Speakers

Keynote Speaker I

Prof. Murat Uysal
IEEE Fellow
New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Keynote Lecture: Visible Light Communications for 6G and Beyond

Abstract: Visible Light Communication (VLC) is based on the principle of modulating the intensity of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to enable high data rate transmission over the unregulated optical spectrum. It is considered a powerful complement to radio frequency-based solutions in dense user environments and a viable alternative in locations where radio waves may be restricted or prohibited. In this talk, we will first provide an overview of this promising technology, highlighting its unique advantages and potential applications. We will then explain how VLC channels can be realistically modeled and introduce key physical layer technologies that enable the development of high-speed VLC systems. Although first-generation VLC modems have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of indoor light-based wireless networks, significant advancements are still needed to position VLC as an integral part of 6G and beyond networks. Toward this direction, we will discuss the current challenges and future research directions.

Biography: Murat Uysal received the B.Sc. and the M.Sc. degrees in electronics and communication engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, in 1995 and 1998, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, in 2001. Dr. Uysal began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada in 2002 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2007. In 2011, he joined Ozyegin University, Turkey, where he served as the Department Chair of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Optical Wireless Communication Technologies (OKATEM). Since September 2023, he has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and serves as the Founding Director of NYUAD Wireless Center.

Dr. Uysal's research interests are in the broad area of communication theory with a particular emphasis on the physical layer design aspects of wireless communication systems in radio and optical frequency bands. On these topics, he has authored some 450 journal and conference papers and received more than 24.000 citations with an h-index of 69. Dr. Uysal is an IEEE Fellow and the former Chair of the IEEE Turkey Section. He currently serves as an Area Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications. In the past, he served as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, and IEEE Communications Letters. He was involved in the organization of several IEEE conferences at various levels. In particular, he served as the Technical Program Committee Co-Chair of major IEEE conferences, including WCNC 2014, PIMRC 2019, and VTC-Fall 2019. Between 2011 and 2015, he was the Chair of EU COST Action OPTICWISE, a high-profile consolidated European scientific platform which brought together more than 150 researchers in the research area of optical wireless communication.

Dr. Uysal's major distinctions include the NSERC Discovery Accelerator Award in 2008, the University of Waterloo Engineering Research Excellence Award in 2010, the Turkish Academy of Sciences Distinguished Young Scientist Award in 2011, the Ozyegin University Outstanding Researcher Award in 2014, the National Instruments Engineering Impact Award in 2017, the Elginkan Foundation Technology Award in 2018, the IEEE Communications Society Best Survey Paper Award in 2019, the IEEE Turkey Section Outstanding Service Award in 2021, the Tubitak Science Award, and the Mustafa Prize in 2023. <Personal Webpage>

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Keynote Speaker II

Prof. Xiaodong Wang
IEEE Fellow
Columbia University, USA

Keynote Lecture: TBD

Abstract: TBD

Biography: Xiaodong Wang (S’98-M’98-SM’04-F’08) received the Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Wang’s research interests fall in the general areas of computing, signal processing and communications, and has published extensively in these areas. Among his publications is a book entitled “Wireless Communication Systems: Advanced Techniques for Signal Reception”, published by Prentice Hall in 2003. His current research interests include wireless communications, statistical signal processing, and genomic signal processing. Dr. Wang received the 1999 NSF CAREER Award, the 2001 IEEE Communications Society and Information Theory Society Joint Paper Award, and the 2011 IEEE Communication Society Award for Outstanding Paper on New Communication Topics. He has served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Communications, the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, the IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, and the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and listed as an ISI Highly-cited Author. <Personal Webpage>