"While teaching you always have to find a good balance between cutting edge topics and fundamentals"
Paolo Monti has worked as a researcher at KTH since 2008. He completed his undergraduate studies in Italy but came to KTH via USA where he spent almost eight years as a researcher both in academia and industry. This fall he became a docent at KTH in Optical Networking.
Why did you choose to work and teach within Optical Networking?
– I got involved in the Optical Networking field while staying in US for my PhD studies. It was during the “dot-com” era when telecom industries were heavily investing in fiber-based infrastructures and research in the area was thriving. Despite the burst of the “dot-com” bubble I kept on working in the field, a choice that I do not regret given the essential role optical networking had and still has in providing fixed high-speed broadband connectivity. Today, at the dawn of the 5G era, things are looking even brighter. With the expectation to have in the near future a fully networked society, optical networks are the perfect candidate to provide the fixed communication infrastructure enabling a full interaction not only among humans but also among and with inanimate objects.
Where did you study and work before coming to KTH?
– I have a Master's degree from Politecnico di Torino in Italy and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in Texas, USA. I spent almost eight years in US where I worked for one year as a research engineer in a small R/D company, Boston Communication Inc. before starting my PhD studies at UTD in 2001. After graduating in 2005 I stayed at the University of Texas at Dallas as a Research Associate until September 2008, when I started working at KTH.
What is the most challenging thing about teaching at a university today?
– Technology is evolving at an incredibly high pace. While teaching you always have to find a good balance between cutting edge topics and fundamentals. This has to be done facing students that have different goals, and a wide range of skills, abilities, and experiences.