Distinguished Women in Microwaves Event

Sunday, 21 January 2024, 7:00pm – 8:15pm

Organizer: Jasmin Grosinger, Graz University of Technology, Austria

The Women in Microwaves (WiM) event at the upcoming IEEE Radio & Wireless Week (RWW) 2024 will spotlight distinguished women who have advanced the field of microwave theory and technology considerably. Three outstanding women in microwaves will talk about their respective research fields and careers. A light reception will accompany the event, allowing us to network and connect. Prof. Lei Guo from the Dalian University of Technology, China, will talk about Wireless Power Harvesters: A Charging Solution for IoT Applications. Dr. Kiki Ikossi, a 2020-2022 ASEE Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA, will give details on Semiconductors for GHz to THz Devices. And Sara Barros from Thales Nederland B.V., The Netherlands, will dive deep into The Evolution of Surface Radar and Naval Platform Integration.

Wireless Power Harvesters: A Charging Solution for IoT Applications

Speaker: Lei Guo, Dalian University of Technology, China

Abstract

The realization of Internet-of-Things (IoT) relies on a large amount of geographically distributed wireless sensor nodes (WSNs). Traditional power supply cords prevent the large-scale utilization and mobility of the WSNs, while the batteries as substitutes for supply cords are not optimal solutions due to the limited lifetime, high cost, and undesired ecological effects. In this scenario, wireless power harvesting technologies provide a new approach to remotely charging or powering WSNs. This talk will discuss analytical methods for evaluating and designing radio frequency (RF) power harvesters by considering the wide adaptability to frequencies, input power, and load conditions. Based on the analysis, high-efficiency multi-band or wide-power-range RF power harvester systems will be designed and discussed. The feasibility of the proposed RF power harvesters will also be demonstrated in a real low-power wireless sensor platform. The proposed wireless power harvesting techniques have the potentials to be implemented in IoT applications where powering issues are critical.

Bio

Dr. Lei Guo  received a B.Eng. degree in communication engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, in 2011 and a Ph.D. in electronic engineering from the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, in 2016. From 2016 to 2019, she was a postdoctoral research fellow with the City University of Hong Kong, China, and Poly-Grames Research Center, Polytechnique Montreal, Canada. She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Information and Communication Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China. She has authored/ co-authored more than 50 articles and holds nine patents, including 6 US patents and 3 Chinese patents. She received the Student Best Paper Award in iWEM 2015. She served as the organizing committee member of the 2018 IEEE MTT-S WPTC, 2022 ICMMT, 2022 IoTCIT, 2023 MTT-S IWS, etc. Dr. Guo is now an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation and IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation (OJAP). She also serves as a Guest Editor of the Women’s Research in Antennas and Propagation Section in OJAP. Her research interests include wireless energy harvesting techniques, dielectric resonator antennas, millimeter-wave antenna arrays, and wireless sensing technologies.

Semiconductors for GHz to THz Devices

Speaker: Kiki Ikossi, 2020-2022 ASEE Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA

Abstract

High-performance devices, integrated circuits for future energy-efficient high-speed communication networks, and IoT sensors demand high-performance semiconductor devices that can be integrated into advanced systems. This talk will examine the properties sought for heterostructure devices for GHz to THz applications. Challenges faced by the key high-speed device technologies that set in motion the communication revolution of our times will be discussed, along with some of the efforts underway for fulfilling the demands of future applications. We will see how the presence of defects and carrier traps in semiconductors hinder device performance and affect efficiency and how future technology can exploit these traps.

Bio

Dr. Kiki Ikossi has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Cincinnati with an emphasis in Solid State Electronics and a B.S.E.E. from the National Technical University of Athens (EMP), Greece. Dr. Ikossi’s expertise is in advanced micro and nanoelectronic devices in exploratory materials. Her research interests include high-frequency – high-efficiency power amplifiers, nano-optoelectronics, sensors, detectors, photovoltaics, quantum effects for solid-state devices, and unconventional materials for device applications. She has published over 100 scientific papers, has numerous invention disclosures, and has a US patent. Dr. Ikossi has held academia, major research labs, and government positions. She has been a tenured Associate Professor at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, a research professor and adjunct Professor at George Mason University Fairfax, VA, an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College, a senior scientist at the electronics lab at Wright Paterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, an AAEE faculty research fellow and senior scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C, a technology advisor for the Department of Commerce, a science and technology program manager for basic science research programs with DoD, and President of I-Cube Inc. Dr. Kiki Ikossi has been a 2020-2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) – Science and Technology Policy Fellow (STPF) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) In Alexandria, VA. Currently, she is an independent Research and Development Science and Technology consultant.

The Evolution of Surface Radar and Naval Platform Integration

Speaker: Sara Pena Barros, Thales Nederland B.V., The Netherlands

Abstract

Naval forces are exposed to several different threats with elaborate behaviors, especially uncrewed air and surface vehicles, in a complex above-water environment. This translates into a need for superior air and surface detection, tracking, and classification performance. In a high-intensity Above Water Warfare context, the integration of all sensors provides a higher quality and faster tactical picture, giving a clear, rapid full situational awareness (air, surface) and increased defense capabilities of the whole task group. This talk will focus on the hand-in-hand evolution of surface radar with an evergrowing-in-complexity threat scenario and the challenges of naval platform integration of such (multi-) sensor systems.

Bio

Sara Pena Barros was born and raised in Portugal and currently lives in The Netherlands. She received her MSc in Electronics Engineering and Telecommunications in 2013, having spent her first three undergraduate years at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and her last two years at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Her studies ended with a full-year research project, “OFDM for Data Distribution in Phased Array Antennas,” in collaboration with Thales Nederland B.V., for which a patent application was filed. After graduating, she continued with the company and joined their ‘Surface Radar – Strategy, Technology, and Innovations’ group in Delft as an Advanced Development Engineer. There, she is involved in low TRL research activities related to the development of advanced waveform concepts and novel radar technology; she also leads Integrated Topside Design studies for Navies worldwide, technically responsible for the Radiation Hazards and above-deck interference analysis. IEEE member and active volunteer since 2009, she has served in several positions, currently acting as IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Young Professionals Chair and IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Africa, and Middle East) Membership Development Past-Chair. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, reading, caring for her plants, and chasing the sun with friends and family.