Beau Backus
Principal Professional Staff and Senior Electro- Magnetic Spectrum Manager
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHUAPL)
About Beau Backus
Beau Backus is an accomplished Principal Professional Staff and Senior Electro-
Magnetic Spectrum Manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
(JHUAPL). Beau Backus has over 35 years of comprehensive experience spanning
spectrum management, systems engineering, and communications architectures.
At JHUAPL, Beau Backus currently spearheads spectrum management and advanced
system development and policy implementation, with a primary focus on providing
critical support to NOAA/NESDIS and the Department of Defense. His expertise is
underscored by extensive global engagement, including serving multiple times as a
United States Delegate to the World Radiocommunications Conferences (WRC).
A frequent lecturer on spectrum management for organizations like the U.S. Space
Force and Johns Hopkins University, Beau Backus is also a thought leader in the
community, notably serving as chair for the IEEE GRSS Frequency Allocation and
Remote Sensing (FARS), chair for the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites
Task Group on RFI Detection, Mapping and Mitigation (TGRFI), and as a founder of the
Commercial Small Satellite Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA).