The Marconi Society has awarded the 2025 Marconi Prize—often called the “Nobel Prize for Communications” because it honors significant achievements in information communications technology (ICT)—to Professor Nick McKeown for his fundamental contributions to high performance switches and routers and to software defined networking and for transferring these contributions into widespread practice.
McKeown, a British computer scientist raised in Bedford and Chelmsford, stands among influential technologists shaping the modern Internet. His work spanning academia, industry and open-source ecosystems has redefined how networks are designed, operated and scaled globally.
The award was presented at the Marconi Awards Gala on November 14 at UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif., as part of the Marconi Society’s annual Institute Forums, which convenes global experts in Internet resilience, AI and advanced wireless to address the pressing challenges and opportunities in emerging technology.
In his acceptance remarks, McKeown reflected on a lifelong connection to Guglielmo Marconi’s legacy, from his early apprenticeship at the Marconi Research Labs in Chelmsford to later leadership roles at Stanford and Cambridge, and on the responsibility technologists bear in ensuring that innovations serve society. “As the people behind an enormous societal shift in power to technology, we owe it to the world to do better,” McKeown said.
McKeown also announced that he is donating his award funds to launch a new Marconi Society initiative bringing together technologists, ethicists and philosophers to deepen global conversations about the societal impact of emerging technologies.
The Marconi Society also presented its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Martin Cooper, widely known as the father of the handheld mobile phone. “Martin Cooper’s legacy is woven into the fabric of modern life,” said John Janowiak, president and CEO of the Marconi Society. “His impact on humanity is immeasurable, and we are proud to celebrate him.”
Four early-career innovators were also honored as the 2025 Marconi Young Scholars, an award recognizing emerging researchers whose work demonstrates exceptional technical promise and the potential for real-world impact. This year’s recipients are Ruth Gebremedhin (NYU Tandon School of Engineering), Thomas Micallef (Polytechnique Montréal / TandemLaunch Ventures), Yidong Ren (Michigan State University / Qualcomm), and Raghav Subbaraman (UC San Diego / Apple).
Each Young Scholar presented their research during the Academic Forum at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.