EECS Professor Joe Evans Elected to IEEE Fellow

Joe Evans, Deane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Kansas, has been named a Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Evans is recognized for contributions to cognitive networks and deployment of defense networks. 

The IEEE Grade of Fellow is conferred by the IEEE board of directors upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. The total number selected in any one year cannot exceed one-tenth of 1 percent of the total voting membership. IEEE Fellow is the highest grade of membership and is recognized by the technical community as a prestigious honor and career achievement.

Evans has been a leader in the field of cognitive networking, which is the use of machine-learning techniques to improve wireless networks and the internet. While serving at the National Science Foundation in the early 2000s, he initiated the national research program that fostered this field in its early days.

Evans has also been a leader in the development and deployment of defense networks, including developing high-speed data networks in the 1990s for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and more recently co-founding a startup that developed the Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR) for DARPA and the Army, which he then helped deploy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Professor Evans’ contributions have greatly advanced this field and provided direct benefits to society. He is truly deserving of this recognition,” said Arvin Agah, interim dean of the School of Engineering.

The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for advancing technology for humanity. Through its 400,000-plus members in 160 countries, the association is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and it has developed more than 1,300 active industry standards. The association also sponsors or co-sponsors nearly 1,700 international technical conferences each year. More information is available at ieee.org.