Mahsa

Organisation: Loughborough University
Role: Senior Lecturer in Digital Communications

Qualifications

BSc Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, MSc Electrical Engineering (Communication Systems), PhD Electrical Engineering, McGill University and Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) with distinction, Loughborough University.

Career Journey

  • Research Assistant with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University
  • Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto
  • Honorary NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London
  • Lecturer, Loughborough University

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering

have been always amazed with how mathematics can be materialised in different engineering products and systems. My passion for learning applied mathematics influenced my journey and led to becoming a telecommunication engineer who designs and optimizes complex telecommunication networks 

I am passionate about research and innovation.

Academic knowledge and skills important to your role

  • Higher level mathematics and computer science
  • Optimization theory and Algorithm Design
  • Machine Learning
  • Logical and critical thinking
  • Project management
  • Teamwork

Project example that you have worked on that you are proud of and showcase what you do

My recent project was on developing machine learning solutions for mission-critical wireless networks. In mission-critical applications such as autonomous systems, wireless networks are becoming far more complex and essential than ever before. For example, extensive, responsive and reliable networks are required to enable vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity to improve road safety (e.g. cooperative collision avoidance) and traffic efficiency (e.g. cooperative platoon driving). In other words, V2X needs wireless communications with high reliability and extremely short delay between a vehicle and road infrastructure as well as other vehicles. In this project, I have been involved in designing learning-based algorithms to enable ultra-reliable low latency communication for such applications.

What would a typical week look like for you

As an academic working at the University, I have some lectures to deliver in a week and hence need to spend some time in advance in preparation for lectures. I normally meet my PhD and MSc students weekly to discuss the progress of their projects and guid them through their plans. 

In addition to this, I have some leadership roles, for instance as the programme leader for our MSc Telecommunications Engineering programme and that requires planning and curriculum design as well as liaison with student representatives. Another important focus of my role each week is on working through the research projects that I am involved with. This could be sometimes in connection with my academic/industrial collaborators or working independently.

What do you think have been the most influential/important achievements and innovations in engineering over the last 50 years?

In my opinion, the invention of Internet has been the most impactful innovation. Internet impacted every facet of our lives and also facilitated the innovation in other domains through providing information accessibility and connection.

What are your predictions for the future of your industry in 50 years' time?

The vision for the future of mobile communication networks is to enable connection of almost everything around us. In 50 years, we will live in a world that devices will be able to exchange information and also communicate with our mobile phones. We will also see more automated systems in smart factories, smart homes, and smart cities.