Sumanth Kaushik

Dr. Sumanth Kaushik is the deputy chief technology officer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. In this role, he works closely with the chief technology officer in the development and coordination of the Laboratory’s overall technology development strategy and on various technology R&D initiatives across the Laboratory’s mission areas.

Prior to this appointment, Kaushik led the Advanced Capabilities and Technologies Group, where he guided the development of technologies and systems for space surveillance, space mission resiliency, and space control. He played a key technical role in advancing techniques for phasing large distributed optical telescope arrays, enabling high-resolution imaging of deep-space objects at geostationary distances using ground-based optical interferometers.

Previously, as leader of the Active Optical Systems Group, he focused on laser remote sensing and on ground-based and airborne coherent laser radars for long-range surveillance. His technical innovations led to the development and demonstration of some of the world’s most sensitive long-range laser Doppler measurement systems. He also managed major technology programs in active and passive optical sensing, particularly in support of counter-explosive and counter–weapons of mass destruction missions.

Kaushik has also directed the Laboratory’s Optical Systems and Technology Line portfolio. In this role, he has incubated multiple significant technologies in optics and optical engineering/sciences. While his research has focused largely on advanced electro-optical remote sensing, he has also contributed to a broad range of topics relevant to the Laboratory, including directed energy, signal processing, space systems engineering, quantum sensing, and photonics.

Over the course of his career, Kaushik has received two R&D 100 Awards, been awarded 12 patents, and authored or co-authored more than 50 papers in refereed journals and conferences. He was honored with the Laboratory’s 2021 Technical Excellence Award in recognition of his outstanding technical leadership. He holds SB, SM, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from MIT and completed postdoctoral research at Sandia National Laboratories.