During the IEEE GLOCECOM, which was organized in Singapore, Professor Mathiopoulos, Professor of Digital Telecommunications in the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Athens, was nominated the “2017 Satellite & Space Communications Distinguished Service Award” of the Technical Committee for Satellite & Space Communications, by the IEEE Communications Society.

Professor Mathiopoulos was awarded for his significant, prominent, multiannual and internationally cited research and development contribution to the broader field of wireless telecommunications systems and specifically to satellite and space communications.

It is important to depict that IEEE Communications Society is the most prestigious scientific organization in the field of communications. Thus, the distinction of Professor Mathiopoulos is the best recognition of his research work impact and the significance of his contribution in the field of satellite and space communications, he serves since 1986.

This distinction is awarded each year since 2002, and it is the first time that goes to a Greek IEEE member.

Prof Mathiopoulos joined in 1989 the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of British Columbia (UBC) as an Assistant Professor where
he was a faculty member for 14 years and from 2000 – 2003 he was holding the rank of Full Professor. He is a former Director/Director of Research of the Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing (ISARS) at the National Observatory of Athens, in Penteli, Athens, Greece. NOA is a publicly funded R&D organization and is the oldest research institution of modern Greece established in 1854. From 2000-2005 he was the Director of the Institute. He is a Guest (Global) Professor in Keio University (Japan) and Guest Professor in Southwest Jiaotong University and Yangzhou University (China).

Prof. Mathiopoulos has acted numerous times as a consultant for many industrial organizations and various governmental agencies all over the world. Since 1993, he has served on a regular basis as a scientific advisor and technical expert for the European Commission (EC) for the ACTS and IST programs. In this capacity, he has been appointed by the EC in numerous high-level advisory, evaluation and auditing panels in the technical areas of telecommunications, information technology and electronic commerce and publishing.

Numerous times (since 2000) he has been appointed as national representative of the Hellenic Republic no the European Space Agency (ESA), the Space Advisory Group (SAG)and the Joint Communication Board (JCB), as well as in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) of the COST Actions (European Commission).