Thomas G. Macdonald

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Dr. Thomas G. Macdonald is the head of the Communication Systems Division at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He helps direct a portfolio of efforts addressing communications for national security. This portfolio includes architectural studies and analyses, as well as advanced prototypes for military satellite communications (MILSATCOM), tactical networking, and laser communication systems. During his career at the Laboratory, he served as the leader of  three different groups within the Communication Systems Division and then as assistant head of the division. He also held a technical leadership role in the Air Force under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act.

In 2010, Macdonald was awarded the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) Meritorious Award for Engineering, and, in 2013, he received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University. He has coauthored two book chapters and has published extensively in conference proceedings and journals. A longtime participant in IEEE activities, he served as a chair for three IEEE Military Communications Conferences.

Macdonald holds a BS degree from Clarkson University and MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Clemson University.