Dariush Divsalar M.S. ’75, Engr. ’77, Ph.D. ’78, a senior research scientist and fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has been at the forefront of advanced deep-space communications systems and space exploration missions since joining the lab in 1978, the year he earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. A triple Bruin, he also received an engineer degree in 1977 and a master’s degree in 1975 in the same field.

At JPL, Divsalar has developed coding and signal modulation techniques that extended the range, capacity and data reliability of space communication systems. Advances from his work have been incorporated into NASA missions and applications ranging from commercial satellite transmissions to modern wireless communications. From 1986 to 1996, Divsalar was a lecturer at UCLA Samueli. Since 2012, he has been an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering, teaching digital communication systems and serving on Ph.D. dissertation committees. Drawing on his JPL experience, he has introduced students to real-world challenges in digital communication systems, connecting scalable technologies with academic training.

Divsalar has received numerous honors, including the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the agency’s highest award, in recognition of his contributions to space communications. He has also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Alexander Graham Bell Medal. In 2024, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional honors granted to American engineers. A fellow of IEEE, he holds 30 U.S. patents and has authored more than 300 technical papers. He also co-authored a book and contributed to three others.