Marconi Society Honors Robert Calderbank and John L. Hennessy at 2026 Marconi Awards Gala in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Marconi Society celebrated pioneers and rising stars in information and communications technology at the 2026 Marconi Awards Gala & Institute Forums, held November 4–6 at the Fairmont San Francisco. The week concluded with the Marconi Awards Gala, where Robert Calderbank received the 2026 Marconi Prize, and John L. Hennessy received the Marconi Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Marconi Society also honored three Institute Award recipients: Dr. David Bray of the People-Centered Internet Coalition for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence; Dr. Pierrette Renée Dagg of Merit Network for Leadership in Internet Resilience; and Dr. Hamid Jafarkhani of UC Irvine for Innovation in Wireless Communications.

In addition, the Marconi Society recognized 2026 Paul Baran Young Scholars Malek Itani of the University of Washington, Atsutse Kwami Kludze of Princeton University, and Yiwen Song of Carnegie Mellon University, early-career researchers whose work shows exceptional promise.

Robert Calderbank, Charles S. Sydnor Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Duke University, received the 2026 Marconi Prize for contributions to voiceband modems, space-time coding, and quantum error correction. The Prize was presented by Marconi Fellow Andrea Goldsmith and Jungsang Kim, Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University.

In his acceptance speech, Calderbank reflected on the people who shaped his career: “This is a time when I get to remember all of the people that have made me more successful. And I’m very grateful to them.” He closed with a lesson he learned from his wife, Ingrid Daubechies: “I think that mentorship, it’s really about making other people successful.”

John L. Hennessy, Co-founder and Director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, received the Marconi Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of a sustained commitment to using technology and education in service of others. Tributes were shared by Craig Barratt, Teresa H. Meng, Mark Horowitz, and Marconi Society Chairman Dennis Roberson, who introduced Hennessy to accept the award.

“The thing about a Lifetime Achievement Award is it recognizes a long career,” said Hennessy. “But it’s also a message. It’s a message that it’s time to let the young people come in. My congratulations to the Young Scholars. It’s up to you to really carry our field.”

The Gala opened with a tribute to Guglielmo Marconi presented by H.E. Marco Peronaci, Ambassador of Italy to the United States; Dr. Donata Paresce, descendant of Guglielmo Marconi and great-niece of Gioia Marconi Braga; and Giulia Fortunato, President of the Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi and President of the Italian National Committee Marconi.150.

For the first time, the Marconi Society’s three Institutes (Advanced Wireless, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet Resilience) came together for a day-and-a-half Cross-Sector Institute Forum. Experts examined three of today’s most pressing challenges: Trust & Safety, Infrastructure & Energy, and Internet Resilience.

“The hardest problems no longer stay inside one discipline. An AI system is only as trustworthy as the network it runs on, and that network is only as resilient as the infrastructure and energy behind it,” said John R. Janowiak, President and CEO of the Marconi Society. “Our job now is to turn this week’s conversations into work that continues long after the Institute Forums end.”

The 2026 Marconi Awards Gala & Institute Forums were made possible by the generous support of Akamai, AWS, Cisco, Cohere Technologies, Duke Quantum Center, Google, Intel, Jungsang Kim & Soyeon Nam, the Samueli Foundation, and Wrethinking, the Foundation.

We also thank ECE Foundation, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, HPE, IEEE, the Internet Society Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, NCTA, Radius Global Infrastructure, Stanford University, Verisign, and WAIfinder, as well as ARIN, Cantellus Group, Comitato Nazionale Marconi 150, EdgeQ, EWS, IEEE-HKN, MRHS, moreAI, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, SIDN, Professor Thomas Kailath and Dr. Anuradha Luther Maitra, WCA, and the Wireless History Foundation.

Special thanks to Leonardo and Telespazio for sponsoring the Welcome Reception, and to Qualcomm for sponsoring the VIP Reception.

About the Marconi Society
Founded in 1974 by Guglielmo Marconi’s daughter, Gioia Marconi Braga, the Marconi Society celebrates and supports individuals advancing technology that promotes global connectivity and sustainability. Through its Institutes in AI, Internet Resilience, and Advanced Wireless, the Marconi Society convenes global experts to advance technologies that benefit society. Learn more at www.marconisociety.org.

Yeimidy Lagunas
Marconi Society
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