The brains behind the operation

One of the advantages of being the editor of a telecom industry magazine is having the opportunity to talk to incredibly smart people. I had one of those experiences this week when I had a chance to sit down with David Bishop, the vice president of nanotechnology research for Lucent Technologies’ Bell Labs and the president of the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium.

Not being an engineer myself, sometimes it can be intimidating to have in-depth technological discussions with people like Bishop, who has been an AT&T/Lucent/Bell Labs innovator since 1978 and is exactly 2000% smarter than I am. But he’s one of those people who can talk about the most complicated technologies in a way that makes them as understandable as recipes for chicken noodle soup, all the while convincing you of how clearly critical and applicable they are to the evolution of this industry.

Bishop’s charge is to work nanotechnology research back into Lucent’s current technology and market development efforts, as well as to propel the company into areas it currently isn’t. The NJNC, a wholly-owned subsidiary, also fosters relationships with research organizations and start-ups, acting as a catalyst for nanotech development and--by virtue of the R&D, manufacturing and network-building prowess of its parent--as a market-maker of sorts.

The pervasive theme of our discussion was Bishop’s view that nanotechnology is a disruptive technology and a critical opportunity for growth and expansion, in everything from defense and homeland security applications to commercial opportunities in optical and wireless networking--from sensor networks to data mining to smart antennas to petabit switching. (These subjects are the stuff of future editorial coverage in the pages of Telephony--after the appropriate amount of time required to absorb concepts like microfluidics, photonic bandgap structure and quantum computing, all of which are somewhat more complex than soup recipes.)

The other intriguing aspect of my conversation with Bishop was his view on the connection between research and technology development--one he sees as more important, open and collaborative than ever before.

“There’s a tendency to believe that science and commercial technology are at loggerheads,” Bishop said. “Technology can enable world-class science, and science can enable world-class technology--and our people live in both worlds.”

It’s always encouraging to talk to people like Bishop who are so passionate about what they do. It’s enough to restore anyone’s faith in this industry and the tremendous potential it holds.

E-mail me at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com.