He received the S.B. in EE from MIT in 1996, and the MEng. degree from MIT in EECS in 1997. He went on to pursue further graduate studies at Stanford University, where he received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering for his work on power amplifier linearization techniques. Before joining the faculty at MIT, Dr. Dawson spent one year at a startup company that he co-founded. He continues to be active in the industry as both a technical and legal consultant. Prof. Dawson received the NSF CAREER award in 2008, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2009.