Robert Brodersen, co-founder of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center, has passed away

EECS Professor Robert Brodersen, co-founder of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC), passed away on February 1st, 2024. He was 78. 

Professor Brodersen was born in Brush, Colorado. He attended California Polytechnic State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and mathematics in 1966. He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at MIT in 1968 and 1972, respectively. Brodersen began his professional career at Texas Instruments. After three years at Texas Instruments, he accepted a faculty position at Berkeley EECS in 1976, his dream job.

He was a leader in the areas of RF and digital wireless communication design and was a founding member of BWRC. Among his illustrious accomplishments, Brodersen was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1988; he won a Berkeley Citation in 2015, the IEEE Edison Medal in 2016, and the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000. 

Brodersen will be remembered for his warmth and generosity, enthusiasm, mentorship, and leadership in large DARPA projects. Former students, colleagues, and friends of Bob remember him as being a gifted and warm friend, a lifelong mentor, and the best teacher.

A celebration of life will be held later this year. Donations to the Robert W. Brodersen Fellowship in EECS (FW8524000) would be greatly appreciated. They can be made at the UC Berkeley Foundation by calling Gifts Services at 510-643-9789, online at https://give.berkeley.edu/brodersen, or emailing dmasterson@berkeley.edu. The fellowship provides full support to a graduate student in Berkeley EECS.