UC Riverside distinguished computer science professor Kadangode “K.K.” Ramakrishnan was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award for his pioneering contributions that have enabled the growth and scale of the vast Internet that we enjoy today.
The honor was bestowed by the Association for Computing Machinery, or ACM, group for computer networking, called ACM SIGCOMM, for his contributions to the field of communications and computing networks.
ACM SIGCOMM is the ACM's Special Interest Group for data communications, which specializes in the field of communication and computer networks. It is the primary society for networking and communications professionals, and its recognition of a lifetime achievement in the field is given to one person in the field each year.
Ramakrishnan’s contributions have shaped key areas of network design, protocols, and standardization. More specifically, his network congestion control and traffic management innovations have advanced communication network technologies. He also has contributed to the development of virtual private network, or VPN, services that are essential to secure communication over diverse network technologies.
“It is a great honor to be recognized for my contributions to networking over the years, and I am humbled to join the company of a number of giants in networking and communications who have shaped the technology of the Internet, which has changed society so dramatically in these last 40 years,” Ramakrishnan said. “I am truly grateful for the many people who have helped me along the way.”
A member of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, Ramakrishnan has published over 300 papers and has 186 patents. Ramakrishnan also has been on the editorial board of several journals and has served in leadership roles for many networking conferences. Last year, he was named a Distinguished Alumni of the Indian Institute of Science or IISc.
His current work focuses on network architecture, protocols, and systems. His laboratory team at UCR does work on software-based networks, cloud computing, network resilience, networking for disaster management, and cellular networks for 5G and beyond