Title of the Talk: Novel Antennas and Metasurfaces for Energy Harvesting, Wireless Power Transfer, Sensing, and Space Applications
Department of Electrical Engineering
Montréal H3C 3A9
Tel: 514 340 4711 ext 4654
Abstract:
This talk presents recent developments in antenna and meta surface technologies that address key challenges in modern communication and sensing systems. Novel transmissive and reflective architectures are introduced to enhance bandwidth, multifunctionality, and integrability across terrestrial and space applications. The presentation also explores how meta surfaces can be engineered to improve wireless power transfer and energy harvesting efficiency, and how they can be integrated with active microwave sensors to enable self-powered and sustainable sensing platforms.
Biography:
Elham Baladi received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering – telecommunications from the Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2013, and the Ph.D. degree in electromagnetics and microwaves from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, in January 2019. She developed a novel class of resonant metasurfaces during her Ph.D. degree and investigated their applications for shielding, imaging, and selective transmission.
Dr. Baladi was a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, from February 2019 to February 2021, where she conducted research on the modeling and development of reconfigurable antenna arrays for space applications. She was an Antenna and RF Filter Design Engineer with Syntronic Research and Development Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, from February 2021 to August 2022, where she worked on the development of RF cavity filters, duplexers, and multi-band antennas for 5G, IoT, and wireless communication systems. Dr. Baladi joined the department of Electrical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, as an Assistant Professor in September 2022. Her research interests include the development of novel multi-band multi-beam antenna arrays, metasurfaces, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, microwave sensors, and radar imaging solutions.
Dr. Baladi was the recipient of the University of Alberta Doctoral Recruitment scholarship, the Alberta Innovates Technology Futures scholarship, and the IEEE AP-S Doctoral Research Award. She has been a lecturer at York University (Winter 2020) and the University of Alberta (Winter 2017) and serves as a reviewer for multiple IEEE and OSA journals. She currently serves as the chair of the IEEE Antenna & Propagation Section and the IEEE Women in Engineering in Montreal and is a member of the IEEE AP-S Technical Committee on Metamaterials. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
Title of the Talk: Circuits and Antennas for Wireless Power Beaming: From Rectifiers to Phased Arrays
Dr. Ifana Mahbub
Associate Professor and the Texas Instruments Early Career Chair Awardee
Department of ECE, The University of Texas at Dallas
Phd in Electrical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
B.Sc in EEE, BUET
Abstract:
This talk presents circuit- and antenna-level innovations that underpin high-efficiency wireless power beaming (WPB) systems, with emphasis on architectures relevant to defense, aerospace, and contested-environment applications. The presentation begins with the fundamental RF front-end challenge: designing rectifier circuits that maintain high RF-to-DC conversion efficiency across a wide input-power dynamic range and over multiple frequency bands, from microwave to millimeter-wave. Novel rectifier topologies, including multi-stage Dickson charge pumps, self-biased designs, and impedance-reconfigurable networks, are discussed in the context of maximizing harvested power under variable beam intensity and beam-pointing conditions encountered in real-world deployments. Complementing the receive-side rectifier work, the talk also addresses power amplifier (PA) design at the transmitter, covering high-efficiency PA topologies, including Class-E and Class-F architectures optimized for the high peak-to-average power ratios and wideband operation demands of phased array WPB transmitters, with a focus on achieving competitive drain efficiency without sacrificing linearity or beam-steering agility. On the antenna side, the talk highlights high-gain, high-efficiency transmit and receive array architectures. Phased array beamforming strategies, including amplitude/phase tapering, polarization diversity, and adaptive null-steering are presented as tools for maintaining narrow, steerable beams while suppressing interference and side-lobe leakage. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and metasurface-based apertures are introduced as enabling technologies for near-field and mid-range WPB scenarios where dynamic wavefront control is critical. Receive aperture sizing and placement optimization methods are covered to maximize beam collection efficiency as a function of transmit aperture, frequency, and link distance. System-level integration results are presented for single TX–RX and distributed multi-node WPB architectures, evaluated in aerial, ground, and orbital scenarios representative of RTX mission profiles. The talk concludes with an outlook on co-design opportunities between the power electronics, RF circuits, and antenna subsystems to achieve end-to-end system efficiency targets required for sustained, untethered operations in GPS-denied or infrastructure-limited environments.
Biography:
Dr. Ifana Mahbub is an Associate Professor and the Texas Instruments Early Career Chair Awardee in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she leads the Integrated Biomedical, RF Circuits and Systems Laboratory (iBioRFCASL). Her research specializes in RF and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, phased array antenna systems, and wireless power transfer, spanning implantable biomedical devices, IoT platforms, UAVs, and long-range power beaming using microwave and millimeter-wave technologies. Her work is particularly relevant to defense and aerospace applications requiring scalable, efficient, and robust wireless energy delivery in dynamic or infrastructure-limited environments.
Dr. Mahbub received her B.Sc. degree (2012) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and her Ph.D. (2017) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2020), the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2021), and the DARPA Director’s Fellowship (2023), reflecting sustained recognition for her contributions to high-impact, next-generation RF and wireless power systems. She currently serves as Vice-Chair for the USNC-URSI Commission K and as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. She is a full member of the IEEE MTT-S Technical Committee 25 on Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Conversion, and the IEEE APS Technical Committee on Health and Medicine.
Title of the Talk: Metasurface-integrated wideband circularly polarized antennas for advanced wireless systems.
Dr. Nasimuddin
Principal Scientist
Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R), A*STAR, Singapore
M.Tech. and Ph.D , University of Delhi
Abstract: This talk explores recent advancements in compact, wideband circularly polarized (CP) microstrip antennas, with a specific focus on metasurface-integrated architectures. We examine how sub-wavelength metasurface elements are being leveraged to overcome traditional trade-offs in antenna design, simultaneously enhancing gain, axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW), and footprint miniaturization while maintaining high polarization purity. The presentation will detail the transition from theoretical Characteristic Mode Analysis to practical implementations for 5G/6G, IoT, and satellite communications. By unpacking the physics of polarization control through metasurface, this session provides a roadmap for developing high-performance, future-ready radiators. We conclude by identifying critical research gaps and discussing the trajectory of CP antenna technology in the era of next-generation wireless networks.
Biography: Dr. Nasimuddin (M’2003–SM’2009) received his M.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delhi in 1998 and 2004, respectively. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delhi from 1999 to 2003 and subsequently held the position of Australian Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Macquarie University, Sydney, from 2004 to 2006. He is currently a Principal Scientist at the Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R), A*STAR, Singapore. Dr. Nasimuddin is a prolific contributor to the field, with over 260 research publications, 4 granted patents, and four additional patents filed. He has edited three books, including two book chapters. His outstanding work has earned him recognition as one of the Stanford’s Top 2% of scientists in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and its APS, GRSS, and MTTS, as well as a Life Fellow of the WAMS Society. His accolades include the URSI Young Scientist Award (2005) and multiple IEEE AP-T/APPL Exceptional Performance Reviewer Awards. He serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation (OJAP), Editor-in-Chief of Wireless and Communication Letters and is a member of the editorial boards of several leading journals in antennas and propagation. He also served as Chair of the IEEE Singapore MTT/AP Joint Chapter from 2021 to 2022.