He is responsible for Advanced RF Research technologies on Department of Defense 5G mobility projects, AT&T network resilience, research on new low-cost novel methods to help protect critical infrastructure against nuclear electromagnetic threats, solar flares/geomagnetic threats, network timing threats from GPS jamming and manipulation.

He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of Technology. He joined the AT&T Bell System in 1978 where he spearheaded AT&T’s first speech response/voice recognition system. After joining AT&T’s Wireless unit, he was responsible for the development of numerous advanced wireless technologies and services. Over the years Irwin has made key fundamental contributions to Science and Technology in Digital Subscriber Line, voice over DSL, IP based cable telephony, broadband wireless, broadband over powerline, microcells, satellite, fixed wireless, high-definition Voice, IP telephony, and a vast array of emerging broadband infrastructure initiatives.

He holds an amazing record, 680 patents with the United States Patent Office on advanced technologies covering a vast array of wireless, wired, and emerging broadband technologies.
In 2001 Irwin received AT&T’s Science and Technology medal.
In 2002, Irwin was inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame by the Governor of the State of New Jersey for his innovations and contributions to science and technology in the telecommunications industry.

In 2004, Irwin was awarded AT&T’s highest honor: The AT&T Fellow Award for his long-term career in pioneering contributions and innovations for the telecommunications industry.
In 2014 he led a research team that invented Project AirGig™ which is a technology that enabled Gigabit data transmission on existing electric utility power lines around the globe.

In 2019 he built and still runs today, the AT&T Science and Technology Innovation Center in Middletown NJ which houses 148+ years of the telecom industry innovations that changed the world and tells the history of innovation from the Alexander Graham Bell telephone to todays modern day infrastructure.