Research

My research focuses on wireless communications and sensing systems, leveraging AI/ML methods to develop intelligent and adaptive engineering solutions.

AI at the center of my research. Hover over a planet to feature it; move the cursor to tilt the view.

Wireless communications

RF, mmWave, terahertz, optical, hybrid RF/optical, and satellite communication systems.

Wireless sensing

Non-contact optical sensing for gesture recognition and human–computer interaction; vital-signs monitoring of respiration, heart rate, and glucose.

Internet of Things

Livestock monitoring, soil monitoring, and related applications.

AI / ML

Supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning; deep learning; large language models.

Selected current projects

FORMULA3: an AI controller predicts blockage and reconfigures a transmissive smart surface on a window and a metallic reflector array indoors so that an upper mid-band (FR3) link from an outdoor base station reaches a user while another person walks through the room

FORMULA3Self-adapting 6G networks in the 7–24 GHz FR3 band that combine AI, sensing, smart surfaces, and reflector arrays to predict blockage and keep links reliable indoors and outdoor-to-indoor.NSF & Research Council of Finland · 2026–2029

Spectrum reallocation: line-of-sight satellite links move from congested sub-10 GHz spectrum to Ku and Ka bands, with AI rain-fade prediction, freeing the lower bands for mobile and broadband coverage in cities

Prime Spectrum, Better UseMoving line-of-sight links, such as satellite earth stations and fixed microwave, from congested sub-10 GHz spectrum to Ku/Ka bands, with rain-fade-aware AI, to free prime spectrum for mobile and broadband.NSF · 2025–2027

Hybrid terahertz and visible-light network in a smart room: a ceiling luminaire lights a desk user while its terahertz beam is redirected by a smart surface to a second user

CommAwareNetEnergy-efficient, high-data-rate hybrid THz/visible-light architecture with intelligent surfaces for smart facilities.DOE Early Career Award · 2023–2028

Gunshot detection for energy substation protection: acoustic sensors on a pole detect a gunshot near a fenced substation and alert grid operators

Substation protectionGunshot detection with acoustic sensing and AI to protect energy substations from physical attacks.DOE NETL · 2025–2027

Offshore lifting safety: on an offshore platform, a millimeter-wave radar inspects the crane wire and hook, a small robot inspects the structure, and a digital twin predicts problems

Offshore lifting safetyPredictive monitoring of offshore lifting equipment with mmWave radar non-destructive testing, an inspection robot, and a digital twin.DOE OESI · 2025–2026

Non-invasive blood-pressure sensing: a millimeter-wave radar on a desk steers beams to a seated person’s wrist and neck at the same time and recovers the arterial pulse waveform

mmWave radar health sensingNon-invasive multi-target blood-pressure monitoring with passive-beamforming FMCW radar.2025 · PCT application WO 2025/221680

Selected completed projects

Intelligent rail track transitions: optical fiber sensors along the rail measure strain where a bridge meets the embankment as a train passes, and a monitor flags the weak spot

Intelligent track transitionsOptical fiber sensors that monitor rail track transitions, such as bridge-to-embankment zones, where track degrades fastest.U.S. DOT FRA · 2023–2025

Demand-driven elastic network over a city: base stations near users are switched on and linked in a web, while idle ones sleep to save energy

SpiderNETA spectrally and energy-efficient, demand-driven elastic architecture for future 5G-and-beyond networks.NSF · 2019–2025

Versatile 6G experimental platform: a rack of software-defined radios drives two antenna arrays that communicate with each other and sense a target at the same time, monitored from a laptop

6G experimental platformA versatile testbed for 6G-and-beyond communication and sensing research with software-defined radios and antenna arrays.NASA · 2022–2024

Millimeter-wave and terahertz channels: a drone sends a narrow beam to a ground phased array while rain attenuates the link and a building and the ground create reflected multipath

mmWave & THz channelsUAV channel emulation, THz dispersion analysis and compensation, and reflective surfaces for 6G.NSF · AFOSR · QNRF · 2020–2024

Non-contact light-wave sensing: a ceiling lamp lights a seated person, a photodetector on the desk captures light reflected from the chest, and the signal reveals breathing and heartbeat

Light-wave sensingNon-contact monitoring of heart rate, respiration, and glucose, and gesture recognition, using reflected light.NSF · 2020–2024 · U.S. Patent 11,796,466

Hybrid lunar communication: a ground station on Earth reaches a lunar gateway and a rover on the Moon through both a wide radio link and a narrow optical laser link

LunarComHybrid RF/optical communication between Earth stations and lunar explorers for NASA missions.NASA · 2020–2023

FAA instrument landing system measurements: a drone carrying a software-defined radio flies the approach path and measures the localizer signal from the antenna array at the end of the runway

Airborne NAVAID measurementsDrone-borne software-defined radios for instrument landing system (ILS) Zone 3 measurements and lightweight NAVAID inspection.U.S. DOT FAA · 2022–2023

Rural Internet of Things: tagged cattle and an underground soil sensor on a farm send data over long-range LoRa radio to a gateway tower on the hill

Rural IoTTV white space and LoRaWAN connectivity, LoRaWAN localization, livestock monitoring, and UAV-assisted underground soil sensing.USGS · NSF I-Corps · industry · 2017–2022

Cognitive radio for small satellites: three CubeSats share a network and sense the spectrum, using free channels to reach a ground station on Earth

Cognitive radio for CubeSatsSpectrum- and power-efficient cognitive radio for small-satellite networks, linked to OKSat, Oklahoma’s first CubeSat program.NASA Oklahoma Space Grant · 2017–2022

Drone-to-wearable links: a drone exchanges ultra-wideband pulses with wearable sensors on people below, and the team measures and models these channels

UAV-to-wearable linksUltra-wideband channel measurements and models for links between drones and wearable sensors.OSU Research · 2019–2021

Hybrid visible-light and radio vehicle links: a following car talks to the car ahead through headlight and taillight light, while a roadside unit provides a radio backup link to both

Hybrid visible-light/RF V2XVehicle-to-vehicle links over headlights and taillights, backed up by radio (DSRC) for reliable connected driving.OSU Research · 2021

Visible-light detection and ranging: an approaching car’s headlights reach a roadside photodetector, and the rising received power over time gives the car’s speed

ViLDARVisible-light detection and ranging: vehicle speed estimation from headlamps.U.S. DOT · 2018–2019 · U.S. Patent 10,768,194

All funded projects30 awards · $10.9M total · 16 as PI

Texas A&M University

FORMULA3: Framework for Optimal Resource Management Using Generalizable AI in FR3 Dynamic Programmable Wireless EnvironmentsNSF & Research Council of Finland (VINES) · 2026–2029PI
CommAwareNet: Towards Communication-Aware Smart Facilities: An Energy-efficient, High-data-rate and Reliable Hybrid RF/Optical Communication ArchitectureDOE Early Career Research Program · 2023–2028PI
Pioneering the Next Spectrum Frontier: Transitioning Line-of-Sight Systems from Sub-10 GHz to Higher BandsNSF EAGER · 2025–2027PI
Gunshot Detection Based Energy Substation Protection SystemDOE NETL · 2025–2027Co-PI
Enhancing Safety of Offshore Lifting Equipment: Predictive Monitoring with mmWave Radar NDT, Robot and Digital Twin ModellingDOE / TEES Ocean Energy Safety Institute · 2025–2026Co-PI
AI for Industrial Distribution (AI4ID) Consortium membership projectAI4ID Consortium · 2025–2026Co-PI
Generative AI Literacy Center with NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (GPU compute grant)NVIDIA · 2025PI
Generative AI Literacy Center (NextGenAI Consortium)OpenAI · 2024–2026Co-PI

Transferred to Texas A&M from Oklahoma State

SpiderNET: A Spectrally and Energy Efficient Data-Aided Demand-Driven Elastic Architecture for Future NetworksNSF ECCS (SpecEES) · 2019–2025PI
Non-contact Monitoring of Respiration and Heart Rates Through Light-wave SensingNSF CNS Core · 2020–2024PI
A Low-cost and Non-contact Respiration Monitoring Method for COVID-19 Screening and PrognosisNSF I-Corps · 2021–2025PI
LunarCom: Hybrid RF/optical lunar communication architectureNASA · 2020–2023PI
mmWave-based Future Dense Networks with UAV Backhauling: Channel Characterization, Performance Optimization, and AI-driven EnhancementQatar National Research Fund · 2021–2024PI
Revitalizing Rural: Equipping Rural Communities with Technology Literacy for Seizing ProductivityNSF Smart & Connected Communities · 2021–2023Co-PI
Acquisition of a Wideband Continuous-Wave Characterization PlatformNSF MRI · 2020–2023Co-PI
FAA COE ILS Zone 3 MeasurementsDOT FAA · 2022–2023Co-PI
Intelligent Track Transitions using Optical Fiber SensorsDOT FRA · 2023–2025Co-PI
Versatile Experimental Platform for 6G and Beyond Communications and Sensing InnovationsNASA · 2022–2024Co-PI

Oklahoma State University

TV white space and IoT connectivity for rural broadbandOSU VPR Tier 1 · 2019–2021PI
Soil monitoring through UAV-assisted IoT wireless underground sensorsDOI USGS · 2020–2022PI
ViLDAR: Visible-light detection and ranging for vehicle speed estimationDOT UTC Tran-SET · 2018–2019PI
Low-power wide-range IoT livestock monitoringAxeonis LLC (donation) · 2018–2019PI
Low-maintenance livestock monitoring via environment-powered IoTOSU President’s Cup · 2017PI
Livestock monitoring customer discoveryNSF I-Corps Site · 2017–2018PI
NASA EPSCoR projectNASA EPSCoR · 2017–2018PI
DARPA projectDOD DARPA · 2022–2023Co-PI
Defense University Research Instrumentation Program awardDOD AFOSR DURIP · 2020–2021Co-PI
Project for the Air Force Research LaboratoryJump Aero Inc. (AFRL) · 2020–2021Co-PI
Systems Engineering Research Center projectDOD SERC · 2019–2020Co-PI
U.S. Special Operations Command projectDOD USSOCOM · 2018–2019Co-PI