Balaji Prabhakar

Biography

Balaji Prabhakar’s distributed computing architectures are being used to solve pressing societal issues. A key aspect of Dr. Prabhakar’s work is the use of incentives, such as offering commuters a reward for using transportation during off-peak hours. A network of embedded sensors can monitor traffic on roads and smartphone-based mobility apps can determine how commuters are using the system. The network can provide operators with data to help determine when incentives need to be applied to influence users to make the most efficient use of the system. Dr. Prabhakar’s programs have reduced peak hour use of public transportation in Singapore, off-peak and eco-friendly commuting at Stanford University in the USA, and have improved participation in wellness and education programs at major corporations.

An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Prabhakar is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Stanford University, CA, USA. Prabhakar was the 2014 recipient of the IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award.