Muriel Medard

Muriel Medard is the NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Department at MIT. She leads the Network Coding and Reliable Communications Group in the Research Laboratory for Electronics. Affiliated with MIT since her undergraduate studies (B.S. EECS 1989, Mathematics 1989, Humanities 1991), she also holds an M.S. (1991) and Sc.D. (1995) from MIT. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (2020), German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2022), Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2018), and multiple other prestigious societies.

Her research focuses on network coding, information theory, wireless networks, and optical networking. Notable contributions include foundational work in network coding protocols, error correction, and secure communication systems. Medard has pioneered algorithms like GRAND (Guessing Random Additive Noise Decoding) and ORBGRAND, which optimize decoding efficiency and energy consumption in communication systems.

Medard’s honors include the IEEE Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award (2022), IEEE Armstrong Achievement Award (2017), and MIT’s Egerton Award (2004). She has over 60 patents, co-founded CodeOn and Steinwurf (as Chief Scientist), and supervised over 40 master’s, 20 doctoral students, and 25 postdocs. She chairs the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory and has held leadership roles in the IEEE Information Theory Society.

Her service contributions include founding the Women in Information Theory Society (WithITS), mentoring initiatives, and roles on MIT’s Faculty Committees on Student Life and Campus Planning. Medard’s work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in 5G/6G systems, cybersecurity, and energy-efficient hardware.