Dr Mahsa Derakhshani

Dr Derakhshani is currently a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Digital Communications with the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. She is a member of the Signal Processing and Networks Research Group (SPNRG) and currently serves as an Associate Editor of the IET Signal Processing Journal.

Mahsa received her PhD from McGill University, Montréal, Canada, in 2013, and the BSc and MSc degrees from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2006 and 2008 respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 2013 to 2015, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, and a Research Assistant with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University. From 2015 to 2016, she was an Honorary NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London.

She joined Loughborough University in 2016 as a Lecturer and became a Senior Lecturer in 2020. She was a Royal Academy of Engineering/The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow from 2020 to 2021.

Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2008-2013
• MSc in Electrical Engineering (Communication Systems), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 2006-2008
• BSc in Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 2002-2006

Key awards

• Royal Academy of Engineering/The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship, 2020-21
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2015-2017
• Fonds de Recherche du Québec–Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2013-2015
• McGill Engineering Doctoral Award, 2008-2011
• John Bonsall Porter Prize, 2009-2010
• Provost's Graduate Fellowship, 2008-2009

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• Senior Member, IEEE
• Member, IEEE Communications Society
• Member, IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE)
• Member, IET

Dr Derakhshani’s research focuses on the design, analysis and optimization of wireless communication networks, applying diverse problem-solving techniques such as convex/non-convex optimisation, stochastic optimisation, robust optimisation, machine learning, game theory, and dynamic programming.

Her current research interests include:

• Machine learning/deep learning for wireless communication networks
• Risk-aware, contextual learning for radio resource management
• Ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC)
• Caching in communication networks
• Cloud radio access networks
• Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)

Grants and contracts

• 2023-2026- EPSRC Grant (PI)- Pervasive Wireless Intelligence Beyond the Generations (PerCom). 
• 2020-2023- EPSRC Grant (CI)- Membrane-cyber-physical system (mCPS) for smart water treatment. 
• 2020-2021- Royal Academy of Engineering/The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship- Machine learning solutions for scalable,mission-critical wireless networks. 
• 2015-17- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship- Toward wireless network virtualization by enabling optimization techniques 
• 2013-15- The Fonds de Recherche du Québec–Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) Postdoctoral Fellowship- QoS provisioning for delay-sensitive applications in cognitive radio networks: Learning-based resource allocation design 

Current teaching responsibilities

• WSP028, Advanced Telecommunication Technologies 
• WSP046/WSD546, Statistical Methods and Machine Learning 
• WSA013, Digital Systems  

Current administrative responsibilities 

• Programme Leader for Telecommunications Engineering MSc course 
• Deputy Director of Doctoral Programmes