Dr. Sajjad (Saj) Durrani
Biographical Sketch

Dr. Durrani received a B.Sc. (Hon.) degree from Lahore, Pakistan in 1949, a Master's from 
Manchester, England in 1953, and a doctorate from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque in 
1962. He taught for more than 10 years, and worked in industry for 10 years with GE, RCA, Comsat 
Labs, and Operations Research, Inc. He joined NASA in 1974 and held research and management 
positions at the Goddard Space Flight Center and at NASA Headquarters. After retiring from NASA 
in 1992, he worked with Computer Sciences Corporation till 1998. Later, he served as an IEEE-USA 
Executive Fellow and Technical Advisor with the FCC (2000-2001), and as Senior Technical Advisor 
with the State Department (2004-2005).

Dr. Durrani is a Fellow of the IEEE and has been active in the IEEE for more than 40 years at 
the local, regional, and national levels. He was Chair of Washington Section (1980-81), President 
of the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) in 1982 and 1983, and a member of the 
IEEE Board of Directors in 1984 and 1985. He also served on several IEEE Boards and Committees. 
More recently, he was Chair of the IEEE-USA’s Aerospace Technology Policy Committee (2001), and 
Chair of IEEE National Capital Area Council in Washington, D.C. (2002). He currently serves on 
two Technology Policy Committees of IEEE-USA. 

Dr. Durrani has given courses on Satellite Communications in the U.S. and 27 other countries u
nder the AESS Distinguished Lecturers Program. He is an Associate Fellow of the American 
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a Fellow of the Washington Academy of 
Sciences. He served as President of the DC Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies 
for 2006-07, and currently serves on the Industrial Advisory Board of the University of 
Washington, DC.