Swindlehurst Recognized for Research on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

May 14, 2024 - The IEEE Communication Society has awarded the 2024 Fred W. Ellersick Prize to Lee Swindlehurst and colleagues in Europe and China for their research paper titled "Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for 6G Systems: Principles, Applications, and Research Directions" published in the IEEE Communications Society Magazine in June 2021. The Ellersick Prize recognizes outstanding papers that have appeared in the magazine during the previous three years.

Swindlehurst is professor and chair of the UC Irvine Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He says the paper is an introductory discussion about reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, which are promising devices for enhancing the coverage, reliability and throughput of next-generation wireless systems. These surfaces can be configured to improve the wireless propagation environment, turning bad connections with dropped calls or poor data transmission rates into much more reliable connections with fast up and download speeds. The surfaces consist of a large number of low-cost passive reflecting elements whose electrical properties can be controlled.

The award will be presented by the president of the IEEE Communications Society during the awards ceremony at the 2024 International Conference on Communications in Denver, Colorado in June.

– Lori Brandt