Malek Itani, Atsutse Kludze, and Yiwen Song will be honored at the Marconi Awards Gala taking place this November in San Francisco
“The 2026 Young Scholars embody the inquisitiveness and determination that propel our industry forward. We take great pride in recognizing their achievements and eagerly anticipate seeing their influence expand.”— John Janowiak, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Marconi SocietySAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Marconi Society is pleased to unveil the winners of the 2026 Paul Baran Young Scholar Award, which honors three outstanding early-career researchers whose work is shaping the future of information and communications technology (ICT). These awardees will be celebrated at the 2026 Marconi Awards Gala & Institute Forums, scheduled for November 4–6 at the Fairmont San Francisco.
Meet the 2026 Paul Baran Young Scholars:
Malek Itani, University of Washington
Malek Itani is pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington, having been nominated by Professor Shyam Gollakota from the UW's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. His research sits at the crossroads of wireless systems, embedded audio, and artificial intelligence, creating real-time “hearables” — such as earbuds, hearing aids, and smart glasses — that leverage AI to let users control their auditory environment. In 2025, he co-founded Hearvana AI, securing $6 million in funding to move this technology from the laboratory into everyday products. Coverage of his work has appeared in MIT Technology Review, IEEE Spectrum, Le Monde, The Verge, and Popular Science.
Atsutse Kludze, Princeton University
Atsutse Kludze completed his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University in 2026, where he was nominated by Professor Kaushik Sengupta. His research develops physics-driven architectures for wireless communication and sensing operating above 100 GHz. He is listed as an inventor on both granted and pending patents, with one being highlighted as a Princeton Patent Highlight. He has been recognized as an Outstanding Reviewer for the IEEE Journal of Microwaves, and previously held the Yan Huo Graduate Fellowship and the Pramod Subramanyan Early Career Graduate Award from Princeton, along with a GEM Employer Fellowship sponsored by IBM and a Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship.
Yiwen Song, Carnegie Mellon University
Yiwen Song is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at the WiTech Lab within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, nominated by Professor Larry Pileggi. His work focuses on designing and assessing novel wireless systems, with applications spanning wireless communication, sensing, power transfer, and innovative wireless hardware. He is now working toward the deep integration of wireless and robotic systems, advancing research in radio-frequency actuation of soft robots and the robotic incorporation of wireless devices.
“The 2026 Young Scholars exemplify the curiosity and drive that move our field forward,” said John Janowiak, President and CEO of the Marconi Society. “Each of them is tackling problems that matter — from the way we hear, to the way we sense and communicate wirelessly, to the systems that will define the next generation of connectivity. We are proud to celebrate their contributions and look forward to watching their impact grow.”
The 2026 Paul Baran Young Scholars will present their research during the cross-sector Institute Forums on Friday, November 6, 2026, and will be recognized that evening at the Marconi Awards Gala at the Fairmont San Francisco, California. They will be honored alongside 2026 Marconi Prize recipient Robert Calderbank and 2026 Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award recipient John Hennessy. The evening will also celebrate the 2026 Marconi Institute Award recipients — Dr. David Bray, Dr. Pierrette Renée Dagg, and Dr. Hamid Jafarkhani — who will be recognized the preceding evening at the Institute Forums on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The Marconi Society gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its sponsors whose commitment makes these stipends possible: Akamai, AWS, Cohere Technologies, Duke Quantum Center, Google, Jungsang Kim & Soyeon Nam, Identity Digital, Samueli Foundation, Atlassian, ECE Foundation, IEEE, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, NCTA, Radius Global Infrastructure, Verisign, ARIN, Comitato Nazionale Marconi 150, Coalition on Digital Impact, EdgeQ, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu, MoreAI, San Francisco Center of Economic Development, SIDN, and the Wireless History Foundation.
For information on participation and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Flora Tromelin at ftromelin@marconisociety.org or +1-480-828-6064.
About the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award
The Paul Baran Young Scholar Award recognizes individuals 27 years of age or younger who have demonstrated outstanding scientific achievements, leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit in advancing the connected world. Nominations for the 2027 Paul Baran Young Scholar Award will open in January 2027. Learn more at www.marconisociety.org.
Yeimidy Lagunas
Marconi Society
+1 224-399-7333
ylagunas@marconisociety.org
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