Abstract: In the first part of the presentation, the scope and objectives of the EPSRC project will be briefly introduced. This is followed by the discussion on some of our recent work. In future mMTC, the number of connected devices inevitably exceeds the number of available resource-slots, given the ever-increasing demand, which results in an over-loaded or a generalized rank-deficient condition. In this case, the system’s performance is highly dependent on the multiuser interference management. Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) has emerged as a promising candidate solution to handle the over-loaded conditions, and fulfil the requirement of massive connectivity. We will look at the novel SCMA codebooks developed in this project and the comparison with their state-of-the-art counterparts.

Bio: Zeina Mheich received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Université Paris Sud 11, Orsay, France, in 2010 and 2014, respectively. From January 2015 to February 2017, she was a Research Engineer with the CEA-LETI, Grenoble, France. She was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the IMT Atlantique, Brest, France, until August 2017. She is currently a Research Fellow with 5GIC, University of Surrey, working on sparse code multiple access technique. Her research interests are in the areas of coding, wireless communications, and information theory.

Abstract: Future 5G systems and beyond are anticipated to deploy compact, efficient and versatile antennas in short-range, ultra-dense millimetre-wave (MMW) wireless networks. This talk focuses on the requirement of realising antennas with wide bandwidth, high gain, adaptability, preferably conformal, and feasible and cost-effective bulk manufacturing for the upcoming 5G networks. Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz) is selected based on recent 5G standardisation, and state-of-the-art research contributions regarding antenna geometries are discussed on both rigid and flexible substrates by using advanced techniques of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), as well as wideband antennas and arrays to enhance the spectrum usability. MMW wideband antennas have been developed for 5G networks, recommending that the spatial diversity at the antenna front-ends could be significantly improved by deploying wideband antennas in a MIMO topology for simultaneous multiple-channel communication. In addition, an efficient antenna front-end solution is demonstrated, which integrates defected ground structures (DGS) for bandwidth improvement and integrated with MIMO technology. Flexible MMW antenna is also suggested by using the DGS to implement wideband. Antenna gain is critically important for 5G systems to mitigate high propagation losses. Antenna design with both high gain and bandwidth is challenging as traditional wideband antennas are gain-limited, while conventional arrays deliver high gain over a restricted bandwidth.

Bio: Akram Alomainy received the M.Eng. degree in communication engineering and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and electronic engineering (specialized in antennas and radio propagation) from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), U.K., in July 2003 and July 2007, respectively. He joined the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, QMUL, in 2007, where he is a Reader in Antennas and Applied EM. He is a member of the Institute of Bioengineering and Centre for Intelligent Sensing at QMUL. He has managed to secure various research projects funded by research councils, charities and industrial partners on projects ranging from fundamental electromagnetic to nano-scale wearable and in-vivo technologies. He is the lead of Wearable Creativity research at Queen Mary University of London and has been invited to participate at the Wearable Technology Show 2015, Innovate UK 2015 and also in the recent Wearable Challenge organised by Innovate UK IC Tomorrow as a leading challenge partner to support SMEs and industrial innovation. He has authored and co-authored two books, 6 book chapters and more than 300 technical papers (6000+ citations and H-index 34) in leading journals and peer-reviewed conferences. Dr. Alomainy won the Isambard Brunel Kingdom Award, in 2011, for being an outstanding young science and engineering communicator. He was selected to deliver a TEDx talk about the science of electromagnetic and also participated in many public engagement initiatives and festivals. He is a Chartered Engineer, member of the IET, senior member of IEEE, fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and also a College Member for EPSRC.

Abstract: With the fifth generation (5G) cellular New Radio (NR) standardization it is, well acknowledged now that leveraging the unused millimeter–wave (mmWave) spectru m is inevitable. This is primarily due to unavailability of required bandwidth in the conventional RF bands to support the high data demands of 5G. Large antenna arrays with beamforming capabilities are required to compensate for the high path–loss at mmWave frequencies. We are at the verge of a massive mmWave radio front-end deployment and low–complexity, low–cost hardware beamforming solutions are required now more than ever before. We have demonstrated and analysed two such solutions. The first solution is a high performance and low–complexity lens based beamformer consisting of constant dielectric material (ϵ_r) with antenna–feeds. Second solution is two-stage Rotman lens based beamforming array. Our solutions are intended for multi–beam operation at the mmWave 5G cellular base stations (BS). Prototype were developed based on the classical synthesis approach, and in line with the requirements of mmWave hybrid multi–user multiple–input multiple–output (MU–MIMO) systems. We have shown that these solutions are simple, yet significantly outperforms conventional antenna array beamformers with analog phase shifter networks, making it a promising low cost candidate for hybrid massive MIMO systems for 5G base stations.

Bio: Muhammad Ali Babar Abbasi is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) with the Centre of Wireless Innovation (CWI) at the Queen's University Belfast UK since 2019. He joined the CWI as a Postdoc Research Fellow in 2017. He completed his PhD under the prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarship from Frederick University, Cyprus (European) in 2017. He received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, and received B.S. degree in electrical (telecommunication) engineering from the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2013 and 2011 respectively.

He has published over 40 research papers in international journals and conference proceedings. His current research interests include applied electromagnetics, mm-wave antennas for massive MIMO, phased arrays, lens based beamformers, passive and active antennas for biomedical devices, wireless sensors, and reconfigurable RF electronics.

Abstract: In the Internet of Things (IoT) context, where billions of connected objects are expected to be ubiquitously deployed worldwide, the frequent battery maintenance of these ubiquitous wireless nodes is undesirable or even impossible. The growth of the number of such devices will be possible only if the sensors’ battery needs are eliminated or reduced significantly. For low power sensors and devices, careful power management and conservation are critical to the devices’ lifetime and effectiveness. One of the possible solutions is to change completely the paradigm of the radio transceivers in the wireless nodes of an IoT system by utilising backscattering communication techniques.

The talk will briefly discuss the development of the backscattering communications and then highlight the recent efforts made by the research group in Heriot-Watt University for enhancing its communication range. This opens a wide range of IoT applications.

Bio: Yuan Ding received his Bachelor’s degree from Beihang University (BUAA), Beijing, China, in 2004, received his Master’s degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 2007, and received his Ph.D. degree from Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, UK, in 2014, all in Electronic Engineering.

He was a radio frequency (RF) Engineer in Motorola R&D Centre (Beijing, China) from 2007 to 2009, before joining Freescale Semiconductor Inc. (Beijing, China) as an RF Field Application Engineer, responsible for high power base-station amplifier design, from 2009 to 2011. He is now an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Sensors, Signals and Systems (ISSS) in Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. His research interests are in antenna array, physical layer security, and 5G related areas.

Dr. Ding was the recipient of the IET Best Student Paper Award at LAPC 2013 and the recipient of the Young Scientists Awards in General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GASS), 2014 XXXIst URSI. Dr. Ding has his own webpage: yding04.wordpress.com