John Chapin, PhD

John Chapin is a Senior Advisor for Spectrum at the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

In his position, Chapin serves as an advisor to NSF leadership on electromagnetic spectrum strategy to assure that spectrum-dependent science is still vibrant 50 years from now. 

His previous roles include Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where he initiated and led programs in spectrum access and spectrum sharing technology; Vice President, Advanced Technologies for Roberson and Associates; Chief Scientist at TV Band Service, LLC, a startup focused on leveraging television white spaces; Chief Technical Officer at Vanu, Inc., a provider of cellular radio access networks based on software-defined radios; and Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department of MIT.

In recognition of his work at the Department of Defense, Chapin was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service and the Wireless Innovation Forum International Achievement Award. He has also received the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks conference best paper award, Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum best paper award, SDR Forum Industry Achievement Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Chapin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese History, a Master of Science in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science, all from Stanford University.