Vijay K. Bhargava is a researcher and Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He served the department as its Head for 5 years. A tireless leader, Dr. Vijay K. Bhargava has served the IEEE in a number of roles for over two decades. Currently on the Board of Directors of the IEEE Information Theory Society and a Distinguished Speaker of the Communications Society, his numerous past positions at the IEEE include Vice President for Regional Activities, Director of IEEE Canada, and member of the IEEE Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. Dr. Bhargava instigated the creation of IEEE Canada, the GOLD program, and other membership development initiatives. His “Blue Ribbon Task Force” led the merger of IEEE Region 7 and CSECE into IEEE Canada: He has also organized several key IEEE conferences in Canada. A true ambassador for the IEEE, Dr. Bhargava assisted 1994 President H. Troy Nagle and 1995 President James T. Cain in round-table discussions with sister societies in Japan and India. He established the Pacific Rim Conference on information technologies in 1987, and in 1996, he co-chaired and organized ISITA, an international symposium co-sponsored by the IEEE.

Vijay Bhargava was born on 22 September 1948 in Beawar, India. He studied at Queen’s University, Canada, where he received B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees. In 1974, he joined the Indian Institute of Science. He worked at Concordia University in Montreal from 1976 until 1984, when he joined the University of Victoria and helped develop the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s graduate program. He remains a professor there today.

Dr. Bhargava’s research includes work in error-correcting codes, spread-spectrum communications, and current projects in multi-media wireless communications. He co-edited the book Reed-Solomon Codes and Their Applications, and co-authored Digital Communications by Satellite, which has been translated into Chinese and Japanese. He has also authored or co-authored 13 book chapters, over 120 refereed journal publications, 146 conference papers, and 43 technical reports.

A Fellow of the IEEE and the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), Dr. Bhargava has received a number of awards including the IEEE RAE Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award, the IEEE Canada McNaughton Gold Medal, the Science Council of BC Gold Medal, and the EIC John B. Sterling Medal. In 1988, he earned a five-year appointment as a Fellow to the British Columbia Advanced System Institute. In recent years he has held numerous short-term appointments in Japan and India.

Vijay was awarded the 1999 IEEE Haraden Pratt Award ‘For meritorious service to the Institute, particularly in regional and section activities, and for his efforts to improve relationships with technical and professional organizations worldwide.’