ESE 4070/5070 Guest Speakers: Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard & Paul Nikolich

Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, Ph.D., is a technology entrepreneur and philanthropist whose organization, YAS Foundation, supports innovation and creativity addressing medical technology, telecommunications advocacy, educational scholarship, and cultural collaboration. He is widely known as the “father of the cable modem,” tracing to the breakthrough achievements around high-speed data technology pioneered by LANcity, a company Yassini founded in 1988. Dr. Yassini is the author of The Accidental Network (West Virginia University Press, September 2025), an Emmy Award winner, and a WVU Alumnus.

Paul Nikolich enables emerging technologies, technical standards, intellectual property and ventures in data communications and broadband industries as a successful entrepreneur, founder, angle investor and board member of companies in early stages of development.

He serves as chairman of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee 2001-2025, overseeing technical standards development for wired (e.g. Ethernet), wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi), and bridged networking (e.g. Time Sensitive Networking applications, currently Chairman Emeriitus. He is an IEEE Fellow and served as an advisor/consultant to office of CEO in LANcity.

Mr. Nikolich is the founder and owner of Nikolich Advisors LLC, holds several patents and has a BS in Electrical Engineering, a BS in Biology and a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, N.Y. (currently known as NYU Tandon School of Engineering).