John Betz
Dr. John W. Betz graduated in 1976 from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and started work at RCA Automated Systems, Burlington MA. He began taking evening graduate classes at Northeastern University, being awarded a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1979. At that time, RCA offered him an opportunity to pursue a PhD supported by the RCA Graduate Studies program, leading to a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1984, under advisor Professor John Proakis.
In 1985 he joined The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC) in Reading MA, where he worked until 1989. He then joined The MITRE Corporation, where he has worked since. During that time, he was a lecturer and adjunct professor at Northeastern University. Since 1997 he has focused primarily on positioning, navigation, and timing, with an emphasis on satellite-based navigation and timing.
From 2004 through 2012 he was a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), including serving as Chair for Science and Technology Reviews, responsible for organizing, conducting, and reporting the Board’s assessment of more than $4B of research performed at Air Force Research Laboratory. From 2008 to 2011 he was Chair of the SAB, leading 52 accomplished engineers and scientists selected from academia and industry who provide technical advice to Air Force senior leadership. He was a consultant to the SAB in 2013.
He has also served as a consultant to various past Defense Science Board (now the Science, Technology, and Innovation Board) task forces and studies since 2012. From 2014 to 2025 he served as a member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, a Presidential advisory committee, providing independent advice to the U.S. government on issues related to national and international satellite navigation services. He has authored more than 80 research publications in journals, conferences, and book chapters, and is sole author of Engineering Satellite-Based Navigation and Timing: Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Signals, and Receivers (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2015). He is a Fellow of three technical societies and has been recognized with many national and international awards.
He has authored more than 80 research publications in journals, conferences, and book chapters, and is sole author of Engineering Satellite-Based Navigation and Timing: Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Signals, and Receivers (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2015). He is a Fellow of three technical societies and has been recognized with many national and international awards.