Marcus Weldon — Lecture
| Event Date: | April 22, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Marcus Weldon | Former President, Bell Labs, Corporate Chief Technology Officer, Nokia |
| Time: | 3:00-4:00 PM EDT |
| Location: | TBA |
| Contact Name: | Maria Longoria-Littleton |
| Contact Phone: | +1 765 49-40015 |
| Contact Email: | mlongori@purdue.edu |
| Priority: | Yes |
| School or Program: | College of Engineering |
| College Calendar: | Show |
Creating the Future
Abstract:
Alan Kay famously said that the ‘best way to predict the future is to invent it’. That is actually only partially true, as one needs not only to invent a solution but also to implement it, and to do so successfully in terms of both solving for a human need and having financial impact. This requires a clear vision and strategy, albeit one that necessarily adapts to the changing reality. In this talk, I will describe different approaches to navigating this complex calculus, as well as provide a vision of the future and the essential technologies that will underpin it.
Hosted by Electrical and Computer Engineering
Biography:
Marcus Weldon is responsible for coordinating the technical strategy across Nokia and driving technological and architectural innovations into Nokias end-to-end networking systems and software portfolio. In addition, as President of Bell Labs, Marcus is responsible for defining and creating the next disruptive innovations and the pioneering research that will form the foundation of the future ICT industry. Marcus is considered one of the luminaries in the ICT industry in terms of the clarity, depth and breadth of his vision. He combines his vision with the power of Bell Labs, to create a unique innovation engine whose goal is to invent the future of the networking and communications industry.
Marcus holds a Ph.D. (Physical Chemistry) degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science and Chemistry) joint degree from Kings College in London, UK. But more than these formal academic credentials, Marcus has a relentless curiosity that, coupled with a very analytical mind, drives him to continuously learn and to understand any problem from a wide array of different angles, and in remarkable depth, across a diverse array of disciplines, including:
- Wireless and wired networking technologies, protocols and systems
- Artificial Intelligence systems and methodologies
- Novel computing systems (including quantum computing)
- Cloud infrastructure and web systems and platforms
- Silicon device technologies and materials
- Chemical and biochemical systems
- New materials and sensing technologies and systems
- Advanced machine and robotics technologies
- Next generation internet routing and transport networks and systems
- Emerging industrial and enterprise systems
- Cybersecurity technologies and end-to-end systems and networks
- Advanced communications and AR/VR technologies and systems
Marcus has won numerous technical, scientific and engineering society awards for his work and technical vision and leadership throughout his career, but is arguably best known for his ability to distill complex, multi-dimensional problems into the essential simple answer or solution that should be pursued. For this reason, he is highly sought after as an advisor to governmental agencies and departments in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and around the world, as well as to industrial and enterprise CxOs, to venture capitalists and private equity funds, and the larger investment community.