The Story...

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Joginder spent years labouring on construction sites to gain financial stability, while also studying pre-university entrance subjects in the evenings. These struggles forged a dream of creating opportunities for the underprivileged children in his lifetime. During his university years, he financed a part of his studies by working on home improvement projects at the weekends. Despite the drain on his time due to this, he managed to tackle his grueling academic workload and graduated with a degree in Applied Physics.

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Joginder joined Marconi Space & Defence Systems (UK) in 1974 as an engineer working on electronics hardware designs for ground radar. In 1979 as a Principal Engineer, he undertook Feasibility Study of Advanced Angle Tracking Receiver, and developed state-of-the-art Radar sub-system. He also started assisting ambitious and industrious colleagues and students in achieving their academic goals.

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Later, he worked on the defence and commercial satellites and served as Technical Manager for the development of the Transponder Receiver for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first Earth Resources Satellite, ERS-1.

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Joginder was recruited in 1986 by RCA in New Jersey, USA, to work on vital components of US and Canadian satellites. Then, in 1991, he joined the RF & Microwave Electronics Division of Hughes Space and Communications (HSC), which has become Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), Los Angeles, USA.

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Drawing on his deep background in high-reliability designs for defence and space across multiple countries and companies, Joginder expanded his expertise across a broad frequency spectrum, from VHF to Q-Band. He played a critical role in the advancement of space technology by qualifying the very first Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) flown in space, and in the process, established critical reliability criteria for long-term operation of high power solid-state amplifiers in space. His designs became standard components across the majority of HSC/BSS Satellite Transponders. Progress in MMIC technology is what has allowed the production of the small powerful smart phones today.

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Widely recognized as an authority in his field, Joginder also provided technical oversight, design guidance, and troubleshooting support to major aerospace companies worldwide who were sub-contracted space hardware by HSC/BSS.

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Joginder was a devoted mentor and advisor whose career favoured open knowledge over intellectual property. At BSS, he undertook to teach advanced concepts like, Non-linear RF Circuit Designs, sharing his expertise freely instead of patenting his innovations.
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Inspired by his dedication, members of the Degun family with shared values came together decades later to formalise this mission, creating the Degun Education Charity International Inc. (DECII).

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Sharing this history of hardship and resilience and driven by the profound satisfaction of empowering others, Joginder and his spouse Ravinder are passing this legacy to the succeeding generations, by instilling a passion for supporting the education and mentoring of underprivileged children through DECII.