Consensus Study Report

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International Standard Book Number-13: 978-60137-5
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/29293

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Communications Technology Laboratory: Fiscal Year 2025. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/29293.

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PANEL ON ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST) COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY (CTL)

BISHAL THAPA (Chair), Principal Research Fellow, Raytheon BBN Technologies

DARMINDRA ARUMUGAM, Senior Research Technologist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech

NATHAN R. BROOKS, Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company

DMITRY CHIZHIK, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, Nokia Bell Labs

BRENDA CONNOR, Professor of Practice, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University

ISMAIL GUVENC, Professor, North Carolina State University

KEVIN T. KORNEGAY, Eugene DeLoatch Endowed Professor and Director, Cybersecurity Assurance and Policy Center, Morgan State University

MEHMET KURUM, Associate Professor, University of Georgia

DAVID J. LOVE, Nick Trbovich Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University

DAVID W. MATOLAK, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of South Carolina

MARK A. MCHENRY, Chief Executive Officer, Shared Spectrum Company

RICHARD L. REASER, JR., Independent Consultant, Aerospace Engineering

Study Staff

ELIZABETH ZEITLER, Director, Laboratory Assessments Board

K. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Scholar

CATHERINE WISE, Senior Program Officer

MAURA WALSH, Administrative Coordinator

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by DAVID W. JOHNSON, JR. (NAE), Bell Laboratories (retired), and DAVID A. WEITZ (NAS/NAE), Harvard University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Contents

TABLES

PREFACE

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION

Statement of Task

Conduct of the Assessment

Structure of the Report

References

2 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH DIVISION

Background on the Public Safety Communications Research Division

Technical Programs

Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program

Scientific Expertise

Facilities, Equipment, and Human Resources

Effectiveness of Dissemination of Program Outputs

Conclusions and Recommendations

References

3 RADIO FREQUENCY TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

Background on the Radio Frequency Technology Division

Technical Programs

Scientific Expertise

Facilities, Equipment, and Human Resources

Effectiveness of Dissemination of Program Outputs

Conclusions and Recommendations

References

4 SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH DIVISION

Background on the Spectrum Technology and Research Division

Technical Programs

Scientific Expertise

Facilities, Equipment, and Human Resources

Effectiveness of Dissemination of Program Outputs

Feedback on Roadmapping and Strategy Development

Conclusions and Recommendations

References

5 PANEL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Overarching Conclusions and Key Recommendations

Division-Specific Conclusions and Recommendations

APPENDIX: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PANEL

Tables

2-1 Overview of the Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR) Research Portfolios

3-1 Overview of the Radio Frequency Technology Division Research Groups

4-1 Overview of the Spectrum Technology and Research Division Research Groups

Preface

Since 2014, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) has been pioneering metrology and standards research across the breadth of communication technologies, including, but not limited to, public safety communications research, radio frequency technologies, and spectrum science. The work, scientific expertise, operations, and effectiveness of its strategy to disseminate program outputs have been routinely evaluated as excellent by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies). CTL has taken feedback from the National Academies’ reviews and incorporated recommendations into its research pipeline, workflow, and operational strategy when and where feasible. In 2022, the National Academies recommended that CTL conduct a strategic roadmapping activity across the organization so that individual projects can trace their activities up to the laboratory-wide vision and help identify organizational and research gaps and future growth opportunities. CTL has implemented the recommendation, and the CTL leadership team now evaluates every project as a part of the roadmap activity, from inception through technology transfer.

Unlike the 2022 National Academies’ review, this 2025 review was conducted on-site, and the review panel had the opportunity to walk around the research facility and view state-of-the-art equipment and experiments. The CTL leadership and staff are using their resources extremely effectively in service to the nation and its scientific, industrial, public safety, and defense capabilities in a very competitive research environment.

The National Academies’ review panelists had a productive 2.5-day visit at the Boulder, Colorado, NIST campus with a very collaborative discussion with the CTL research team. On behalf of the 2025 National Academies’ panelists and staff, I would like to thank the NIST CTL leadership team for their preparation and engagement during the meeting. We specifically want to thank Ari Feldman, Anne Lane, Nada Golmie, and the staff for their hospitality, insightful, thorough, and prompt response to our probing questions, honest discussion on the state of their research operations and facility, and continued responsiveness as we prepared this report. All of this could not have happened without their willingness to be independently evaluated by the external expert panel from industry and academia and to take constructive criticism toward improving their strategic planning and operations like they did in 2022. So, we thank you for your great work, leadership, and cooperative mindset. You are making a great difference for the nation and our international partners. Similarly, the National Academies’ review panel and I especially would like to thank the study staff Elizabeth (Beth) Zeitler, Catherine Wise, and Maura Walsh for their leadership and professionalism throughout the review process, for moderating the panel discussions, and for

always keeping an eye toward the creation of the final report. This resulted in a strong outcome, and hopefully a valuable resource for NIST CTL as it incorporates the recommendations.

Bishal Thapa, Chair
Panel on Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL)

Acronyms and Abbreviations