Three distinguished faculty members from the Illinois Institute of Technology have earned one of the most prestigious honors in the engineering world: selection as Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This elite recognition, awarded to less than one-tenth of one percent of the organization's voting membership each year, celebrates extraordinary career achievements and groundbreaking contributions to their respective fields. The honor places these Illinois Tech professors among the most influential engineers and researchers globally.
The honored professors—Lin Cai from Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boris S. Pervan from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Thomas Wong, Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering—each received this distinction for pioneering work that pushes the boundaries of modern technology. Their collective expertise spans sustainable communications, satellite navigation integrity, and high-frequency electronics, representing the cutting-edge research that defines Illinois Tech's commitment to innovation and academic excellence.
Professor Lin Cai's recognition stems from her transformative work in sustainable wireless communication and networking. Her research addresses one of the most pressing challenges in modern telecommunications: designing energy-efficient systems that minimize environmental impact while maintaining robust performance and reliability. Cai's work encompasses resilient wireless networks capable of withstanding disruptions, massive-scale Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, and the optimization of edge-enabled 5G and emerging 6G communications.
A significant focus of Cai's research involves integrating machine learning-driven optimization techniques for network resource management. This approach enables more intelligent allocation of bandwidth and power, particularly in networks powered by variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Her innovative solutions help ensure consistent connectivity even when energy availability fluctuates, a critical consideration for sustainable infrastructure development worldwide.
Cai's contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Through this support, she has advanced the practical deployment of sustainable communication networks, addressing both the efficiency demands of large-scale systems and their environmental footprint. Her work directly influences the development of next-generation communication systems that balance technological advancement with ecological responsibility, making her a leader in green telecommunications research.
Professor Boris S. Pervan, who also holds the title of Frank Gunsaulus Faculty Fellow, received his IEEE Fellow designation for contributions to satellite navigation integrity. His career has centered on solving a fundamental challenge in GPS technology: achieving simultaneously high accuracy and high reliability—two factors that become absolutely critical in safety-sensitive applications where human lives depend on precise positioning information.
Navigation systems must not only pinpoint locations precisely but also provide confidence that the information is trustworthy and free from errors. Pervan's research has pioneered methods to ensure that navigation data meets stringent integrity requirements, particularly in aviation and autonomous systems where errors could have catastrophic consequences. His work enables GPS-driven technologies to operate with verifiable reliability, opening doors for broader adoption in safety-critical environments including commercial aviation, autonomous vehicles, and unmanned aerial systems.
Beyond his individual research contributions, Pervan leads the Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems (CARNATIONS) at Illinois Tech. This major initiative, funded by a $10 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation, brings together academic and industry partners to develop safe, scalable navigation solutions for uncrewed aircraft systems. The center's work addresses the complex challenges of integrating drones and autonomous vehicles into national airspace while maintaining the highest safety standards and operational efficiency.
Pervan's expertise has earned him recognition across multiple professional societies. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Navigation and an associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2022, he received the prestigious Johannes Kepler Award from the Institute of Navigation, honoring his substantial contributions to high-integrity GNSS-based aviation navigation and his dedication to educating the next generation of engineers and researchers.
Professor Emeritus Thomas Wong's IEEE Fellow recognition celebrates his extensive contributions to high-frequency electronics and materials characterization over a distinguished career spanning more than four decades at Illinois Tech. Wong joined the university as an assistant professor in 1981 and has since built a remarkable body of research that bridges fundamental materials science and practical electronic applications, influencing both theoretical understanding and real-world implementation.
His research portfolio encompasses a wide range of critical areas, including material measurements, charge transport phenomena in both ionic and electronic conductors, and transient electromagnetics. Wong has made significant advances in millimeter-wave communication systems, which are essential for high-speed data transmission in modern wireless networks and future communication technologies. His work on propagation effects in high-speed semiconductor devices and integrated circuits has helped engineers better understand and mitigate signal degradation in increasingly compact electronic systems.
Wong's collaborative research with major national laboratories has yielded important practical applications with broad impact. Working with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab, he has contributed to projects involving dielectric loaded accelerators, coupler design for superconducting multicell cavity resonators, and the development of nanoscale position sensors. These contributions support cutting-edge research in particle physics, advanced manufacturing, and precision measurement systems.
In recent years, Wong has focused on space-charge interaction phenomena, exploring how electrical charges behave in confined spaces at microscopic scales. This fundamental research has important implications for improving the performance and reliability of next-generation electronic devices, from advanced sensors to quantum computing components, ensuring that Illinois Tech remains at the forefront of electronics research.
The simultaneous selection of three faculty members from a single institution for IEEE Fellow status underscores Illinois Institute of Technology's position as a leading center for engineering research and education. This remarkable achievement reflects the university's culture of innovation and its commitment to addressing real-world challenges through technological advancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and academic excellence.
For the professors themselves, this recognition represents validation of years of dedicated research, mentorship, and collaboration with colleagues and students. For their students, it provides inspiration and direct access to leaders at the forefront of their fields, enhancing educational opportunities and career prospects. And for the broader engineering community, it highlights the critical importance of continued investment in fundamental research that bridges theoretical innovation and practical application, ensuring technological progress benefits society as a whole.
As wireless networks become increasingly central to daily life, as autonomous systems demand ever-greater navigation reliability, and as electronic devices push the boundaries of speed and miniaturization, the work of these three Illinois Tech professors will continue to shape the technological landscape for years to come. Their recognition as IEEE Fellows not only honors their past achievements but also signals their ongoing influence in solving tomorrow's engineering challenges.