Malek Itani, Atsutse Kludze, and Yiwen Song will be honored during the Marconi Awards Gala taking place this November in San Francisco
These three Young Scholars embody the curiosity and determination that propel our field forward. We are thrilled to recognize their work and eagerly anticipate the lasting influence they will have.— John Janowiak, President and CEO 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, recognizing 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, developing real-time “hearables”—including earbuds, hearing aids, and smart glasses—that use AI to allow users to manage their auditory environment. In 2025, he co-founded Hearvana AI, securing a $6 million funding round to transition this technology from the lab into everyday products. His work has been featured in MIT Technology Review, IEEE Spectrum, Le Monde, The Verge, and Popular Science.
Atsutse Kludze, Princeton University
Atsutse Kludze received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University in 2026, where he was nominated by Professor Kaushik Sengupta. His research focuses on physics-informed architectures for wireless communication and sensing at frequencies above 100 GHz. He is listed as an inventor on several granted and pending patents, with one patent recognized as a Princeton Patent Highlight. He has been named an Outstanding Reviewer for the IEEE Journal of Microwaves, and has been awarded the Yan Huo Graduate Fellowship and the Pramod Subramanyan Early Career Graduate Award from Princeton, as well as a GEM Employer Fellowship sponsored by IBM, and a Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship.
Yiwen Song, Carnegie Mellon University
Yiwen Song currently serves as 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 research involves designing and assessing novel wireless systems for applications in communication, sensing, power transfer, and innovative wireless hardware. At present, he is working toward deeply integrating wireless and robotic systems, with advancements 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,” stated 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 share the spotlight with 2026 Marconi Prize winner Robert Calderbank and 2026 Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award recipient John Hennessy. The evening will also honor the 2026 Marconi Institute Award recipients—Dr. David Bray, Dr. Pierrette Renée Dagg, and Dr. Hamid Jafarkhani—who will be acknowledged the previous evening at the Institute Forums on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
The Marconi Society extends its gratitude to the sponsors whose generous support 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 details on participation and sponsorship opportunities, reach out to Flora Tromelin at ftromelin@marconisociety.org or +1-480-828-6064.
About the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award
The Paul Baran Young Scholar Award honors individuals aged 27 or younger who have shown outstanding scientific accomplishments, leadership, and entrepreneurial initiative 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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