Short Courses and Workshops

Workshop Instructor(s): Jonathan Chisum, Email: chisum@nd.edu. Honglei Chen, Email: hchen@mathworks.com.

Course Abstract: This workshop provides an introduction to the MATLAB tools for the design and simulation of antennas and wireless networks with an emphasis of phased array and custom antenna modeling. Specific examples will be provided for end-to-end 5G sytems, DOA/TDOA analysis, integrated communications and sensing (ISAC), and coexistence (e.g., comms and radar, comms and radio astronomy). Attendees will receive code that can be used to recreate all of the plots we show in the session and a set of examples that can be used to explore the topics we cover.

Course Outline
Half-day

• Introduction & motivation: 5G, 6G, radar, spectrum coexistence
• Antenna and array modeling, pattern synthesis
• Channel modeling
• Signal processing: Beamforming, DOA, TDOA
• Custom antennas: Simulating custom antennas
• End-to-end wireless examples: Integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), hybrid beamforming

Jonathan D. Chisum received the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, Colorado USA, in 2011. He is currently an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. From 2012 to 2015 he was a Member of Technical Staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in the Wideband Communications and Spectrum Operations groups. His work at Lincoln Laboratory focused on millimeter-wave phased arrays, antennas, and transceiver design for electronic warfare applications. In 2015 he joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame. His research interests include millimeter-wave communications and spectrum sensing using novel and engineered materials and devices to dramatically lower the power and cost and enable pervasive deployments. His group focuses on gradient index (GRIN) lenses for low-power millimeter-wave beam-steering antennas, nonlinear (1-bit) radio architectures for highly efficient communications and sensing up through millimeter-waves, phasechange materials for reconfigurable RF circuits for wideband distributed circuits and antennas, and microwave/spin-wave structures for low-power and chip-scale analog signal processing for spectrum sensing and protection. Dr. Chisum is a senior member of the IEEE, a member of the American Physical Society, and an elected Member of the U.S. National Committee (USNC) of the International Union or Radio Science's (URSI) Commission D (electronics and photonics). He is the current Chair for USNC URSI Commission D: Electronics and Photonics.

Honglei Chen is a principal engineer at MathWorks where he leads the development of phased-array system simulation tools and algorithms for radar, 5G, sonar, and ultrasound applications. Prior to his current role, Honglei also developed tools and algorithms focused on signal processing systems. Honglei received his Bachelor of Science from Beijing Institute of Technology and his MS and PhD, both in electrical engineering, from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Workshop Instructor(s): Charles Baylis, Email: Charles_Baylis@baylor.edu. J. Nicholas Laneman, Email: jnl@nd.edu.

Course Abstract: This workshop overviews radio spectrum management and innovation, providing radio scientists understanding of basic issues and challenges in spectral coexistence. Topics include an overview of spectrum management practices, challenges in spectrum sharing for different types of wireless systems (communication, radar, and passive scientific systems), present movements and decisions, and areas of ongoing and needed innovation. The workshop will allow radio scientists to gain a holistic understanding of challenges and practices in spectrum management and coexistence, informing them in designing radio systems to succeed in the ever- complicated spectral environment.

Course Outline
Half-Day

• Introduction to the Radio Spectrum
• Introduction to Spectrum Regulation
• Scientific Uses of the Radio Spectrum
• Break
• Radar System Spectrum Coexistence Challenges
• Spectrum Innovation Frontiers
• Panel Discussion (Speakers and Participants)

Audience participation will be a vital part of this workshop, with participant questions encouraged during each presentation.

Dr. Charles Baylis serves as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University and Director of SMART Hub, a Department of Defense Spectrum Innovation Center consisting of 29 researchers across 16 universities. Dr. Baylis has served at Baylor since 2008, where he co-founded and still directs the Wireless and Microwave Circuits and Systems Program. He received the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida in 2007, and served on the USF faculty from 2007-2008 before joining Baylor. His research interests are reconfigurable microwave circuits and systems to enable adaptive spectrum sharing, as well as the intersection of spectrum policy and technology, and his research has been funded by defense agencies, the National Science Foundation, and industry.

Dr. Laneman is Director of SpectrumX, the National Science Foundation Spectrum Innovation Center commissioned in 2021. He is also Founding Director and currently Co-Director of the Wireless Institute in the College of Engineering; Professor of Electrical Engineering, Faculty Affiliate of iNDustry Labs; and Fellow of the Pulte Institute for Global Development as well as the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values all at the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty in August 2002 shortly after earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research and teaching interests are in communications system engineering-blending information theory, signal processing for communications, as well as prototyping and experimental validation-with emphasis on wireless systems.
Dr. Laneman is a 2014 IEEE Fellow and received the 2018 IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award. In addition to three conference best paper awards, Laneman has received a 2006 Presidential Early-Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and a 2006 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. He has served as General Co-Chair of the 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks (DySPAN), an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications, and a Guest Editor for Special Issues of IEEE Transactions on Information Theory and IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. He was also the first Online Editor for the IEEE Information Theory Society and served on its Board of Governors.
Laneman is author or co-author on over 145 publications, including 46 journal articles and invited book chapters, and has been recognized by Thomson Reuters as an ISI Highly Cited Researcher (2010, 2015). He is co-inventor on eight U.S. patents and has several patents pending. He currently advises two Ph.D. students; twelve Ph.D. degrees, thirteen M.S. degrees, and one B.S. honors degree have been earned under his supervision. All of these research efforts have been supported in part by over $14M in funding, with Laneman serving as principal investigator on just over $5M.

Workshop Instructor(s): Ifana Mahbub, Email: Ifana.mahbub@utdallas.edu. Adnan Basir Patwary, Email: adnanbasir.patwary@utdallas.edu.

Course Abstract: Wireless power beaming (WPB) is a revolutionary direction in the development of the next generation of far-field wireless power transfer (WPT) networks since this approach yields increased range, enhanced signal gain, and increased power transfer efficiency. This short course discusses methods to increase efficiency in a WPB system that can be achieved by decreasing the loss occurring due to the propagation or the path loss, misalignment, and signal phase incoherence. A WPB system requires precise directive radiation beam which can be achieved using beamforming. This workshop discusses the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) antennas to achieve such directive radiation beam using beamforming while achieving a high gain and radiation efficiency. Antennas/metasurfaces with array elements are used for beamforming where the phase and amplitude along the array elements are adjusted to achieve a narrow directive beam as beam steering. The RX size and placement is determined strategically based on the TX beamforming performance and the RX distance from TX to improve the efficiency by achieving higher beam collection. The received power at the RX can be harvested using a highly efficient rectifier-based energy harvesting circuit. The workshop includes methods to improve the efficiency and range of WPB systems having singe TX-RX structure along with a distributed WPB systems.

Course Outline
Half-Day

• History of wireless power transfer
• Introduction to wireless power beaming (WPB)
• Path loss characterization in WPB
• WPB system architecture
• Transmitter antenna design and beamforming and beam steering
• Receiver antenna and rectifier (rectenna) design
• Preliminary work and performance demonstration
• Conclusion

Dr. Ifana Mahbub is the director of the Integrated Biomedical Radiofrequency Circuits and Systems Laboratory (iBioRFCASL). Dr. Mahbub works on ultrawideband and mm-wave phased-array antenna systems for long-range power beaming applications and communication systems for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), focusing on the RF and microwave components and antenna designs. Dr. Mahbub is the recipient of the NSF Career Award (2020), and DARPA Young Faculty Award (2021), and DARPA Director's Fellowship (2023). She received a B.Sc. degree (2012) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and a Ph.D. degree (2017) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Antenna and Propagation. She is a senior member of IEEE MTTS, APS and CAS societies and also serves as the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society's Region 5 coordinator of the Membership and Geographic Activities (MGA) Committee. She also serves as the vice-chair for the URSI Commission K and is a full member of Commission B.

Adnan Basir Patwary is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, TX, USA. He is also a Graduate Research Assistant with the Integrated Biomedical RF Circuits and Systems Laboratory (IBioRFCASL) at The University of Texas at Dallas. His research focuses on development of ultrawideband phased array antennas with beamforming and beam steering capability, waveform engineering and path loss modeling, and CMOS RF transmitter circuit development for radiative wireless power beaming and ultrawideband communication. He received a B.Sc. degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh, in 2017. Adnan Patwary is the current chapter chair of the IEEE AP-S and MTT-S joint chapter of the University of Texas at Dallas. He is also the recipient of the 2022 Student Travel Grant presented by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society.