Prof. Khaled B. LETAIEF, New Bright Professor of Engineering and Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been presented a 2024 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award by the College of Engineering of Purdue University on April 11. Among the six honorees this year, Prof. Letaief is the only one from outside the United States.

Prof. Letaief was recognized “for his preeminence in the field of computer science and engineering, leading to impactful technical contributions to wireless technologies involving 4G cellular systems and other advanced wireless networks.”

“This prestigious recognition from Purdue University holds immense significance to me, and I am deeply honored by this distinction,” said Prof. Letaief, who received his BS, MS and PhD degrees all from Purdue University. This esteemed annual award was first presented in 1964 and has a long history spanning six decades.

Prof. Letaief is an internationally recognized leader in wireless communications and networks who received numerous illustrious awards and honors throughout his distinguished career. These include membership of the US National Academy of Engineering, Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, Edwin Howard Armstrong Achievement Award of IEEE Communications Society, Tunisia’s national accolade for the Best Tunisian Researcher or Inventor Abroad, and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Prof. Letaief joined HKUST in 1993 and has served in many high-level administrative positions, including Dean of Engineering (2009-2015) and Head of Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (2003-2009) at HKUST, and Provost of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (2015-2018) in Qatar. Currently, he is Senior Advisor to the President.

He also took leadership roles in professional societies, such as President of the IEEE Communications Society (2018-2019), the world’s leading organization for communications professionals, and Founding Editor-in-Chief (2002-2006) of the well-regarded IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications.