Keynotes
During the joint RWW-ARFTG Plenary Session on Tuesday, we will feature two keynote presentations: one by Goutam Chattopadhyay, 2025 MTT-S President, a Senior Scientist at NASA’s JPL and a Visiting Professor at Caltech, and another by Joel Dunsmore, a Keysight R&D Fellow.
Recent Advancements in the MHz to THz Technologies (MTT)
Goutam Chattopadhyay, 2025 MTT-S President
Abstract: Space exploration has long served as a powerful catalyst for inspiring the imagination of the next generation. The sight of rovers on Mars, images from distant galaxies, and the dream of humans returning to the Moon or reaching Mars ignite curiosity and a spirit of discovery in young minds. These missions are not just feats of engineering – they are stories that capture the human desire to explore the unknown and push beyond boundaries. By engaging students, educators, and the public in the wonders of space, exploration fosters STEM education, fuels innovation, and builds a generation that dreams bigger and reaches further. Beyond its inspirational value, space exploration offers a unique lens through which we can better understand ourselves and our place in the cosmos. As we study other planets and moons, we gain valuable insight into planetary evolution, atmospheric behavior, and the potential for life beyond Earth. Observing Earth from space also provides critical data on climate change, environmental degradation, and the fragile systems that sustain life. In this way, space science not only fuels our search for extraterrestrial life but also deepens our understanding of Earth's past, present, and future. Ultimately, exploring the universe is a journey inward as much as outward – it challenges us to think about our shared humanity, our responsibility to protect our planet, and our collective future among the stars. In this lecture, we will explore the technological innovations in the MHz to THz frequency domain driving the next generation of instruments and highlight specific instrument developments along with the fundamental science questions they aim to address.
Speaker's Bio: Goutam Chattopadhyay is a Senior Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and a Visiting Professor at Caltech in Pasadena, USA. He previously served as the BEL Distinguished Visiting Chair Professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and as an Adjunct Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Dr. Chattopadhyay received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Caltech in 2000. He is a Fellow of the IEEE (USA), National Academy of Inventors (USA), and the IETE (India), an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, the 2025 President of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S), a Track Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, and an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer. His research focuses on microwave, millimeter-wave, and terahertz receiver systems and radars, as well as space instrumentation for the search for life beyond Earth. Dr. Chattopadhyay has authored over 450 publications in international journals and conferences and holds more than 25 patents. He has received over 35 NASA Technical Achievement and New Technology Invention Awards. In 2025, he received the NASA-JPL North Star Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a NASA-JPL scientist. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Armstrong Medal by the Radio Club of America (RCA) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to radio science. He also received the NASA-JPL People Leadership Award in 2023. Among other honors, he was named IEEE Region 6 Engineer of the Year in 2018 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), India, in 2017. He is a two-time recipient of the Best Journal Paper Award from IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology (2020 and 2013), and also received the Best Paper Award for Antenna Design and Applications at EuCAP in 2017. Additional accolades include the IETE Biman Bihari Sen Memorial Award (2022) and the IETE Prof. S. N. Mitra Memorial Award (2014).
VNA Everywhere, VNA Everything: The History and Evolution of the Modern Network Analyzer, and why SATCOM and 6G Needs It
Joel Dunsmore, R&D Fellow, Keysight Technologies
Abstract: Perhaps no other electronic measurement instrument has gone through the evolutions that are seen in modern Network Analyzers. What started as a fast, sweeping power meter has become the workhorse of modern test stands. This talk will review the history and evolution of network analyzers, illuminating key technological advances that enabled this progress, resulting in the unique capabilities that we find are required for the SATCOM and the 6G sub-THz applications. It will conclude with some ideas of future trends and needs in test instruments.
Speaker's Bio: Joel Dunsmore, a Keysight R&D Fellow working at Keysight’s Santa Rosa Site. He received his Ph.D. from Leeds University in 2004. He is a principal contributor to PNA family of network analyzers, with recent work in non-linear test, including differential devices, and mixer measurements, as well as modulated and spectrum measurements. He has received 36 patents and authored the “Handbook of Microwave Component Measurements, 2nd Edition (John Wiley, 2020)”, and has the YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@Dr-JoelVNA.
