Nirwan Ansari received the B.S.E.E. (summa cum laude) from NJIT, Newark, in 1982, the M.S.E.E. from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1983, and the the Ph.D. degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, in 1988, respectively.

He joined NJIT's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as Assistant Professor in 1988, and has been Full Professor since 1997. He has also assumed various administrative positions including the NJIT Newark College of Engineering's Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. He visited the Department of Information Engineering of the Chinese University of Hong Kong during the 98/99 academic year, and Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Japan, in Fall 2006.

He authored with E.S.H. Hou Computational Intelligence for Optimization (1997), and edited with B. Yuhas Neural Networks in Telecommunications (1994), both published by Springer (formerly Kluwer Academic Publishers). His current research focuses on various aspects of broadband networks and multimedia communications. He has contributed over 300 technical papers, over one third in refereed journals/magazines.

He is a Senior Technical Editor of the IEEE Communications Magazine, and also serves on the editorial board of Computer Communications, ETRI Journal, Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, and Journal of Computing and Information Technology. He was the founding General Chair of the First IEEE International Conference on Information Technology: Research and Education (ITRE2003), was instrumental, while serving as its Chapter Chair, in rejuvenating the North Jersey Chapter of the IEEE Communications Society which received the 1996 Chapter of the Year Award and a 2003 Chapter Achievement Award, served as the Chair of the IEEE North Jersey Section and in the IEEE Region 1 Board of Governors during 2001-2002, and has been serving in various IEEE committees such as Chair of IEEE COMSOC Tehnical Committee on Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks, and (TCP) Chair/Vice-Chair of numerous conferences/symposia/workshops. He has been frequently invited to deliver keynote addresses, distinguished lectures, tutorials, and talks. His awards and recognitions include the NJIT Excellence Teaching Award in Graduate Instruction (1998), IEEE Region 1 Award (1999), IEEE Leadership Award (2007), NJIT Excellence Teaching Award in Outstanding Professionl Development (2008), and designation as an IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer.