Mischa Dohler, the Vice President of Emerging Technologies at Ericsson in Silicon Valley is a visionary guide navigating the ever-evolving landscape of technology. In this dynamic role, Mischa immerses himself in cutting-edge realms, delving into 6G, GenAI, Metaverse, XR, Quantum, and Blockchain.
Beyond the corporate arena, Mischa’s influence extends far and wide. As a Fellow of prestigious organizations like the IEEE, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), he embodies excellence and leadership. Notably, he holds the distinguished title of a Harvard Square Leaders Excellence member.
Mischa’s journey isn’t confined to the tech realm—he’s a serial entrepreneur, having cofounded five companies, a virtuoso composer and pianist with five albums on Spotify/iTunes, and a polyglot fluent in several languages. His multifaceted expertise has garnered attention from national and international press, with features on CNN, BBC, Financial Times, Wired, and a presence on Amazon Prime alongside the Roca Brothers.
Before his role at Ericsson, Mischa served as a luminary figure at King’s College London. From 2013-2021, he held the position of Professor in Wireless Communications and served as the Director of the Centre for Telecommunications Research. Here, he drove cross-disciplinary research and innovation in technology, sciences and the arts, setting the stage for his impactful journey at Ericsson.
The AAA of Telecoms
Mischa is a former Professor at King’s College London and now with Ericsson in Silicon Valley who is at the forefront of 6G research. “My amazing colleagues in Sweden do R&D on 6G, while I focus on enabling technologies in Silicon Valley,” says Mischa. In his journey, he’s authored a book on 6G and blockchains.
According to Mischa, the new key players in the telecom evolution are ‘the AAA of telecoms—AI, API and AR.’ In Silicon Valley, he emphasizes the pivotal role of AI in 6G, exploring the potential of Generative AI for new capabilities. API turns telecoms into a true platform proposition, as he notes, highlighting his focus on native support for monetization through APIs. Lastly, Mischa sees AR, or XR more broadly, as the potential next iPhone moment. He’s actively contributing to integrating 5G into this novel class of XR devices and applications.
Mischa’s unique perspective, combining academic insight and industry application, underscores the dynamism of 6G research and the transformative power of AI, API and AR technologies.
Elevating Excellence
Mischa is a distinguished Fellow of the IEEE, RAEng and RSA and he expresses his pride in these honors, saying, “I take it as a testimony of the significant advances I made in academic research, industry developments and the musical arts—as well as cross-disciplinarity across these fields.”
In terms of academic achievement, Mischa highlights a recent Elsevier & Stanford study, noting, “I am among the top-1% cited academic across all fields and all times.” His contributions to wireless communications, with concepts now integral to smartphones and IoT showcase his impact on everyday technology.
Reflecting on industry success, Mischa recalls his pivotal role at France Telecoms, where he co-founded the ETSI M2M standards working group establishing the de-facto industry approach to IoT.
Entrepreneurship is another facet of Mischa’s journey, with pride in co-founding five companies. He notes, “My notable ventures are Worldsensing (B2B, IoT market leader today), SiriusInsights.AI (B2G, maritime situational awareness) and Moving Beans (B2C, sustainable coffee capsules, recently acquired).” This is a demonstration to a remarkable journey encompassing academia, industry and entrepreneurship.
Thrive and Strive
Friends and colleagues dub Mischa a ‘modern Renaissance person,’ and he embraces this title, saying, “I truly thrive across different disciplines and struggle to be contained to just doing one thing.”
Recognizing a gap, Mischa observes that tech is very innovative but not very creative and simultaneously, the arts are very creative but not very innovative. His mission becomes clear, “I thus try to bring creativity and innovation to both fields of technology and the arts.” Mischa accomplishes this by leveraging lessons from each domain to enhance the other fostering unlikely collaborations and awareness through events.
In this modern Renaissance journey, Mischa stands at the intersection of technology and the arts, using his diverse skills to bridge the gap and catalyze innovation in both realms. His commitment to breaking barriers and fostering a creative synergy makes him a true visionary in the contemporary landscape.
Wireless Pioneer
In the domain of wireless communication, Mischa’s impact is profound as he states, “I pioneered many concepts in the 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G eras, some of which are now part of our daily smartphone use.” He takes pride in earlier collaborations with industry giants like Ericsson on 5G, emphasizing, “Importantly, I am proud of my student mentorship where I guided many future leaders in telecommunications.”
Venturing into cross-disciplinary innovation, Mischa co-founded a joint venture between King’s College and London’s National Gallery. Reflecting on his contributions, he notes, “I introduced novel 5G concepts to world-renowned institutions like the National Theatre (NT) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).”
In the healthcare-tech intersection, Mischa’s vision became reality as he pioneered the use of low-latency high-reliable 5G systems to enable remote tele-surgery. Collaborating with leading surgeons globally, he affirms, “We are now bringing the concept to market here in the US.” This showcases a seamless blend of innovation, mentorship and ground-breaking applications across diverse fields.
Transcending Boundaries
In the realm of technological foresight, Mischa’s ground-breaking work on the ‘Internet of Skills’ takes center stage. Reflecting on his pioneering efforts at King’s College, he envisions a future where the internet transcends traditional communication, noting, “I envisaged the next generation internet to not only transmit video and emails but also allow us to transmit skills.” He anticipates this transformative vision becoming reality towards the end of this decade.
Media coverage underscores the positive societal impact of Mischa’s work, particularly in cross-disciplinary projects. He emphasizes, overall, the media coverage focused on the positive societal impact of technologies, such as 5G or the Internet of Skills.
Mischa’s influence extends to prestigious stages, delivering plenary keynotes that captivate audiences. A journalist once remarked on his impactful presence, stating, “Your vision and speaking style make Ericsson look like Apple on stage.” The technological innovation with a human-centric focus is shaping a future where skills can be transmitted seamlessly across the digital landscape.
Multilingual Mastery
Mischa is armed with multilingual prowess and he asserts that being multilingual allows him to communicate effectively with a diverse range of people. In leadership, he views this skill as indispensable, emphasizing its role in building strong relationships, understanding different perspectives and resolving conflicts amicably.
The breadth of Mischa’s linguistic abilities extends beyond communication—it enriches his leadership toolkit. He states, “My multilingual abilities give me a deeper understanding of different cultures.” This cultural awareness becomes a linchpin for fostering inclusivity and respect in a multicultural team is vital for effective leadership in global or diverse settings.
Furthermore, Mischa highlights the cognitive benefits, noting, “Studies have shown that multilingual people like me often have sharper critical thinking and problem-solving skills.” In leadership roles, where complexities abound, this cognitive flexibility becomes a valuable asset for adept decision-making.
Reflecting on personal growth, Mischa sees multilingualism as a catalyst, stating, “Learning and using multiple languages enabled substantial personal growth, fostering my adaptability, open-mindedness and resilience.” For Mischa, language isn’t just a means of communication—it’s a gateway to enriched relationships, heightened cultural understanding and enhanced problem-solving with all vital facets of effective leadership.
Beyond the Binary
Mischa is a maestro in both technology and music and he notes, “Music composition requires a high level of creativity, which allowed me to directly translate innovative thinking in technology.” This creative mindset proves invaluable, enabling him to approach tech challenges with fresh perspectives and devise unique solutions.
Beyond technology, Mischa finds solace in music, stating, “My deep connection with music helps me almost daily to manage the high-pressure environments in our tech industry.” He utilizes music as a stress reliever, coming home to improvise and unwind showcasing its role in effective stress management.
The intricacies of music composition contribute significantly to Mischa’s professional life. He points out, “Composing and playing music requires meticulous attention to detail as well as very quick decision-making.” This duality, present in music, proves beneficial in the tech field, where precision and quick decision-making are crucial for cutting-edge projects.
Moreover, Mischa sees a direct link between music and emotional intelligence, stating, “Music inherently involves the expression and understanding of emotions.” This heightened emotional intelligence becomes a cornerstone of his leadership style fostering empathy and understanding in workplace interactions.
Quantum-Inspired Computing
Amidst the world of cutting-edge technology, Mischa delves into the realm of quantum-inspired computing, noting, “Whilst a lot of emphasis is on quantum computing, I spend more time on quantum-inspired computing.” His focus lies in supporting the design of ground-breaking algorithms that accelerate on general-purpose classical hardware promising real breakthroughs in the realm of AI.
Pioneering in quantum security, Mischa is at the forefront, saying, “Mainly because of my early pioneering work at King’s on post-quantum security, I examine the latest advances made here in Silicon Valley as well as globally on all things quantum security.” Anticipating major breakthroughs, he emphasizes the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades to ensure a more secure future.
Venturing into the fascinating domain of quantum sensors, Mischa explores their precision in measuring physical quantities. He envisions applications like GPS-free operations of 5G/6G base stations and quantum radios, capable of detecting signals with unprecedented fidelity.
With a touch of anticipation, he foresees that coupled into quantum entanglement, it offers entirely novel ways to communicate in the future. In Mischa’s perspective, quantum-inspired computing, security and radios mark the frontier of innovation promising transformative advancements in the near future.
Content Creation Redefined
In the unfolding era, Mischa envisions the connectivity revolution, stating, “5G and shortly 6G will connect billions of emerging AR glasses outdoors and passthrough VR headsets indoors.” With mobile connectivity as the linchpin, a new spatial internet will emerge, ushering in a wave of yet-to-be-discovered applications in the metaverse – truly exciting times to be alive!
In the evolving realm of content creation, Mischa emphasizes that more and more content will be generated rather than transmitted towards the end of this decade. This shift underscores the importance of mobile technologies geared towards low-latency and high-reliability data delivery to transport the burgeoning realm of AI-generated data.
Looking forward, Mischa sees a transformative journey on the ‘Road to the Internet of Skills,’ where the execution of tactile and kinaesthetic workloads remotely becomes a reality. He envisions this evolution spanning healthcare, industry 4.0, enterprise, and beyond, all made possible by highly reliable, secure and available mobile communication networks. The future is marked by seamless connectivity, generative AI and the realization of a tangible Internet of Skills.
Pioneering People-First Tech
At Ericsson, Mischa spearheads innovation, aiming to revolutionize the telecom sector with his pioneering concept, “Self-Synthesizing Networks.” He expresses his vision, saying, “Bring to fruition a concept I have pioneered early 2018 on using generative AI to design telecom networks.” Mischa is committed to ensuring this technology’s success while prioritizing sustainability, ethics and a people-first approach.
Beyond professional endeavors, Mischa is dedicated to leveraging technology for societal good. He aspires to make a positive impact by applying his groundbreaking concept of the Internet of Skills. His goal is clear, “Have technology leave a positive impact on society through, for example, using my pioneering concept of the Internet of Skills to enable 5G telesurgery in areas which are under-served.” This vision aligns with his broader pursuit of blending technology with the creative arts showcasing Mischa’s commitment to advancing both innovation and positive societal impact.
Tech Ethics 101
Mischa advocates for a holistic approach to professional development, urging individuals to embrace interdisciplinary learning. In the vibrant fields of technology and telecommunications, he emphasizes the importance of gaining knowledge in diverse areas like AI, API, AR, cybersecurity, and societal applications. This broad understanding facilitates spotting connections and opportunities that might be overlooked.
Recognizing the power of diverse perspectives, Mischa advises leaders to build a diverse and inclusive team. By assembling individuals with varied backgrounds, experiences and skill sets, innovation is propelled. He underlines the necessity of creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued fostering heightened creativity and effective problem-solving.
In fostering a culture of innovation, Mischa encourages leaders to cultivate a culture that values creativity, experimentation and calculated risk-taking. Establishing an atmosphere where team members feel secure proposing and testing new ideas is crucial for staying competitive in the tech world.
Addressing the ethical dimensions of technology, Mischa stresses the need to prioritize ethical considerations. As technology advances, responsible leadership entails mindfulness regarding privacy, security and the societal impact of technologies.
Lastly, Mischa underscores the importance of continuous learning in a rapidly changing field, “In a field that’s constantly changing, the willingness to learn continuously is key.” Leaders are encouraged to foster a culture of ongoing learning, investing in training and development opportunities to keep skills sharp and relevant.
