Lan Jen Chu

Lan Jen Chu (1913–1973) was a noted electrical engineer and a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Chu is noted for his work on the fundamental limitations for small antennas, also known as Chu's limit.

Lan Jen Chu was born on August 4, 1913, in Huai'an in the Jiangsu province of China. He graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1934 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical power, and went on to receive the Master of Science and Doctorate of Science degrees in electrical engineering from MIT in 1935 and 1938. Chu was with the Radiation Laboratory at MIT from 1942-1946, and with the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1947-1973.

During World War II Chu, at MIT, supervised research of many special antennas for use in radar and telecommunication application. He also authored three technical books; two with Richard Adler and Robert Fano in the area of electromagnetics. Lan Jen Chu was a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Radio Engineers.