Gerard J. Foschini

Gerard Joseph Foschini (February 28, 1940-September 17, 2023), was an American telecommunications engineer who worked for Bell Laboratories since 1961 until his retirement. Dr. Foschini passed away in September 2023. His research has covered many kinds of data communications, particularly wireless communications and optical communications. Foschini has also worked on point-to-point systems and networks.

Gerard Joseph Foschini
IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal recipient
Born(1940-02-28)February 28, 1940
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Died(2023-09-17)September 17, 2023
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNew Jersey Institute of Technology
New York University
Stevens Institute of Technology
AwardsIEEE Fellow
IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award (2004)
IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (2008)
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics, telecommunications
InstitutionsBell Labs
Doctoral advisorLawrence J. Wallen

Biography

Foschini received the B.S.E.E. degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the M.E.E. degree from New York University and a Ph.D. (1967) from the Stevens Institute of Technology.[1] In December 1962, he joined AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he has worked since. He has also taught at Princeton University and Rutgers University.

Within the telecommunications engineering field, he is best known for his invention of Bell Laboratories Layered Space-Time (BLAST).[2][3][4] This is a scheme for use in wireless communications which recommends the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver. By careful allocation of the data to be transmitted to the transmitting antennas, multiple data streams can be transmitted simultaneously within a single frequency band — the data capacity of the system then grows directly in line with the number of antennas. This represents a significant advance on current, single-antenna systems.

Foschini's 1996 paper (not published until 1998), "On limits of wireless communications in a fading environment when using multiple antennas",[1] played a key role advancing multiple-input multiple-output wireless systems. Shortly after that publication, in a technical memorandum for his employers,[2] Foschini introduced the BLAST concept which is one of the most widely examined techniques in wireless communications research today. Among his later contributions, the paper offering a simplified form of the original BLAST architecture, called Vertical BLAST (V-BLAST),[3] has also resulted in intensive international research efforts. In 2002, Bell Laboratories' patent on BLAST was named by MIT's Technology Review Magazine as one of five "Patents to watch". According to the Institute for Scientific Information Foschini is in the top 0.5% of most widely cited authors.[5]

In 2002, Foschini received the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, an honor given to people from New Jersey who have changed the world with their inventions; he has also received the Bell Labs Inventor's Award, Gold Award and Teamwork Award and holds the titles of "Distinguished Member of Staff, Distinguished Inventor" in the Laboratories.[6] Before his work on BLAST, Foschini had already been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1986, "for contributions to communications theory".[7][8]

Foschini received the 2008 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal "For seminal contributions to the science and technology of multiple-antenna wireless communications." And the IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award in 2006. Also in 2008 he received the New Jersey Institute of Technology Alumni Achievement Honor Roll Award and the IEEE Communication Theory Committee Technical Achievement Award. On March 28, 2015, he received the Stevens Technology Distinguished Alumni Award for Engineering,[9][10] and is part of the Stevens Institute of Technology top 150 in 150 years.

In 2018, Foschini was honored as an NJIT magazine Top Influencer from the Institution.[11]

In 2009, Foschini was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.[12]

Publications
  1. Gerard. J. Foschini; Michael. J. Gans (1998). "On limits of wireless communications in a fading environment when using multiple antennas" (PDF). Wireless Personal Communications. 6 (3): 311–335. doi:10.1023/A:1008889222784. S2CID 6157164. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-05-11.
  2. Gerard. J. Foschini (1996). "Layered Space-Time Architecture for Wireless Communication in a Fading Environment When Using Multi-Element Antennas" (PDF). Bell Labs Technical Journal. October: 41–59.
  3. Gerard J. Foschini; Glen D. Golden; Reinaldo A. Valenzuela; Peter W. Wolniansky (1999). "Simplified Processing for High Spectral Efficiency Wireless Communication Employing Multi-Element Arrays". IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. 17 (11): 1841–1852. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.421.9166. doi:10.1109/49.806815.
  4. Gerard J. Foschini; Z. Miljanic (1993). "A simple distributed autonomous power control algorithm and its convergence" (PDF). IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. 42 (4).

References
  1. "Gerard J. Foschini Ph.D. '67". Third Stevens Awards Gala. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  2. "Radio Blast" 19 August 2000 Justin Mullins New Scientist Magazine issue 2252
  3. "WHAT'S NEXT; Bouncing Signals Push the Limits of Bandwidth" IAN AUSTEN January 16, 2003 New York Times
  4. ISI Highly Cited Researchers Version 1.1: Foschini, G. J. Thomson Scientific Retrieved on 10 July 2007
  5. "Bell Labs Researchers' Papers Prove Fertile for Peer". Bell Labs News & Features. Alcatel–Lucent. 2002-12-19. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2007-07-02. two independent institutions named them as being among the most cited scientific authors of our time
  6. "Gerard J. Foschini". Eric E. Sumner Award. IEEE. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  7. "Fellow Class of 1986". IEEE. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  8. "IEEE Fellows 1986 | IEEE Communications Society".
  9. "Gerard J. Foschini Ph.D. '67: Wireless Communications Technology Pioneer". Stevens150.com.
  10. "Gerard J. Foschini Ph.D. '67". Stevens Institute of Technology. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  11. Michele Hickey. "30 Top Influencers from NJIT" (PDF). Magazine.njit.edu. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. "Dr. Gerard J. Foschini". NAE Website. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
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