This week marked the New Fellows Admissions of the Royal Society. TITAN extends its congratulations to Dr Mallikarjun (Mallik) Tatipamula, Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson Silicon Valley, and Professor Graham Reed,…
This week marked the New Fellows Admissions of the Royal Society. TITAN extends its congratulations to Dr Mallikarjun (Mallik) Tatipamula, Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson Silicon Valley, and Professor Graham Reed, Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, for being elected as Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS).
Both Dr Tatipamula and Professor Reed have made pioneering contributions that have shaped communication networks. Dr Tatipamula has supported TITAN by connecting the hub with key industry players worldwide and has guided it at the intersection of research, education, and innovation. Meanwhile, the ORC, led by Professor Reed, steers the TITAN lighthouse project on optical fibre communications.
Dr Tatipamula is the first Indian to be elected to all three of the UK’s premier academies — the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
From his earliest days in the field, Dr Tatipamula has been a catalyst for change across four major technological eras. He played a pivotal role in integrating Internet protocols into mobile networks, laying the groundwork for the mobile internet revolution. He then helped expand the global digital backbone by advancing IP over DWDM (Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing), pushing the boundaries of speed and scale. As 5G emerged, his pioneering work on software-defined architectures opened new frontiers for Industry 4.0. Today, he is leading international efforts to define the next horizon: AI-native, sustainable 6G networks.
Dr. Tatipamula has always maintained deep ties to academia. He has mentored over 100 students and held academic roles, including Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Hyderabad and honorary professorships at King’s College London, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Glasgow. He also advises a range of university and industry boards, including TITAN.
His impact extends into the realms of public policy and entrepreneurship. He has contributed to significant policy discussions, including work with the Commonwealth Nations’ AI Steering Committee, and supported innovative startups like Pensando, which AMD acquired in a $1.9 billion deal. With over 100 technical publications and patents, two books, and more than 500 keynote speeches delivered worldwide, Dr. Tatipamula is both a prolific thought leader and an inspiring communicator.
Professor Graham Reed is among the earliest pioneers of Silicon Photonics technology. Under his leadership, the research team at Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre continues to remain at the forefront of this technology. They hold two world records for high-speed modulators and transmitters and have delivered numerous global firsts. His team’s advancements in programmable photonic circuits and phase-tuning mechanisms—encompassing thermo-optic, electro-optic, and hybrid approaches—are unlocking a new era of reconfigurable optical systems.
Professor Reed is also the founder of LiDAR company Pointcloud and the CORNERSTONE Silicon Photonics foundry service based at the University of Southampton.
With over 680 publications, including 197 keynote and invited talks, 23 patent families, and two books, including the first textbook in the field, Professor Reed has combined academic excellence with practical innovation. His honours include the IET Crompton Medal (2013), the Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award (2014), the PIC Industry Award (2019), the Sir Frank Whittle Medal (Royal Academy of Engineering, 2023), the SPIE Gold Medal (2023), and Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
TITAN is proud to be associated with scientific leaders like Professor Reed and Dr Tatipamula, and is equally committed to nurturing the next generation of researchers into world-class academics and innovators who will shape the future of technology.
TITAN is part of the Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) alongside CHEDDAR, HASC, and JOINER. Together, we conduct world-leading R&D and create a new knowledge-sharing framework, roadmap technology, develop skills, and engage with standards while instilling a commercialisation-focused mindset across academia.
If you have any questions about this article, please contact titan-enquiries@eng.cam.ac.uk
