PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Fadel Adib

Fadel Adib is an MIT professor whose work combines wireless sensing and AI to help robots find and handle hidden objects. He grew up in Tripoli, Lebanon, studied at the American University of Beirut, and completed his doctorate at MIT under Dina Katabi in 2016. His team developed RFusion, a robot that learns to retrieve concealed objects, and Wave-Former, which uses generative AI to complete their shapes. In 2023, he co-founded Cartesian Systems with Isaac Perper and received the Great Arab Minds Award in engineering and technology. Since July 2026, he is a full professor of Media Arts and Sciences with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and he directs MIT’s Signal Kinetics group.

Now at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cartesian Systems
Works
87
Citations
6,095
h-index
31
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2011

    Engineering at Beirut

    He grows up in Tripoli, Lebanon, and earns a bachelor’s degree in computer and communications engineering at the American University of Beirut in 2011. He graduates with high distinction.

  2. 2013

    Seeing through walls with Wi-Vi

    In 2013, Adib and his advisor Dina Katabi develop Wi-Vi at MIT. The system tracks people moving behind walls by measuring reflections of low-power Wi-Fi signals.

  3. 2013–2016

    MIT degrees and Signal Kinetics

    At MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, he earns a master’s degree in 2013 and a PhD in 2016 in electrical engineering and computer science under Dina Katabi. He joins the MIT Media Lab as an assistant professor in 2016 and leads its new Signal Kinetics research group.

  4. 2021

    RFusion retrieves hidden objects

    In 2021, he is the senior author of RFusion, a robotic system that combines camera images with signals from RFID tags to find and retrieve hidden objects. Its neural network uses reinforcement learning to plan the robot’s movement toward an object.

  5. 2022

    A battery-free underwater camera

    In 2022, Adib is the senior author of a battery-free wireless underwater camera developed by his group. It draws power from sound waves, takes color photographs, and transmits image data through water using sound.

  6. 2023

    Co-founding Cartesian Systems

    In early 2023, he co-founds Cartesian Systems with Isaac Perper to bring wireless location technology to retailers. Their work uses machine-learning algorithms to turn RFID measurements into maps of indoor locations.

  7. December 2023

    The Great Arab Minds Award

    In December 2023, he wins the first Great Arab Minds Award in engineering and technology for his work on wireless sensing. His research includes detecting objects and vibrations behind walls and under rubble.

  8. July 2025

    Reconstructing objects with mmNorm

    In July 2025, he is the senior author of mmNorm, a system that reconstructs the shapes of hidden objects from reflected millimeter-wave signals. Developed with Laura Dodds, Tara Boroushaki and Kaichen Zhou, it estimates the direction of surfaces to build three-dimensional models.

  9. March 2026

    Generative AI for wireless vision

    In March 2026, Adib is the senior author of two papers that apply generative AI to wireless vision. Wave-Former completes the shapes of hidden objects from radio reflections, while a second system reconstructs indoor scenes using reflections from people moving through a room.

  10. July 2026

    Full professor at MIT

    In July 2026, he becomes a full professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He directs the Signal Kinetics research group at the MIT Media Lab.

Career

  1. Since 2026Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyFull Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  2. Since 2023Cartesian SystemsCo-founder
  3. Since 2016Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyLead of the Signal Kinetics research group at the MIT Media Lab
  4. From 2016Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyAssistant Professor at the MIT Media Lab

Education

  1. 2016Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPhD in electrical engineering and computer science at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
  2. 2013Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMaster's degree in electrical engineering and computer science at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
  3. 2011American University of BeirutBachelor's degree in computer and communications engineering

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Checked career sources: mit.edu, news.mit.edu.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Fadel Adib yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Sensing with purpose news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. AUB Alumnus Fadel Adib Receives Prestigious 2023 Great Arab Minds Award aub.edu.lb. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. New system uses low-power Wi-Fi signal to track moving humans — even behind walls news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. Fadel Adib joins Media Lab faculty news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. A robot that finds lost items news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. MIT engineers build a battery-free, wireless underwater camera news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. Startup helps retailers track their products in real-time news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. nounces Fadel Adib as winner of first GAM engineering and tech. awar protocol.dubai.ae. Checked 27 October 2026.
  9. New imaging technique reconstructs the shapes of hidden objects news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  10. Generative AI improves a wireless vision system that sees through obstructions news.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  11. Fadel Adib Promoted to Full Professor eecs.mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  12. Fadel Adib mit.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.