ECE's External Advisory Committee gave Professor Jeff Andrews their first High Gain Award for his work in ad hoc wireless networks. The High Gain Award was established to recognize exceptional contributions to the mission of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. Dr. Andrews recently received a $400K National Science Foundation CAREER award and a $6.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Jeff's research is at the forefront of his field. says Chairman Tony Ambler. We feel very lucky to have him in the department.

Dr. Andrews' research focuses on understanding the fundamental performance limits and characteristics of ad hoc wireless networks, particularly at the physical layer. Ad hoc networks are far more challenging to design and analyze than centralized (for example cellular) networks due to the distributed nature of the nodes, and the unpredictable interference experienced by the receivers in the network. As a result, despite increasing interest, ad hoc networks have not become widely deployed. If successful, Professor Andrews' research plan will help provide theoretically-grounded guidelines for this emerging application of wireless technology.