Dr. Theodore Rappaport is a globally recognized pioneer and preeminent authority in wireless communications engineering with transformative contributions spanning multiple generations of mobile technology. He currently serves as the David Lee/Ernst Weber Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, maintaining concurrent distinguished appointments as Professor of Computer Science at the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Radiology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. A distinguished alumnus of Purdue University, he earned his BS, MS, and PhD in electrical engineering in 1982, 1984, and 1987 respectively, with his doctoral research providing the first propagation measurements inside factory buildings that proved pivotal for the development of the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. Dr. Rappaport has held prestigious professorships at Virginia Tech, the University of Texas at Austin, and New York University, founding three major academic wireless research centers that have shaped the trajectory of wireless communications research worldwide.
Dr. Rappaport's seminal research in radio propagation measurements and channel modeling fundamentally influenced the global wireless industry's technical evolution from the earliest cellular networks to contemporary 5G systems. His pioneering work in the 1990s directly guided the US cellular telephone industry to adopt TDMA and CDMA for the first digital 2G standards, establishing methodologies that became industry norms for subsequent generations. Most significantly, he demonstrated the viability of millimeter wave frequency bands for cellular applications, a vision subsequently adopted globally as the technical foundation for 5G networks, earning him recognition as the 'father of 5G millimeter wave.' With over 100 issued or pending US and international patents, his innovations in site-specific radio frequency channel modeling and design have transformed wireless network deployment practices worldwide, while his widely adopted textbooks have educated generations of wireless engineers across academia and industry.
As founding director of NYU WIRELESS, Dr. Rappaport has created one of the world's first academic research centers to integrate wireless engineering, computer science, and medicine, establishing a new paradigm for interdisciplinary wireless research. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 and honored with the IEEE Eric E. Sumner Field Award, his influence extends to international standards bodies where his research has consistently shaped wireless communication protocols for over three decades. His leadership spans founding the Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group at Virginia Tech in 1990, the Wireless Networking and Communications Group at UT Austin in 2002, and NYU WIRELESS in 2012, creating enduring research ecosystems that continue to advance the field. Currently serving as a Hagler Fellow at Texas A&M University and Neil Armstrong Distinguished Professor at Purdue, Dr. Rappaport continues to pioneer research in terahertz communications and next-generation wireless systems, maintaining his position at the technological forefront while mentoring future leaders in the field.
