IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) is dedicated to empowering its young professionals by providing meaningful engagement and career growth opportunities. IEEE ComSoc Young Professionals (YP) is an IEEE ComSoc Standing Committee under the Member & Global Activities Council (MGA-C), whose mission is to develop programs and initiatives designed to attract, inspire, and support early-career engineers. The Committee enables YPs to make valuable contributions to ComSoc and the broader IEEE organization, gives them a voice in shaping ComSoc’s direction, and prepares them for future leadership roles within the communications engineering community. In this President’s Page, I am pleased to introduce Prof. Virginia Pilloni, the Chair of ComSoc Young Professionals for 2024–2025, to share the status of ComSoc YP and related activities with us.

Virginia Pilloni [S’11, M’13, SM’22] is an Associate Professor of Communication Engineering at the University of Cagliari in Italy. Virginia is chair of the IEEE ComSoc YP, a member of the IEEE ComSoc Strategic Planning Standing Committee, an MGA representative for the IEEE Online Content Board, and a YP representative for the IEEE ComSoc EMEA region. Her main research interests are the Internet of Things, particularly in context-aware resource-efficient task allocation among connected devices and user-aware efficient scheduling of appliances in Smart Environment scenarios. Virginia participated in several regional, national, and international research projects. She is a member of the ITU-T SG20 on the Internet of Things, digital twins, and smart, sustainable cities and communities. She is an expert evaluator for European H2020, Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), and Latvian Council of Science (LCS) projects. She was a co-founder of the academic spin-off GreenShare Srl. Virginia is an Editor of Elsevier Computer Networks and Frontiers in Communications and Networks. She has served as organization chair and program committee member of several international conferences, including ICC, GLOBECOM, PIMRC, WCNC, and MeditCom.

Young Professional Status in ComSoc

In 2024, IEEE ComSoc YP accounted for nearly 28% of the total ComSoc membership, showing little change compared to the previous year. The geographic distribution of YP members remains consistent, with 20% from North America, 23.5% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), 4.5% from Latin America (LATAM), and 52% from the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. However, the membership composition reveals key challenges, such as a low female representation of 17.5%, despite an increase of nearly 2% compared to the previous year. Additionally, only about 11% of YP members are from industry, highlighting a critical area for improvement in engaging professionals outside of academia.

The growing number of Student Members, which increased from 38% to 43% of total ComSoc membership in the past year, highlights the importance of retention efforts. Ensuring a smooth transition from the grade of Student Member or Graduate Student Member to YPs is vital to ensure that early-career engineers actively contribute to IEEE ComSoc.

Although YPs represent over a quarter of the ComSoc membership, their engagement in leadership roles and the broader industry remains an area of opportunity. The ComSoc YP activities are pivotal in these efforts, as they develop initiatives that attract and retain YP members, offer leadership opportunities, and support their career development. By addressing regional imbalances, increasing industry participation, and promoting pathways for advancement, the YP program ensures its members are well-positioned to make meaningful contributions to IEEE ComSoc and the global communications engineering community.

Membership

Any IEEE ComSoc member can join the ComSoc YP community free of charge, though it requires manual registration. The definition of a YP includes anyone who has graduated from their first professional degree within the past 15 years, including graduate students and early to mid-career professionals. However, anyone who supports YP initiatives is welcome to join, regardless of their career stage or age. ComSoc YP is committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive environment within the YP community. This includes promoting diversity not only in gender but also in geographical and regional representation, as well as balancing participation from both academia and industry. Among the strengths of the ComSoc YP community is the opportunity for YPs at diverse career stages to support one another. More senior YPs offer valuable guidance, suggestions, and micro-mentoring to early-stage professionals while also gaining the chance to expand their networks, take on leadership roles, and advance their careers. ComSoc YP provides continuous training and development opportunities to help early-stage YPs grow professionally. This mutual exchange of support, knowledge, and networking opportunities fosters a collaborative and growth-oriented environment for all ComSoc YP members.

The YP committee roster for 2024 is shown in Table 1.

YP Benefits

To cope with the challenges and needs faced by YPs in our community, ComSoc YP fosters growth, engagement, and career development through a series of initiatives, activities, and support programs tailored to a wide range of YP members. These efforts aim to provide opportunities for networking, learning, leadership, and career advancement. Such commitment has led to significant recognition: in 2024, ComSoc YP received the prestigious IEEE YP Hall of Fame Award, with whom IEEE honors the most dynamic and impactful groups worldwide.

Training Opportunities

ComSoc YP organizes a wide range of in-person and online events to foster global engagement, continuous professional development, and meaningful networking opportunities for YPs. These events are designed to cover a broad spectrum of topics, ensuring that every member finds valuable insights that align with their career growth. From in-depth technical discussions to sessions focused on personal growth and soft skills, such events aim to address the different challenges and needs of YPs at various stages of their careers.

Diverse formats are used to keep the experience dynamic and engaging, including interactive fireside chats, panels, and more technical presentations. Topics span key areas such as technical innovations, navigating post-graduation job searches, career development strategies, work-life balance, securing project funding, and building strong professional networks. These events are expedient not only to gain knowledge and seek practical advice but also to foster connections, exchange ideas, and build a supportive network that can open new opportunities for collaboration.

The YP team places a strong emphasis on ensuring that the content and structure of each event engage diverse groups of participants from around the world. We recognize the importance of inclusivity and actively work to involve underrepresented groups, such as YPs from industry, women, and those from the LATAM region. By intentionally diversifying the topics, speakers, and venues, we strive to create an environment where all YPs feel welcome, supported, and encouraged to share their experiences and knowledge.

Awards

ComSoc YP recognizes the achievements of outstanding YPs by selecting the ComSoc Best YP in Academia and the ComSoc Best YP in Industry every year.

In addition to the existing awards and to acknowledge the efforts of the different souls of the YP community, since 2024, we have started awarding special mentions for early-career professionals, practitioners, and volunteers.

Networking and Career Support Opportunities

ComSoc YP programs at ComSoc conferences include career fairs and mentoring sessions organized in collaboration with Women in Communications Engineering and the Mentoring Subcommittee. These sessions provide career coaching and valuable guidance from experienced professionals aimed at early-to-mid-career YPs to support professional growth and skill development. Furthermore, networking opportunities, including receptions where YPs can connect with peers and others, focus on engaging with ComSoc leaders. These foster relationships that help YPs expand their networks and open doors to new career opportunities.

Discount Vouchers

To further emphasize the value of being a ComSoc YP member, in 2024, we started providing exclusive access to discount vouchers for online courses. By selecting relevant courses, we ensure that YPs have opportunities to enhance their technical skills and career prospects.

ComSoc YP Activities in 2024

In 2024, ComSoc YP organized and supported activities in a wide range of ComSoc conferences, as shown in Table 2. Special attention was paid to ensuring the inclusion of diverse regions, with a focus on underrepresented areas such as the LATAM region, and to promoting the participation of the Industry sector. The YP team also prioritized conferences that allowed for greater visibility of ComSoc YP activities within the realm of IEEE, providing valuable opportunities for networking with peers and leaders in the field.