Four professors from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have been elected as fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. The organization announced its 2019 class of 168 fellows today.
According to the academy, the honor recognizes inventors at academic institutions who have “demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.”
The UCLA Samueli faculty members honored this year are:
Leonard Kleinrock, distinguished professor of computer science. Kleinrock pioneered the mathematical theory of packet switching, the technology underpinning the internet. His research interests include packet-switching networks, packet-radio networks, local area networks, broadband networks, nomadic computing, peer-to-peer networks and intelligent software agents. Among his many awards, Kleinrock has received the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor.
Neil Siegel, adjunct professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Siegel is an expert in systems engineering. Prior to academia, Siegel held several senior leadership roles at Northrop Grumman, including vice president and chief technology officer of the company’s information systems sector. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ Simon Ramo Medal for systems engineering and systems science. Siegel is also the IBM Professor of Engineering Management at USC.
Gabor Temes, distinguished professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering. Temes was a full-time member of the UCLA faculty from 1970 to 1990. Since then, he has been at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering. His research interests are in data converters, switched-capacitor circuits. and analog and digital signal processing. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a recipient of the Semiconductor Industry of America’s University Researcher Award.
Chee Wei Wong, professor of electrical and computer engineering. Wong’s research interests are in nonlinear optics, quantum optics, ultrafast optics and precision measurements. He has received the National Institutes of Health Trailblazer Award and is a fellow of several scientific societies.
New fellows will be formally inducted in April at the National Academy of Inventor’s annual meeting in Phoenix.