Electronics and Electrical Engineering

http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/ajw/

http://www.skper.org/

Dr Podilchak received the B.A.Sc. degree in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto, ON, Canada, in 2005, the M.A.Sc. and the Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, in 2008 and 2013, respectively, where he was an Assistant Professor, from 2013 to 2015.

He then joined Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh U.K., in 2015, as an Assistant Professor,and became an Associate Professor in 2017.

His research was supported by the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Research Fellowship.

He currently serves as a Lecturer with the European School of Antennas and a Senior Lecturer with The University of Edinburgh, School of Engineering.

He is a registered professional engineer (P.Eng.). He has had industrial experience as a computer programmer and designed 24 and 77GHz automotive radar systems with Samsung and Magna Electronics.

Recent industry experience also includes the design of high frequency surfacewave radar systems, professional software design, and implementation for measurements in anechoic chambers with the Canadian Department, National Defence and the SLOWPOKE Nuclear Reactor Facility.

He has also designed new compact multiple-input–multiple-output(MIMO) antennas for wideband military communications and highly compact circularly polarized antennas for microsatellites with COMDEV International, and new wireless power transmission and millimeter-wave automotive radar systems with Samsung.

His research interests include surface waves, leaky-wave antennas, metasurfaces, UW Bantennas, phased arrays, and CMOS integrated circuits.

Dr.Podilchak was a recipient of many best paper awards and scholarships; most notably research fellowships from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society and the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society.

He has received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for the Ph.D. degree from Queen’s University.

He also received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and four Young Scientist Awards from the International Union of Radio Science (URSI).

In 2011 and 2013, he received the Student Paper Award from the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, the Best Paper Prize for Antenna Design from the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation for his work on CubeSat antennas, in 2012, and the European Microwave Prize for his research on surface waves and leaky-wave antennas, in 2016.

He was bestowed a Visiting Professorship Award from Sapienza University of Rome, in 2017 and 2019. He was also the Founder and the First Chairman of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society and the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Joint SocietyJoint Chapter of the IEEE Kingston Section in Canada as well as the IEEE U.K. and Ireland Section in Scotland. In recognition of these services, he has received the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the IEEE, in 2015.

He is an Associate Editor of the journal IET Electronic Letters. He was recognized as an Outstanding Reviewer of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, in 2014.

• BASc degree in Engineering Science, Uversity of Toronto, ON, Canada, 2005
• MASc Electrical Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, in 2008
• PhD Electrical Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, 2013

Awards and Scholarship

• IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Research Fellowship
• IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Research Fellowship
• Outstanding Dissertation Award for the PhD degree from Queen’s University
• Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• Four Young Scientist Awards from the International Union of Radio Science (URSI)
• Student Paper Award from the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation 2011 and 2013
• Best Paper Prize for Antenna Design from the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation for his work on CubeSat antennas, 2012
• European Microwave Prize for his research on surface waves and leaky-wave antennas, 2016
• Visiting Professorship Award from Sapienza University of Rome, 2017 and 2019
• Outstanding Volunteer Award from the IEEE, 2015

• Registered Professional Engineer, PEng
• Founder and the First Chairman of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society
• Founder and the First Chairman of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society
• Outstanding Volunteer Award from the IEEE, 2015
• Associate Editor of the journal IET Electronic Letters
• Outstanding Reviewer of the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propogation, 2014

• Assistant Professor, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, 2013-2015
• Assistant Professor, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2015-2017
• Associate Professor, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2017-2019
• Lecturer, European School of Antennas present
• Senior Lecturer in Radio Frequency, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Wide ranging industrial experience including:

• Computer programmer - designed 24GHz and 77GHz automotive radar systems with Samsung and Magna Electronics
• Design of high frequency surface wave radar systems, professional software design, and implementation for measurements in anechoic chambers with the Canadian Department, National Defence and the SLOWPOKE Nuclear Reactor Facility
• Designed new compact multiple-input–multiple-output(MIMO) antennas for wideband military communications and highly compact circularly polarized antennas for microsatellites with COMDEV International
• Designed new wireless power transmission and millimeter-wave automotive radar systems with Samsung

Prof Majid Safari received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in 2011. He is currently a Professor of optical and wireless communications and the Deputy Head of Institute for Imaging, Data, and Communications, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. He has authored or coauthored more than 150 papers. His main research interests include the application of optics, information theory, signal processing in optical, wireless, and quantum communications. Some of his current research works include designing 6G Optical wireless networks as part of the EPSRC program grant TOWS, developing single-photon avalanche diode based receivers for classical communication, and the design of novel communication schemes for nonlinear long-haul fibre-optic channels.  Prof Safari has been an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications and Associate Editor for IEEE Communication Letters. He was the recipient of Mitacs Fellowship, Canada and prestigious grants from Leverhulme Trust and EPSRC, UK. He was the recipient of Best Paper Awards from IEEE GLOBECOM 2022 and IEEE ICC 2023.

• 2011: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2005: MSc in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology
• 2003: BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Tehran

Course Organiser:

* Digital Communication 4: 2013-present

* Digital Communications Fundamentals (MSc): 2013-present

* Digital System Design 2: 2015-present  

Other Courses:

* Analogue Mixed Signal Laboratory 3: 2018-2020

* Engineering Mathematics 2A: 2014-2016

* Electrical Engineering 1: 2017-2019