Prof. Sachin Katti
B.Tech., 2003, Electrical Engineering

Prof. Sachin Katti is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Stanford University since 2010. He has also been the CEO & Co-Founder of Kumu Networks from 2012 to 2014.

Prof. Katti’s has made groundbreaking research along with his graduate students which shows that it is practically possible to design and implement in-band full duplex radios (i.e. radios that can transmit and receive at the same time on the same frequency). The research has been published in ACM SIGCOMM 2013. The team has designed new algorithms and circuits and demonstrated working prototype implementations of WiFi and LTE in-band full duplex radios, a feat that was hitherto considered impossible. This invention has the potential to revolutionize wireless network design and spectrum allocation. At the simplest level, it cuts the amount of spectrum needed by half. The worldwide value of cellular spectrum used to operate broadband 4G networks is estimated at several trillion dollars. With full duplex, the amount of spectrum needed is cut by half, potentially creating value worth trillions of dollars for society.

Prof. Katti has made significant progress in commercializing this technology and bringing it to practice. Along with his students, he has started a company, Kumu Networks that is building the world’s first commercial full duplex radios. Kumu has raised $25 million in venture capital investment and is in advanced commercial trials with major operators around the world to bring full duplex technology to practice.

Prof. Katti obtained his B.Tech. from the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay in 2009. He later obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from MIT in 2005 and 2009 respectively.

Prof. Katti has won many honours and awards. Prominent ones include the CNBC’s Top 50 Most Disruptive Technologies/Companies of 2014; ACM Sigcomm Rising Star Award 2013; ACM SIGCOMM 2012 Best Student Paper and NSF Career Award 2012; Okawa Foundation Fellowship 2011; Terman, Hoover and Packard Junior Faculty Fellowships, Stanford University 2010; ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award, Honorable Mention 2009; IEEE William Bennett Prize in 2009; MIT Deshpande Center Innovation Grant in 2007 and National Talent Search Scholar, India in 1999, among others.

Special Memories

“The four years spent at IIT Bombay played a pivotal role in my intellectual, professional as well as personal growth. Besides forming some everlasting friendships, the values and ethics I imbibed at the Institute, help me in my professional endeavors even today. The fond memories of Campus life include the first year spent together with all freshmen at Hostel No.2; late night hacking sessions in labs at the EE department followed by late night tea at the Staff Canteen, among other things.”