In this article, we highlight some prominent individuals who are leading the charge toward 6G wireless technology. Of course, those featured below are just a small selection of the many talented professionals working to make 6G a reality. The list below is intended to recognize some early leaders in this space while illustrating the diverse array of expertise of inter-organizational collaboration that is representative of 6G research.

How to understand 6G research leadership?

6G research is evolving quickly, and several talented scientists, business leaders, and policymakers are busily building the foundation for the next generation of wireless technology across the globe. With a broad variety of contributors ranging from private companies to public-private partnerships, making 6G a reality will truly be a team effort. 

To shed light on the individual leaders working to advance 6G, we took the following approach: 

• Highlight representative corporate leaders from the top companies working on the foundations of 6G.  
• Highlight key leaders in high-profile research partnerships, with a focus on illustrating the multiple pillars of research that will be vital to making 6G possible.

Who is leading 6G technology?

The list below demonstrates a few important themes. First, senior leaders at some of the biggest wireless companies on earth are already thinking about 6G. Second, the private sector is taking a collaborative approach to fleshing out the early stages of 6G research, pooling resources in partnerships that are central to organizing this early-stage research program. Third, the advancement of 6G will depend on experts in an array of fields ranging from machine learning, to cybersecurity, to network architecture

Who are some representative 6G business leaders?

With many of the top multinational technology companies in the world contributing to 6G research, a huge number of executives could warrant inclusion in the list below. Corporate leaders who have spoken at high-profile 6G conferences provide a useful illustration of the senior business leaders have demonstrated a public commitment to 6G:

1. Chris Boyer, Vice President of Global Security and Technology Policy, AT&T.
   Chris discusses Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) implications for 6G in this panel discussion from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
   
2. Jan Soderstrom, Vice President and Head of Advanced Technology U.S., Ericsson.
   Jan weighs in from a 6G summit in this interview.
3. Sanjay Udani, Vice President for Policy, Verizon. Sanjay “develops and coordinates Verizon’s policy positions on emerging services and technologies including 5G, cybersecurity, privacy, spectrum, and supply chain security” and is expected to play a key role in crystallizing their approach to 6G.

Who are some representative 6G research leaders?

The 6G@UT Lab, is a dedicated 6G research facility at the University of Texas at Austin funded by the NextG Alliance, a North American 6G research partnership. Their research center’s affiliated faculty illustrates the diversity of research expertise that is supporting 6G research at just a single research center. Some of their key leaders include: 

• Jeffrey G. Andrews: 6G@UT Director And Research Lead For New Spectrum And Topologies: As director of the research center and a leader in research related to applying machine learning techniques to modeling and optimizing new wireless architectures, Andrews is a key figure in the rapidly growing world of 6G
  Learn more about the innovative spectrum extensions that will be instrumental to 6G.
• Todd E. Humphreys: Research Lead for Pervasive Sensing: According to 6G@UT, pervasive sensing will ”feed hungry ML algorithms continuously tuning and reconfiguring the network, while ‘sensing-as-a-service’ will be offered to subscribers and applications. 6G networks will not just be communications systems, but sensing networks that serve as a platform for crowd-sourced sensing.”
• Gustavo de Veciana: Research Lead for Open Networks: new approaches to network slicing and sharing, another key pillar for 6G and a component of the 6G@UT research program, will build on the ORAN paradigm to “enable unprecedented openness, customization, automation, and softwarization.”

Important leaders for the NextG Alliance itself include:

1. David Young, Managing Director
2. Eric Burger, Academic and Research Liaison Office (ARLO) Director and Research Council Lead
3. Steering group co-chairs, Devaki Chandramouli (Nokia), Brian Daly (AT&T), and Benoit Pelletier (VMware)

Other examples of global research leaders include:

• Dr. Mikko A. Uusitalo of Nokia Bell Labs, the Project Lead and Coordinator of th EU’s Hexa-X research partnership. Dr. Uusitalo spearheads collaborative efforts aimed at defining the vision and requirements for 6G technology. His leadership underscores Nokia’s commitment to driving innovation and fostering collaboration in the 6G space.
  
• Andy Clegg, Spectrum Engineering Lead at Google. Mr. Clegg’s role highlights the tech giant’s interest in exploring novel spectrum utilization techniques and regulatory frameworks to support the deployment of future 6G networks.
  
• Micaela Giuhat, Director of 5G Policy at Microsoft. Expected to play a key role in shaping Microsoft’s approach to 6G  and leading strategic advocacy for a conducive regulatory environment for 6G technology.
  
• Dr. Hyunho Park Senior Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research. A key leader in Samsung’s massive global investments toward establishing a leading position in the race toward 6G. 

Learn More About Rapidly Expanding Frontier of 6G Technology

These individuals represent just a fraction of the many researchers, engineers, and industry leaders who are actively involved in 6G research and development. As related technology continues to evolve, a new generation of business and technical experts will emerge in parallel, each contributing their unique perspectives and expertise to shape the future of wireless communication.

Our team at 6G World is dedicated to tracking new developments related to everything 6G. We look forward to continuing tracking and profiling emerging leaders in this exciting field, whether they come from private companies, multinational telecommunications companies, or small startups.