Director, NSF SpectrumX
Co-Director, Wireless Institute
Professor, Electrical Engineering
University of Notre Dame
Executive Summary
Leader who builds exceptional teams and collaborates widely with academic, industry, and government partners. Technical expert in wireless systems and radio spectrum access. Award-winning researcher, educator, and academic leader. Inventor, patent portfolio advisor, and expert witness. Mentors students and other faculty in developing their knowledge, skills, and professional careers.
Leadership Highlights
Center Director, SpectrumX - the NSF Spectrum Innovation Center (2020-present)
Leading the nation’s first large-scale academic consortium of over 150 researchers and 25 top universities to address national and international radio spectrum challenges and accelerate wireless technology and application innovation, with significant interdisciplinary research, policy engagement, and workforce development initiatives
Founding Director and Co-Director, Notre Dame Wireless Institute (2010-present)
Established a leading interdisciplinary research hub bridging electrical engineering, computer science, industry, and government in concert with Notre Dame’s distinct mission to be a Force for Good in the world
ND LEAD Participant (2021-2022)
Nine-month program for faculty that seeks to strengthen the performance of possible future academic leaders by increasing self-awareness, deepening understanding of the academic mission and operations, facilitating growth in complex decision-making and communication skills, and building networks across academic disciplines
Associate Chair & Director of Graduate Studies, Notre Dame Electrical Engineering (2019-2021)
Oversaw graduate program strategy, policy development, and implementation along with significant innovations in program marketing and student recruiting
Principal Investigator, over $34M in research funding
Ideating concepts and building programs, teams, and partnerships that advance technology and workforce development
Recent News
Spectrum monitoring and coexistence experiments conducted by NSF SpectrumX at the Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, NM, July 2025.
Latest research on radar spectral efficiency and generative AI tools for spectrum policy published and presented at IEEE DySPAN in London, May 2025.
Radio Systems and Applications video series released to raise awareness and build interest in career opportunities in radio spectrum innovation, April 2025.
NSF Spectrum Week 2024 General Chair, April 2024.
Celebrated 125 Years of Wireless Innovation at Notre Dame, April 2024.
Collaborated on written comment to the NTIA National Spectrum Strategy Implementation Plan, January 2024.
Midwest Wireless Innovation Hub strategy development grant awarded to Notre Dame and over 20 academic, industry, and regional partners, October 2023.
First FCC comment that I led with colleagues from ND Wireless and SpectrumX, October 2023.
First TPRC paper developed through SpectrumX collaborations, September 2023.
Provided oral and written comments to the Second NTIA Listening Sesssion on the National Spectrum Strategy, which we hosted through SpectrumX at the University of Notre Dame, April 2023.
NTIA Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Liaison created to foster collaboration between key government lab and academia around the radio spectrum, February 2023.
Keynote Presentation at GRCon 2022 on leveraging software-defined radio for research, teaching, and collaborations, September, 2022.
Founding Member of the ATIS NextG Alliance Research Council, August, 2022
Bridging the Digital Divide in collaboration with the City of South Bend Schools, City of South Bend, enFocus, Hayes Tower, and Choicelight, August 2022.
NSF and ND press releases announcing that SpectrumX has been funded as the first NSF Spectrum Innovation Center, September 2021.
Personal story on becoming an electrical engineer, professor, and mentor, June 2021.
Nik Kleber submitted his PhD thesis on The Design of Widespread Spectrum Monitoring Systems, April 2021.