Vincent W.S. Chan

Vincent W.S. Chan is the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, affiliated with the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing and the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE). He holds a BS (1971), MS (1971), EE (1972), and PhD (1974) in Electrical Engineering from MIT.

• Education: BS, MS, EE, PhD in EE from MIT (1971-1974).

His research focuses on optical networks, wireless systems, and network security. He pioneered the Laser Intersatellite Transmission Experiment (LITE) and led major consortia like the Next Generation Internet (ONRAMP) and Satellite Networking Research Consortium. He served as Director of MIT’s Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (1999–2007) and President of the IEEE Communication Society (2020–2021).

Key awards include the 2024 IEEE Thomas Edison Medal for contributions to optical communications and networks. His advisory roles span U.S. government bodies, Fortune 500 companies, and startups like Vitesse Semiconductor and Agility Communications.

He advises graduate students (e.g., Arman Rezaee, Anny Xijia Zheng) and leads the Claude E. Shannon Communication and Network Group at RLE. Courses taught include Optical Communications and Networks and Heterogeneous Networks.