Our People – Update 12/24

Prof. Harald Haas
Director LiFi Research and Development Centre, Van Eck Professor of Engineering

Prof. Harald Haas FREng FRSE FIEEE FIET is the Director of the LiFi Research and Development Centre at the University of Cambridge. He is also the Initiator, co-founder, and Chief Scientific Officer of pureLiFi Ltd. He received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Edinburgh in 2001. He has authored 650 conference and journal papers, including papers in Science and Nature Communications. Haas’ main research interests are in optical wireless communications, hybrid optical wireless and RF communications, spatial modulation, and interference coordination in wireless networks. His team invented spatial modulation. He introduced LiFi to the public at an invited TED Global talk in 2011. This talk on Wireless Data from Every Light Bulb has been watched online over 2.79 million times. LiFi was listed among the 50 best inventions in TIME Magazine in 2011. He gave a second TED Global lecture in 2015 on the use of solar cells as LiFi data detectors and energy harvesters. This has been viewed online over 2.90 million times. In 2016, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Solid State Lighting Alliance. In 2019 he was recipient of IEEE Vehicular Society James Evans Avant Garde Award. Haas was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in 2017. In the same year he received a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and was elevated to IEEE Fellow. In 2018 he received a three-year EPSRC Established Career Fellowship extension and was elected Fellow of the IET. Haas was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2019. He received an Humboldt Research Award in 2022. In 2023, he was shortlisted for the Eurorpean Patent Office Inventor Award in the category ‘Research’.

Dr Iman Tavakkolnia
Assistant Professor

IMAN TAVAKKOLNIA is an Assistant Professor at the Electrical Engineering division at the University of Cambridge, UK. His research focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the energy-efficiency of current and future telecommunication systems and lies at the frontier of communication theory, advanced materials, signal
processing, and optical communications. He also works on low-complexity optical space communication systems for small satellites. He is a coinvestigator on two EPSRC Future Communication Hubs in the UK (TITAN and HASC) as well as the project REASON under the Future Open Networks Research Challenge grant funded by the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). He was a working group member of the European COST Action, CA19111 NEWFOCUS, and an associate editor of the IEEE Communications Letters. He has been a co-chair of the optical wireless communication workshops in WCNC 2023, WCNC 2024, and GLOBECOM 2024, a local organizing committee member of ECOC 2023, and TPC member of several workshops and conferences. Iman Tavakkolnia obtained his PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2018. He was a research associate at the University of Edinburgh until 2020 and then at the University of Strathclyde until September 2021, before being appointed as the Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow (Lecturer) until February 2024.

Dr Sina Babadi
Optical Research Engineer

SINA BABADI received his MSc in Power Electronics from the University of Bradford in 2011 and completed his PhD in Optical Engineering in 2017. Following his PhD, he worked as an Optical Engineer at Optical Limited, focusing on lighting systems and other applications. In 2021, he joined the LRDC group at the University of Strathclyde, specialising in designing optical components for transmitters and receivers in optical wireless communication. In 2024, he continued his work with the same team following the transfer of the Centre to the University of Cambridge.

Dr Hossein Kazemi
Research Associate

HOSSEIN KAZEMI received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from The University of Edinburgh, UK, in 2019. He received his MSc degree in Electrical Engineering (Microelectronic Circuits) from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2011, and his MSc degree (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering (Wireless Communications) from Özyeğin University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2014. He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the LiFi Research and Development Centre, University of Cambridge, UK. Dr Kazemi was the recipient of the Best Paper Award for the 2022 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM). His current research interests mainly focus on the design, analysis and optimization of ultra-high-speed optical wireless communication systems and networks for 6G.

Dr Hossein Safi
Research Associate

HOSSEIN SAFI is a Research Associate at the LiFi Research Centre, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK. Before his tenure at Cambridge University, he served as a Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. He was a visiting Ph.D. student at the School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, BC, Canada, from January 2019 to September 2019. His research interests include statistical signal processing and deep learning, focusing on optical wireless communication systems.

Dr Isaac N. Osahon
Research Associate

ISAAC N. OSAHON received his B.Eng.(Hons) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering (First Class), from Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, in 2012. He earned his M.Sc. degree in Internet Engineering from University College, London, in 2015, and obtained a PhD degree at the Institute of Digital Communications, University of Edinburgh in 2020. He has worked as a researcher on digital signal processing for optical fibre and optical wireless communication at several U.K. universities. Currently, Isaac is a Research Associate in optical wireless communication at the University of Cambridge. He specialises in setting up experimental optical wireless communication testbeds and characterising optical components.  His research interests include optical communications, advanced modulation schemes, artificial neural networks, digital equalisation techniques, power harvesting, visible light positioning, and physical layer security.

Dr Hossein Eldeeb
Research Associate

HOSSEIN ELDEEB received his PhD. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Özyeğin University, Istanbul, Turkey, in December 2021. He is currently a Research Associate in the Electrical Engineering Division at the University of Cambridge, UK. Dr Eldeeb’s expertise spans optical and wireless communications, channel modelling, intelligent surfaces, cyber-physical systems, and the application of AI/ML in security and signal processing for wireless systems. On these topics, Dr Eldeeb has authored some 55 peer-reviewed publications, including journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, and contributions to IEEE standardizations. His work has garnered over 800 citations, resulting in an h-index of 18. His high-quality research and presentation skills earned him two Best Paper Awards at the IEEE-IET CSNDSP 2020 and GITW 2022 conferences. During his postdoc research, he led a team of 6 PhD students across several countries, on various innovative OWC studies. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr Eldeeb serves as the Vice Chair of the IEEE ComSoc/SS Joint Chapter in the UAE Section, where he plays a key role in advancing optical and wireless communication and security technologies. He has also chaired, co-chaired, and served on technical program committees for several workshops on OWC and security, in conjunction with leading IEEE conferences such as GLOBECOM, PIMRC, WCNC, VTC, ITC, MeditCom, and CyberSciTech

Dr Asim Ihsan
Research Associate

ASIM IHSAN received his Master’s in Information and Communication Engineering in 2018, from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China. In 2022, he received his Ph.D., also in Information and Communication Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Following his Ph.D., he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Officer at Bangor University, Wales, and later as a Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. Currently, he holds the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, England, and is a recipient of the UK Global Talent Visa. His research interests include energy-efficient resource allocations for beyond 5G wireless communication technologies, focusing on convex/non-convex optimisations and machine learning.

Dr Othman Younus
Research Associate

OTHMAN YOUNUS holds a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Northumbria University, U.K., which he received in 2022. He received his M.Sc. degree in Microelectronics and Communication Engineering in 2019, also from Northumbria University. He was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Academic Associate at Northumbria from 2022-2024. He specialises in designing and building experimental optical wireless communication test beds and models, along with the thorough characterization of their components. His work spans various optical signal applications and environments, such as free space optics, optical camera-based positioning, and communication. He has developed significant skills in digital and optical signal processing to address challenges like low bandwidths, blocking/shadowing, and atmospheric conditions in internet data transmission.

Dr Mingqing Liu
Research Associate

MINGQING LIU received her B.S. in Computer Science and Technology from the Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China, in 2018, and her Ph.D. from the College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, in 2024. She was a visiting scholar at ESAT, KU Leuven from 2022-2023. Mingqing started working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Li-Fi Research and Development Centre at the University of Cambridge in 2024. Her research interests lie in the areas of wireless power transfer, simultaneous light wave information and power transfer, and integrated communication and sensing.

Dr Yi Liu
Research Associate

YI LIU holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, UK (2024). He earned his MRes in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems from University College, London, (2018), as well as his BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with first-class honours. He is currently a Research Associate in Optical Wireless Communication at the University of Cambridge. Yi specialises in designing and developing experimental optical wireless communication systems and free-space optics. His work includes high-capacity optical wireless communication systems, focusing on low-cost optical transmitters, high-sensitivity optical detectors, and multi-user connectivity. His research interests cover high-speed optical communication, wireless fronthaul, nano & micro-optics design, and physical layer security.

Dr Aravindh Krishnamoorthy
Research Associate

ARAVINDH KRISHNAMOORTHY holds a Dr.-Ing. degree in communication systems from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Aravindh returned to academics in 2016 after a successful industrial career spanning 12 years in Philips Semiconductors and Ericsson. His industrial experience includes system engineering for 2G and 4/5G systems, numerical and matrix analysis, digital signal processing, and embedded (vector) programming. His research experience includes linear and nonlinear signal processing for 5/6G and beyond systems. He is an author of several patents and scientific publications. Since 2022, Aravindh’s primary research focus has been optical wireless communications. His interests include classical and quantum information and communication theories, random matrix theory, linear algebra, numerical analysis as well as theoretical and experimental research on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems and quantum-inspired detection algorithms. Aravindh is also an open research and open source programming proponent.

Yifan Huang

YIFAN HUANG received his MSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Distinction from the University of Strathclyde in 2022. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge, where his research focuses on advanced optical wireless technologies, including Visible Light Positioning (VLP), Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS), and energy-efficient Optical Wireless Communications (OWC).In addition to his research at Cambridge, Yifan has actively engaged in significant academic activities. He presented his work at the prestigious IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC) in 2023 and at the 49th European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) in 2023. Further enhancing his academic experience, Yifan also served as a visiting scholar at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).

Tiankuo Jiao

TIANKUO JIAO received his BEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Liverpool in 2023. He went on to earn an MRes degree in Photonic and Electronic Systems from the University of Cambridge in 2024. Currently, he has commenced his PhD studies at Cambridge, where his research interests include coherent optical wireless transmission (SISO and MIMO), SDI communication, and advanced modulation techniques.

matthew anderson

MATTHEW ANDERSON is a first-year PhD student in the LRDC group, under Dr Iman Tavakkolnia. His research focuses on optical communication and power transfer, with particular interest in the use of solar technologies in the pursuit of energy neutral communications. Matthew obtained his undergraduate MPhys degree in Phyics at the University of Exeter, before joining the Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems CDT, completing research at the University of Cambridge and University College London, where he explored band gap engineering for terrahertz devices and medical applications of near infrared spectroscopy, respectively.

DR SAMuel GILTRAP
HEAD OF PROJECTS | titan

SAMUEL GILTRAP is the Head of Projects at TITAN, where he oversees the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of research projects across over 20 academic partner institutions within the TITAN Technology Hub. With a strong foundation in scientific research, including a PhD in plasma physics from Imperial College London, he brings a unique blend of analytical and problem-solving skills to project management.

 

Samuel’s experience spans both academic and industrial settings, having previously led commercial research and development of novel wavelength-selective switching technology, and conducted research projects in the field of nuclear fusion diagnostics. This diverse background allows him to approach challenges with a scientific rigor and an innovative mindset.

 

At TITAN, Samuel leverages his expertise to deliver projects that push to boundaries of telecommunication technology.

SARAH HARDY
Marketing Director | Federated Telecoms Hubs

SARAH HARDY is the Marketing Director for the Federated Telecoms Hubs, where she leads high-impact campaigns to drive innovation and promote the future of global connectivity.

 

As a marketing and communications professional with extensive experience in the research and technology sectors, Sarah has a proven track record of building strategic marketing functions from the ground up.

 

Sarah’s approach to marketing is strategic and data-driven. She focusses on setting clear objectives, crafting key messages, and selecting the most appropriate channels to ensure campaigns are aligned with organizational goals. This includes ongoing research, analysis, and evaluation to optimize communications for impact and effectiveness.

 

At TITAN, Sarah is excited to bring these skills to the telecoms sector, supporting next-generation innovations and fostering collaboration across the industry.

DEMI WORMGOOR
RESEARCH COORDINATOR | Lrdc & titan

DEMI WORMGOOR joined the LiFi Research and Development Centre (LRDC) in 2024 as Research Coordinator. She manages the organisation and operational development of the LRDC and coordinates key aspects of grant-funded projects, including applications and reporting.

 

She is committed to advancing Knowledge Exchange initiatives, ensuring the LRDC’s pioneering research delivers transformative real-world impact. With a diverse background in academic publishing and higher education, including her role as Programme Coordinator at Nyenrode Business University, Demi brings a wealth of expertise in driving projects and fostering collaboration.

Demi holds an MA in Medieval Literatures and Languages from the University of York, where her research explored John Gower’s Confessio Amantis and its codicological contexts.

WENDY RAYMOND
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

WENDY RAYMOND bio to follow

JULIE HOGG
LRDC ADMINISTRATOR

JULIE HOGG is an experienced University Administrator at Cambridge University, having previously worked at the Faculty of Education, the Sociology Department and at Magdalene College. For ten years she was a professional fundraiser for various charities, specialising in high level philanthropy, bespoke event management and CRM systems. Julie was the Alumni & Events Officer for Cambridge University Boat Club, during The Ely Project which delivered the state-of-the-art University Boathouse at Ely. She holds a B.Ed (Hons) from Homerton College, Cambridge and a research M.Phil from King’s College, Cambridge, where her research focused on the impact of the University on girls’ education between the World Wars.

SRINJOY DEY
mARKETING & cOMMUNICATIONS mANAGER | titan

SRINJOY DEY is the Marketing and Communications Manager at TITAN Telecoms Hub, University of Cambridge. He has previously held various marketing, communications and engagement roles at University College London and City St. George’s University of London. Before his foray into the UK higher education and research sector, he was a journalist at India’s foremost media organisations. He holds an MA in English Literature from University College London, where his multidisciplinary academic work spanned literature, philosophy, social relations, critical race theory, games and technology.

Catarina Lopes
Project administrator

CATARINA LOPES has worked in a variety of departments at the University of Cambridge for the past ten years, primarily in the administrative side of clinical studies based at Addenbrookes Hospital.

 

Catarina is delighted to be joining the TITAN group’s vibrant team, as a project administrator.

Outside work, she enjoys painting, gardening and nature walks!

PETER J. LOVE
PROJECT MANAGER | TITAN

PETER JOHN LOVE is an experienced leader of diverse teams and a trusted advisor for Cx0/CxO-1 leaders. Educated with Six Sigma Yellow Belt, ITIL, and with a PMP certification, his skillset lies in the ability to excel in global project delivery, demystify complexities, and handle challenges with tenacity and good humour. He is committed to fostering industry dialogue and has chaired telecoms forums and acted as a Special Interest Group champion to drive collaboration and impact. His career has spanned many multidisciplinary roles including global strategy & operational development; geographic management of both sales and delivery teams across telecoms infrastructure vendor & consumer electronics. Peter is a seasoned leader with extensive experience managing diverse teams and serving as a trusted advisor to CxO and senior leadership. He holds certifications in Six Sigma, ITIL, and PMP, equipping him with a robust skill set for global project delivery. Known for his ability to simplify complex challenges and address them with resilience and a positive attitude, Peter thrives in high-stakes environments. A strong advocate for industry collaboration, Peter has chaired telecom forums and led Special Interest Groups to foster dialogue and drive meaningful impact. Throughout his career, he has held various multidisciplinary roles, including global strategy and operational development, as well as managing sales and delivery teams in the telecom infrastructure and consumer electronics sectors.