Our People

Professor Harald Haas

Director, LiFi Research and Development Centre, Chair of Mobile Communications, School of Engineering

Harald’s main research interests are in interference management in heterogeneous wireless networks, energy and spectrum efficient wireless transmission techniques and optical wireless communications. He is co-founder and chief scientific officer of pureLiFi Ltd, a University of Edinburgh spin-out company.

Professor Nigel Topham

Chair of Computer Systems, School of Informatics and Member, Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA), School of Informatics

Nigel’s main research area is computer architecture, particularly the development of next-generation microarchitectures for high-performance embedded systems. His current research projects focus on the automated synthesis of processors, and the interactions between the synthesis of architecture, micro architecture and physical design.

Tom Higgison

IP Projects Manager, Edinburgh Research and Innovation Ltd

Tom provides business support for technology transfer projects at the University of Edinburgh, including securing several high value outcomes through spin-out companies. He is involved in technology and IP areas, including: LiFi; MEMS; communications technologies; reconfigurable circuits and sensors; in a wide range of markets, including: oil and gas; electronics; and manufacturing.

Dr Stefan Videv

Director of Engineering

Stefan’s research focus is on visible light communications and his interests include prototyping communication systems, smart resource allocation, and energy efficient communications. He was awarded his PhD for his thesis, ‘Techniques for Green Radio Cellular Communications’ in 2013 from the University of Edinburgh.

pureLiFi Ltd

pureLiFi is the world leader in LiFi commercialisation and development. The company develops and delivers LiFi enabled drivers for LED lights, and device attachments. pureLiFi is an original equipment manufacturer that also provides turn-key solutions through its unique LiFi product range.

Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel Lucent are at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud networking, and also ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access. Bell Labs, the technology research institute, is an integral part of the Group.

National Instruments

National Instruments equips engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation and discovery. National Instruments combines productive software and reconfigurable hardware platforms to enable engineers to simplify system development and arrive at solutions faster.

Dr Wasiu O. Popoola

Chancellor’s Fellow, Institute for Digital Communications, School of Engineering, university of Edinburgh

Popoola’s area of research is communication systems engineering, fibre communication and free-space optics, and he provides support to the research members and projects.

Dr Robert Henderson

Reader, CMOS Sensors and Systems Group, School of Engineering

Robert’s research interests are CMOS integrated circuit design, imaging and biosensors. He has led research resulting in the first single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) in nanometer CMOS technology.

Dr Tharmalingam Ratnarajah

Reader, Signal Processing and Communications, School of Engineering

Tharm’s areas of research are: random matrix theory and its application to signal processing communications and information theory; massive MIMO; interference alignment; and physical layer secrecy. He is currently the co-ordinator of two EU FP7 projects, HARP researching highly distributed MIMO, and ADEL researching dynamic spectrum access.

Dr Majid Safari

Lecturer in Digital Communications, School of Engineering

Majid’s research areas include novel MIMO and cooperative/relaying techniques for energy-efficient, and high-speed atmospheric optical links suitable for terrestrial or satellite applications. His research has also addressed unconditionally secure communication through quantum cryptography.

Professor John Thompson

Professor, Signal Processing and Communications, School of Engineering

John’s research interests are: rapid prototyping of MIMO detection algorithms; combining MIMO and relay concepts for wireless; cognitive radio concepts for future wireless systems; and green communications systems and networks. John is coordinator for a new European Marie Curie training project ADVANTAGE.

Professor Ian Underwood

Chair of Electronic Displays, and Head of the Integrated Micro and Nano Systems Research Institute (IMNS) School of Engineering

Ian is a co-founder of Micro Emissive Displays (MED) and co-inventor of its P-OLED micro display technology, and he is recognised worldwide as an authority on micro display technology, systems and applications.

Dr Philip Hands

Chancellor’s Fellow, Integrated Micro and Nano Systems Research Institute (IMNS) School of Engineering

Philip’s research areas are applied photonic materials: tuneable liquid crystal lasers, adaptive liquid crystal lenses; and applied electronic materials: metal-polymer composites, adaptive-focus lenses and holography, which he is working on integrating with future Li-Fi technologies and biomedical applications.

Professor Michael O’Boyle

Director, Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA),, School of Informatics

Michael’s research interests include adaptive compiler techniques which allow the compiler to learn about the underlying parallel architecture by exploring a transformation based optimisation space, and machine learning based optimisation.

Dr Björn Franke

Reader, Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA), School of Informatics

Björn ‘s research focuses on software tools for embedded systems, in particular optimising and parallelising compilers, instruction set simulators, design space exploration and performance estimation tools.

Dr Elham Kashefi

Reader, Quantum Computing, School of Informatics

Kashefi’s research area covers the potential of quantum information theory from its formal and foundational aspects to actual cryptographic experiments. She is the co-founder of the Quantum Information Scotland Network, and a patent holder in the fields of feasible quantum verification and quantum cloud computing.

Professor Lesley Yellowlees

Head of College of Science and Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Professor Johanna Moore

School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh

Bruce Nelson

College Registrar, College of Science & Engineering, The University of Edinburgh

Professor Hugh McCann

Head of School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Professor David Robertson

Dean of Special Projects, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Edinburgh

Tom Higgison

IP Projects Manager, Edinburgh Research and Innovation Ltd