2008/B.Tech/CS Co-Founder, Forward Networks, California, USA
Dr. Nikhil Handigol is a highly accomplished individual who has made significantcontributions to the field of computer science and networking. He is currently theCo-Founder of Forward Networks, a company that has developed an innovative platform fornetwork visibility, policy verification, and change modelling. With Fortune 100 financialinstitutions, telcos, and service providers as clients, Forward Networks helps organisationseliminate costly network outages and enhance operational efficiency.
Alongside his role at Forward Networks, Dr. Nikhil has held various positions throughout hiscareer. He served as the Director of Course Content and Instruction at SDN Academy, wherehe played a key role in creating and instructing comprehensive training and certificationprograms for networking professionals and companies. He also worked as a ResearchAssistant at Stanford University and held visiting positions at Cisco Systems and CarnegieMellon University. Additionally, he was a member of the Technical Staff at Open NetworkingLab.
Dr. Nikhil’s educational background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Science from StanfordUniversity and a B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras. Hisresearch and publications have focused on topics such as network troubleshooting,software-defined networking (SDN), network emulation, and network optimization. Hiscontributions have been recognized with several awards and honours, including being namedone of AsiaOne’s Most Influential Young Leaders and SiliconIndia’s list of Most PromisingTechnology Companies Founded and Managed by Indians in the U.S. He has also received anNSF EAGER Research Grant.
Dr. Nikhil Handigol has shared his expertise through invited talks at prestigious organisationssuch as Insieme (Cisco), NTT MCL, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Amazon Web Services, andthe University of Washington. His presentations have covered topics like troubleshootingnetworks with packet histories, load balancing, and the enabling technology of OpenFlow.His accomplishments, expertise, and dedication to advancing networking technologies havemade him a highly respected figure in the field, and his contributions continue to shape theindustry.
For his achievements and contributions towards scientific innovation, the Indian Institute ofTechnology Madras and its alumni are proud to confer Dr. Nikhil Handigol with the YAAA(Young Alumni Achiever Awardee for 2022)
