Deepak Vasisht: A Foundation of Excellence: IIT Delhi to MIT
Deepak Vasisht’s academic story begins with extraordinary distinction. Graduating from IIT Delhi in 2013 with a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering, he earned the President of India Gold Medal—the institute’s highest academic honor—by achieving the highest CGPA across all departments.
This early recognition was not merely symbolic; it marked the emergence of a thinker driven by depth rather than convention.
He went on to MIT, where he completed his Master’s degree in 2015 and Ph.D. in 2019. At MIT, his research did more than push theoretical boundaries—it reshaped how networks can function in resource-constrained, human-critical environments. His doctoral work earned the ACM SIGCOMM Doctoral Dissertation Award, along with multiple Best Paper Awards and the prestigious Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship.
Building the Future of Networks
In February 2021, Deepak Vasisht joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science, becoming a core member of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, with affiliate appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL).
At UIUC, his research group focuses on next-generation mobile computing and wireless networking, including:
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Satellite and space-based networks
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5G and 6G systems
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AI-driven adaptive networks
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Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems for healthcare and agriculture
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In-body, in-farm, and in-space computing platforms
What makes Deepak Vasisht UIUC unique is his insistence that cutting-edge systems must leave the lab and work in the real world. His research has been published in top-tier venues such as SIGCOMM, MobiCom, NSDI, and UbiComp, but more importantly, it has been deployed at scale.
Deepak Vasisht: From Research to Real Impact – Project FarmBeats
Before joining UIUC, Deepak was a researcher at Microsoft Research, where he played a pivotal role in Project FarmBeats—an AI and IoT platform designed to bring data-driven intelligence to agriculture.
This work transformed how farms operate by enabling low-cost sensing, connectivity, and analytics in environments with limited infrastructure. Today, FarmBeats-inspired systems have been deployed across the United States, India, and Africa, directly benefiting farmers and rural communities.
His agricultural IoT research has been featured by The Economist, IEEE Spectrum, BBC, MIT News, World Economic Forum, Daily Mail, and CBC, underscoring its global relevance and societal importance.
Recognition, Awards, and Academic Leadership
The excellence of Deepak Vasisht UIUC has been recognized consistently across academia and industry:
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NSF CAREER Award (2023) for pioneering work in distributed and adaptive networking systems
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VMware Systems Research Award (2023)
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Best Community Contribution Paper Award, ACM MobiCom (2024)
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Outstanding Advisor Award, Grainger College of Engineering, UIUC (2022)
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UIUC List of Teachers Rated as Excellent (2021, 2023, 2024)
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IIT Delhi Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award (2021)
These honors reflect not only research excellence, but also his deep commitment to teaching, mentorship, and community building—a balance many aspire to but few achieve.
Teaching with Purpose and Precision
Students at UIUC consistently rank Deepak Vasisht among the university’s most effective educators. His teaching philosophy blends rigorous fundamentals with systems-level thinking, preparing students to tackle real-world problems rather than isolated abstractions.
For Deepak, teaching is not a responsibility—it is a multiplier. By shaping how students think, question, and design, he ensures that innovation continues far beyond his own work.
Entrepreneurial Leap: Co-founding Worktrace AI
In October 2025, Deepak Vasisht took a bold step beyond academia by going on leave from UIUC to co-found Worktrace AI, alongside Angela Jiang, formerly of OpenAI.
Worktrace AI is focused on eliminating repetitive business tasks using artificial intelligence, translating years of systems and AI research into practical, enterprise-ready solutions. This move reflects Deepak’s belief that impactful research should ultimately reach users at scale, shaping productivity and efficiency across industries.