Dr. Durrani obtained a Bachelor's degree (with Honors) from Pakistan in 1949, a Master's from England in 1953, and a doctorate from the University of New Mexico in 1962, all in Electrical Engineering. His career includes more than 10 years of teaching, 10 years with industry (GE, RCA, Comsat Labs), and 18 years with NASA, where he held research and management positions at the Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Headquarters. On retiring from NASA in 1992, he worked with Computer Sciences Corp. until 1998. Since then he has served as: a Guest Lecturer at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France (1998); Consultant to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Council in Pakistan under the UN Development Program (1999); IEEE Executive Fellow with the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC (2000-2001); and an IEEE Engineering and Diplomacy Fellow (Technical Advisor) with the U.S. Department of State (2004-2005).

Saj was elected a Fellow of the IEEE in 1976 "for contributions to the conceptual design and analysis of space communications systems." He has been active in the IEEE for more than 40 years, and has served as President of the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS), member of the IEEE Board of Directors, and Chairman of the National Capital Area Council. He has received several IEEE awards, including the Educational Activities Board's "Meritorious Achievement Award in Continuing Education" for giving courses on Satellite Communications in the U.S. and more than 25 other countries. Other honors include three Special Achievement Awards from NASA, and the CSC President's Excellence Award in 1996. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, and a Fellow of the Washington Academy of Sciences, having served as one of its Vice Presidents in 2001-2004. More recently, he was President of the DC Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies in 2006-07. He is listed in several professional directories.

Contact Information:

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Lecture:

Satellite Communication Systems

Satellite Communications is a thriving industry, and many global, regional and domestic systems are currently providing satcom services throughout the world. The talk briefly traces the development of commercial satcom systems over the last 45 years, and describes some of the existing and proposed systems to serve fixed and mobile users, their interaction with terrestrial systems, and the basic technologies involved. It concludes with a discussion of current market and regulatory issues, major trends, and potential capabilities in the near future.