We are very happy to announce that the ICNS executive committee has chosen Dr. Thomas Gräupl as this year’s 2024 winner for the ICNS Champion Award.
The ICNS Champion Award was established with a primary goal to recognize individuals with significant contribution to CNS either as whole or in one or more of its components.
Dr. Thomas Gräupl, currently a senior lead expert at Frequentis Corporate Research, has previously served as a researcher and project manager at the Institute of Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the University of Salzburg. His contributions to the field of CNS, particularly in hybrid multi-link solutions, satellite communication, and broadband radio, have significantly impacted aeronautical communication. Thomas excels in demonstrating innovative communication systems in flight, enhancing navigation, surveillance, and bolstering aviation cybersecurity.
Thomas has been instrumental in modernizing the communication infrastructure for civil aviation, ensuring its efficiency and safety. He played a key role in developing and standardizing new data links, notably performing the communication capacity assessment for the ESA IRIS program and working on the L-band Digital Aeronautical Communication System (LDACS). His ambition extends beyond design and development, aiming to demonstrate the operational results of his work, including seamless aeronautical multi-link networking and validating LDACS in flight trials for ICAO and SESAR.
A frequent contributor to the ICNS Conference, Thomas has served as a chair, reviewer, and author, receiving multiple awards from this and other conferences. His academic contributions include over eighty papers and more than one hundred technical reports.