Name: Agus Mawira
Place of Birth: Jakarta, Indonesia
Date of Birth: October 2, 1947
At TU/e: Studied Electrical Engineering. Received Kandidaats (bachelor) degree in 1969, and Ingenieur (master) degree in 1974. In June 1974, I joined the Telecommunications Department, where I worked for one year as a scientific assistant. I received my Ph.D. degree in 1999 from prof.dr. G. Brussaard of the Department of Electrical Engineering at TU/e.
Current position: Retired. I’ve worked at the R&D center of KPN for nearly thirty years.

What are you doing now?
I am now retired. I’ve worked at the R&D center of KPN for nearly thirty years. That thirty-year period was marked by a strong cooperation with the Department of Electrotechnical Engineering of TU/e. Especially fruitful were the long term collaborations with the late prof. dr. Gert Brussard and dr. Mati Herben. I’ve worked in the field of radiowave propagation, and developed planning methodologies for radio networks. I was a senior scientist in that organization. One advantage of working at the KPN R&D center was that I got to be part of major developments in Telecommunications. In the early days, microwave and satellite communication were the focus, later that became mobile radio. Especially exciting were the development of the standards for the GSM system in which KPN Research was involved.
Now I do a little consultancy work occasionally, especially for Dutch company Wavecall, which develops and sells radio network planning tools worldwide. I’ve taught Tai Chi for many years, as part of the International Taoist Tai Chi Society founded by Master Moy Lin Shin in Canada.

How do you reflect on your time at TU/e?
I had a wonderful and interesting time. Students had a lot freedom in scheduling their study then. It was also in the middle of the ‘flower power’ movement, This which has resulted in some students taking their time graduating. As for me, I am grateful that I was able to pursue my study as well as explore many subjects beyond the regular curriculum.

Did you consider returning to Indonesia?
My original plan was to return to Indonesia after having gained some job experience in Europe. But my visits to Indonesia showed me that the research work that I would like to do was, at that time, hardly available there. So I just stuck around in the Netherlands and by and by I got to feel very much at home here.

What advice would you give current students?
The best bet for finding a job is to be an excellent student. Another important factor is to be well-networked in your field. And don’t forget to enjoy the student experience. It is a great privilege to be allowed to gain knowledge and to meet people who are often leaders and pioneers in the world of academics and research. And, last but not least: you get to make international friends.