John L. Hennessy will be honored alongside Robert Calderbank, recipient of the 2026 Marconi Prize, at this year’s annual Marconi Awards Gala in San Francisco.
CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — John L. Hennessy has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Hennessy will be honored alongside Professor Robert Calderbank, recipient of the 2026 Marconi Prize, at the Marconi Awards Gala on Friday, November 6, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California.
The 2026 Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award honors John L. Hennessy in recognition of a career that embodies the very qualities this distinction was created to honor. His work on Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture, developed at Stanford in the early 1980s, changed how processors are designed and underlies much of modern computing. Hennessy carried research into industry, co-founding MIPS Computer Systems and later Atheros Communications, which helped bring WiFi into widespread use. As chair of Computer Science, dean of Engineering, provost, and eventually Stanford’s 10th president, Hennessy led the institution through a period of significant growth, expanded its financial aid program, and established Knight-Hennessy Scholars, to prepare the next generation of leaders to address the complex challenges facing humanity. Through a sustained commitment to using technology and education in service of others, Hennessy continues the tradition of Claude Elwood Shannon, William O. Baker, Gordon E. Moore, Amos E. Joel, Jr., Robert W. Galvin, Thomas Kailath, Vint Cerf, and Martin Cooper that the Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honor.
“John Hennessy is one of the most consequential figures in the history of technology and higher education,” said John Janowiak, President and CEO of the Marconi Society. “The Marconi Society is proud to recognize someone who doesn’t just advance technology, but advances the people and institutions that build our future.”
Even as he is recognized for a career spanning nearly five decades, Hennessy remains as engaged with the field today as ever. He continues to serve on the boards of Alphabet and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, meets regularly with Knight-Hennessy Scholars and other students, and is returning to the Stanford classroom to teach an undergraduate engineering course.
The 2026 Marconi Awards Gala will be held on Friday, November 6, 2026, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California. To inquire about Gala participation and sponsorship opportunities, contact Flora Tromelin at ftromelin@marconisociety.org or +1-480-828-6064.
About John L. Hennessy
John L. Hennessy is co-founder and director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, the largest, university-wide, fully-endowed graduate fellowship in the world. He is chairman of the Board of Alphabet and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Hennessy has been on the faculty of Stanford University since 1977 and previously served as the president of the university for 16 years after roles including chair of Computer Science, dean of the School of Engineering, and university provost. He co-founded MIPS Computer Systems and Atheros Communications. He and Dave Patterson were awarded the ACM A.M. Turing Prize for 2017 and the National Academy of Engineering Draper Prize in 2022.
About the Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award
The Marconi Society Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals with an established history of distinguished work who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions and a positive impact to the field of communications and to the development of the careers of others.
About the Marconi Society
The Marconi Society builds communities of leaders and stakeholders at the forefront of emerging technology to create a more connected and sustainable world. Through its Institutes in AI, Internet Resilience, and Advanced Wireless, the Marconi Society convenes global experts to advance technologies that benefit society.
For more information, visit www.marconisociety.org.
Yeimidy Lagunas
Marconi Society
+1 224-399-7333
ylagunas@marconisociety.org
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