The proliferation of mobile phones, smart devices, and sensors such as cameras has transformed the communications landscape in recent decades. Oftentimes, diverse devices, such as autonomous vehicles and wearable sensors, talk to other devices without relying on pre-existing communications infrastructure such as routers, a set-up called an ad hoc network.

Younis’ work has advanced the expanding scope of communications technology, while also working to keep these methods reliable and secure. He has developed algorithms for networks of moveable sensor nodes, for example drones on a search-and-rescue mission, to recover from the failure of individual nodes; has created new ways to send signals directly from air to underwater; and has studied ways to protect the privacy of data sent from medical devices and sensors, among many other contributions.

“This award was a surprise to me—it made me happy,” says Younis, who traveled to South Africa to receive it. “It’s a recognition from the community that means a lot.”