marconi Prize to Hari Balakrishnan in recognition of the broad impact to society of his fundamental discoveries in wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing, and distributed systems.  By focusing his research on the application of technology to solve large societal problems, Balakrishnan's work has made millions of people safer and has made the Internet and wireless communications more efficient and robust. 

Hari Balakrishnan is the Fujitsu Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the Department of EECS at MIT. He is also the Founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Chairman of Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT).

"Hari's unique contributions have shaped the course of research and discovery in multiple fields, saved lives, and enabled users to have better experiences with network-based services," said Vint Cerf, Chair of the Marconi Society and 1998 Marconi Fellow.  "His focus on scientific excellence that creates positive impact at scale, along with his humanitarian contributions, makes him a perfect choice for the Marconi Prize."

Balakrishnan's discoveries frequently set the stage for major shifts in the scientific and technological trajectory of networking systems.  "I like to be among the first to open a new area, rather than be the last word in an area," says Balakrishnan. "I want our world to be safer, more resilient, and more sustainable and am inspired by how people use applications and the network.  This helps me think about new research directions in networked systems and ways in which they can help solve societal problems."

Balakrishnan's significant contributions include his influence in mobility and wireless through both his research and entrepreneurship. His pioneering research at MIT on the CarTel mobile sensing system to collect and draw inferences from sensors on mobile devices led to Balakrishnan's latest successful entrepreneurial endeavor, CMT, which he founded with Bill Powers and Sam Madden.  With a mission to make the world's roads and drivers safer, CMT helps millions of people around the world drive more carefully and reduces road crashes, which are the leading cause of death for children and young adults worldwide.

Balakrishnan was among the first to deeply understand the interactions between wireless and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which helps applications exchange data, at a time when wireless and mobility were nascent research disciplines. His research explaining the causes of poor wireless TCP performance established the gold standard for understanding the topic and led to improved performance that billions of network users enjoy today.

Balakrishnan's research on wide-area networks is also highly influential.  His foundational work in scalable distributed architectures, overlay networks, and Internet congestion control has been key to building out the robust network and web infrastructure that billions rely on today.

Hari Balakrishnan will be honored at the Marconi Society's annual awards Gala on October 27, 2023 in Washington, DC.  For more information on this celebration, please sign up to receive event updates from the Marconi Society.  Nominations for the 2024 Marconi Prize are being accepted through June 30, 2023.  More information is here.

About the Marconi Prize

The Marconi Prize is the flagship award of the Marconi Society, given annually to innovators who have made significant contributions to increasing digital inclusivity through the advancement of information and communications technology.

About the Marconi Society

The Marconi Society envisions a connected world where information and communications technologies empower everyone to reach their full potential. The organization encourages and celebrates innovators who push the technical, creative and entrepreneurial boundaries of Information and Communications Technology for the benefit of humanity. 

Contact:  Paula Reinman, [email protected], 4152542004

SOURCE Marconi Society