This article continues the series of ten interviews with the Officers of the IEEE ComSoc Member and Global Activities (MGA) Council for the term 2024–2025, which is published every month in the Global Communications Newsletter.

In this series of articles, I introduce the Vice President and the six Directors on the MGA Council (namely: Member Services, Industry Outreach, and AP, NA, LA, and EMEA Regions), as well as the three Chairs of the Women in Communications Engineering (WICE), Young Professionals (YP), and Sister Societies Standing Committees. In each interview, they present their sector activities and plans one by one.

I interview Virginia Pilloni, Chair of the IEEE ComSoc YP Standing Committee, on this issue.

Virginia is an Associate Professor of Communication Engineering at the University of Cagliari, Italy. 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. She also serves as a member of the IEEE ComSoc Strategic Planning Standing Committee, MGA representative for the IEEE Online Content Board, and YP representative for the IEEE ComSoc EMEA region.

Stefano: Hello Virginia. Let’s begin by introducing the scope and objectives of the IEEE ComSoc Young Professionals Committee.

Virginia: The main objective of the IEEE ComSoc YP Committee is to promote and support enhancing a dynamic community of early-career professionals within the communications engineering field. Our mission is to create a robust platform for career growth, offering members access to leadership opportunities, continuous training, and valuable development resources. 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.

We would like to build a community of mutual support and growth where YPs at various career stages actively support one another in a collaborative environment. For instance, senior YPs can share their expertise with early-stage professionals through valuable guidance, micro-mentoring, and networking opportunities, creating a dynamic exchange that benefits all members. This not only enriches the experience of early-career members but also enables senior YPs to have leadership opportunities and further their career progression.

Who are Young Professionals? Who does your Committee address in particular? Who can participate in your activities?

By definition, YP includes anyone who has graduated from their first professional degree within the past 15 years. However, anyone who supports YP initiatives is welcome to join and support the activities of our Committee, regardless of their career stage or age.

The committee is particularly mindful of diversity and inclusion, striving to enhance gender representation, geographic balance, and career background diversity. With women currently making up 18% of ComSoc YP membership, increasing female participation remains a critical priority. Similarly, efforts are directed toward engaging underrepresented regions, such as Latin America (currently less than ComSoc 5% of YP members), and encouraging greater participation from industry professionals, who presently account for only 11% of ComSoc YP members.

Another important focus is ensuring the retention of Student Members and Graduate Student Members by supporting their seamless transition into the YP community, which is crucial for maintaining their engagement with IEEE ComSoc as they advance in their careers.

What is the current composition of the Young Professionals Committee?

In 2024–2025, the YP Committee roster is the following:

• Virginia Pilloni, Chair

• Sami A. Aldalahmeh, Member-at-Large

• Miguel Gutiérrez Gaitàn, Member-at-Large

• Nima Javanbakht, Member-at-Large

• Filippo Malandra, Member-at-Large

• Qurrat Ul Ain Nadeem, Member-at-Large

• Fawzi Behmann, non-YP Member-at-Large

• Esmeralda Asurza, YP Events Coordinator

• Fahad Ahmed Korai, YP Events Coordinator

• Hongliang Zhang, YP Events Coordinator

• Kapal Dev, YP Events Coordinator

• Qingqing Wu, YP Events Coordinator

• Sai Prashanth Mallellu, YP Events Coordinator & Social Media Subcommittee

• Periklis Chatzimisios, YP Advisor

However, ComSoc YP is always open to new volunteers to consolidate and enrich the program.

This is your first time serving as Chair of an IEEE ComSoc Standing Committee. What was your first thought when you were notified of the appointment? And what was your impression of the first days once you started serving in your new position? Incidentally, I wish you to serve in similar or higher positions in the next ComSoc administrations after successfully ending this 2024–2025 term.

Thank you so much for your kind wishes, Stefano! I was incredibly proud to be appointed to this role. I started as a YP team volunteer in 2021 when Shashank Gaur was Chair and continued volunteering under Periklis Chatzimisios’ leadership. Knowing their dedication and impact on the committee, I felt pressure to take their baton.

Having served in the team for three years, I was already familiar with how some activities were handled, especially events, as I had organized several of them and awards for which I had been responsible. But stepping into the Chair role was a completely different experience. Organizing and overseeing all aspects of the committee’s work brought a new level of responsibility.

That said, the strongest emotion I felt was excitement, especially when structuring the plan for the year ahead. I looked for hints and new ideas to help shape the strategy everywhere I could, but I also knew that everything would naturally fall into place with such an active community.

What was the most challenging difficulty you have faced so far?

The most challenging part has been coordinating a team of volunteers. While I have some experience coordinating students and young researchers, working with volunteers is a completely different story, as you’re asking for their most precious resource: their free time.

What I’ve been trying to do, and still learning, is to motivate volunteers so that they feel their time is being well spent and they can feel proud of how they are using it. Of course, this is strictly related to figuring out how to align the team’s activities with the individual’s ambitions and expectations, even those they might not be aware of when they first join. What I would like is that, even if they join because of the career advancement opportunities, they stay because they feel like they are part of a family.

Would you please highlight the main items of the YP Program under your leadership?

ComSoc YP is deeply committed to building a strong, engaged community, making in-person and online events an essential component of its program. These events foster global engagement, continuous professional development, and meaningful networking opportunities for YPs. Designed with diverse formats, they address the challenges and needs of YPs in advancing their careers.

Learning-oriented events cover various topics, from in-depth technical discussions to sessions focused on personal growth and soft skills. Starting in 2024, ComSoc YPs were provided with discount vouchers for selected online ComSoc courses.

In-person mentoring sessions are currently organized at the flagship ComSoc conferences 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.

In addition, more informal networking social events are organized at conferences to foster relationships that help expand YP networks and open doors to new career opportunities and collaborations.

ComSoc YP selects the most outstanding YP every year with the ComSoc Best YP in Academia and the ComSoc Best YP in Industry Awards to encourage and recognize YP’s achievements. Starting in 2024, new special mentions have been introduced to acknowledge the contributions of early-career professionals, practitioners, and volunteers, ensuring that the diverse efforts of the YP community’s different souls are admitted.

To conclude, what are your plans for 2025? What activities are you running or just planning for this year?

ComSoc YP continuously seeks new in-person events to support, aiming to enhance visibility, increase engagement, attract new members, and allow volunteers to organize and lead these initiatives. Special attention will be given to mentoring events, which will be held more frequently. Their potential expansion to an online platform is also being explored.

To further support professional growth, we are investigating the development of a dedicated platform where YPs can collaborate on research, exchange career advice, and coordinate event planning. This initiative will encourage peer-to-peer mentoring and knowledge sharing, strengthening connections that support career development at various stages.

Beyond event sponsorship, efforts will be paid to enhance engagement within the global ComSoc YP network by creating a system that connects YPs across different IEEE Chapters. This initiative will enhance local activities and facilitate the transition for students moving into YP membership after graduation.