NAI Fellow Jose Joaqun (J.J.) Garcia-Luna-Aceves is an NAI Fellow and professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is a trailblazer whose research focuses on computer communication covering network architectures, communication protocols, distributed algorithms, digital infrastructures and performance analysis. He is a named inventor on 75 U.S. patents, and his patents have had transformational impact, including influencing technology and products at Nokia and Cisco.
Read below as he discusses the value of STEM education, advice for innovators looking to take their innovations from bench to market, and more!
Q: What words would you use to describe yourself?
A: honest, hard-working, friendly, inventive
Q: What inspired you, and continues to inspire you, to be an inventor?
A: The challenge of designing distributed algorithms to solve problems in computer networks.
Q: Why are you passionate about being an innovator?
A: I love finding new methods that solve problems that were not solved before or provide more efficient solutions.
Q: What advice do you have for innovators looking to take their innovations from bench to market?
A: Challenge conventional wisdom. Try to imagine solutions that go beyond what published papers or international standards describe. Try to simplify the problem and apply fundamental concepts to the problem.
Q: What do you feel the value of STEM education is, especially to young innovators?
A: Education provides fundamental tools that enable innovation, and basic training on how to approach invention by carrying out research.
Jose Joaqun (J.J.) Garcia-Luna-Aceves was inducted as an NAI Fellow in 2022. To read more about Dr. Garcia-Luna-Aceves and his work, visit: https://www.ece.utoronto.ca/people/garcia-luna-aceves-j-j/