Shahram ShahbazPanahi, PhD
Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science | University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, ON, CANADA
Signal processing and communications expert augments conservation of wireless data use through co-operative networks
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Biography
Demand to bring faster and more efficient wireless communications to industry, business and consumers has created an adhoc global network design, with little known data of exactly how much power an entire network consumes, and this is sounding some environmental alarm bells. Billions of mobile and wired devices invariably connected to power grids, are all vying for stored energy and contributing to global warming. Shahram ShahbazPanahi, PhD, Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, is focused on developing co-operative networks to more efficiently share bandwidth, reduce energy consumption, and environmental impact. He is currently working with a world-leading telecommunication firm to develop novel network schemes for 5G networks. He has also worked in the area of source localization, array processing and beamforming, spread spectrum, MIMO communications, dynamic spectrum allocation.
Through research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and in partnership with the University Network of Excellence in Engineering (UNENE), Dr. ShahbazPanahi is also leading research aimed at using advanced techniques in ultrasonic array imaging to detect defects in pipes that feed into the boiler of a nuclear power plant, which could help prevent an environmental disaster.
He joined UOIT in July 2005 as an assistant professor, and was appointed associate professor in July 2010. During his tenure, Dr. ShahbazPanahi has helped shape the faculty’s graduate programs; his research group has garnered worldwide recognition, his publications have received close to 5,000 citations, and he has established significant industry partnerships, all leveraging UOIT’s status as a signal processing and communications hub.
Ranked first in his native country of Iran’s nation-wide entrance exam as an electrical engineering student with a power major, Dr. ShahbazPanahi completed his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, his Master of Science in Signal Processing and Communication Systems, and his Doctorate in Statistical and Array Signal Processing, and Wireless Communications, all in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Sharif University of Technology. During his doctoral studies, he gained industry experience as a hardware and software engineer at Parstel Telecom Co., and a project manager at Emad Semiconductor Co. before moving to Canada for a post-doctoral fellowship at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Industry Expertise (6)
Computer Networking
Education/Learning
Electrical Engineering
Research
Telecommunications
Wireless
Areas of Expertise (15)
Distributed Signal Processing
Co-operative Communication Networks
Cognitive Networks and Dynamic Spectrum Access
Wireless and Mobile Communications
Statistical and Array Signal Processing
Detection and Estimation
Signal Processing Applications in Communication Systems
Ultrasonic Array Signal Processing
MIMO Communications
Applications of Information Theory
Robust Signal Processing
Multi-User Detection and Spread Spectrum Communications
Massive MIMO
5G Networks
Source Localization
Accomplishments (5)
UOIT Junior Research Excellence Award (professional)
2011-01-01
Dr. ShahbazPanahi received this award for the high-calibre research he conducted in the areas of wireless communications and signal processing.
Early Researcher Award, Ministry of Research and Innovation (professional)
2010-03-01
Dr. ShahbazPanahi received this five-year award to investigate Intelligent Decentralized Signal Processing for Co-operative Green Communications.
UOIT Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Research Excellence Award (professional)
2010-01-01
Dr. ShahbazPanahi received this award for the high-calibre research he conducted within 10 years of his graduation.
Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (professional)
2010-01-01
Appointed a member of IEEE in 2002, and a Senior Member in 2010, Dr. ShahbazPanahi has served as the Associate Editor of IEEE Signal Processing Letters since 2012. For six years, he was a member of the IEEE Sensor Array and Multi-channel (SAM) Technical Committee of the IEEE Signal Processing Society; and he has also served as a member of IEEE's Technical Program Committee for numerous international conferences and workshops.
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, McMaster University (professional)
2001-09-01
Awarded a two-year fellowship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. ShahbazPanahi researched robust adaptive beamforming, including wideband beamforming. He also developed new techniques for robust multi-user detection, and efficient methods for robust downlink beamforming and power control.
Education (3)
Sharif University of Technology: PhD, Electrical Engineering 2001
Ranked second among all PhD applicants in the nationwide PhD entrance exam.
Sharif University of Technology: MSc, Electrical Engineering
Ranked seventh among all MSc applicants in the nationwide MSc entrance exam; and ranked first among all graduating MSc students.
Sharif University of Technology: BSc, Electrical Engineering 1992
Ranked first among all the applicants in the Power Engineering program the nationwide entrance exam, and ranked second among all BSc graduating students.
Affiliations (2)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Professional Engineers of Ontario
Media Appearances (2)
Nuclear power and wireless communications highlight presentations by UOIT Research Excellence Award winners
UOIT News online
2012-04-20
Oshawa’s Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery played host to community presentations by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) most recent Research Excellence Award winners. Dr. Shahram ShahbazPanahi, associate professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science delivered a talk entitled New Paradigms in Wireless Communications and was followed by Dr. Igor Pioro, professor, Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science, who discussed Nuclear Power Reactors: Current Status and Future Advancements.
UOIT presents Awards of Excellence
UOIT News online
2011-09-21
UOIT is celebrating the beginning of a new academic year by recognizing outstanding achievements by faculty and staff over the past 12 months. The 2011 Awards of Excellence were presented September 13 at the annual President’s Welcome Back Reception hosted by Dr. Tim McTiernan.
Event Appearances (9)
Jointly Optimal Distributed Beamforming and Power Control in Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, California
2015-11-08
Sum-Rate Maximization for Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, California
2015-11-08
Optimal Equalization and Network Beamforming in Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, California
2015-11-08
Symmetric Beamforming for Multi-Antenna Two-Way Relay Networks
49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, California
2015-11-08
Immersion Ultrasonic Array Imaging Using a New Array Spatial Signature in Different Imaging Algorithms
48th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, California
2014-11-02
Multi-Layer Ultrasonic Imaging for Non-Destructive Testing Applications
2014 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium Chicago, Illinois
2014-09-03
Joint Pairing and Power Allocation Optimization in Multichannel MABC-Based Two-Way Relaying
IEEE International Workshop on Signal Processing Advances for Wireless Communications (SPAWC 2014) University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
2014-06-22
Achievable SNR and Rate Regions for OFDM-Based Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
IEEE International Workshop on Signal Processing Advances for Wireless Communications (SPAWC 2014) University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
2014-06-22
Optimal Resource Sharing and Network Beamforming for Bidirectional Relay Networks
IEEE International Workshop on Signal Processing Advances for Wireless Communications (SPAWC 2014) University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
2014-06-22
Research Grants (2)
Power- and Bandwith-Efficient Relay-Assisted Communications
NSERC Discovery Grant $240000
2011-04-01
Primary investigator of a five-year research program.
Energy Efficient Massive MIMO Communications
Ericsson Canada Inc. $50000
2015-01-01
Primary Investigator of a one-year research project.
Courses (4)
Articles (10)
Optimal Network Beamforming in Collaborative Relay Networks With Centralized Energy Harvesting
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2016-06-27
We consider a network consisting of a transceiver-receiver pair and nr relay nodes. We assume that there is no direct link between the transmitter and the receiver. Assuming an amplify-and-forward relaying protocol, the relays collectively materialize a network beamformer to establish a link between the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter and the receiver are assumed to have their own sources of power such as power grid, however, the relays are assumed to be connected to a central energy harvesting module with a battery with capacity of Bmax. We consider a communication scheme which consists of k time frames where in each time frame, a specific amount of the harvested energy will be allocated to each relay. Aiming to optimally calculate the relays' beamforming coefficients, we consider two different scenarios.
Pre-Channel Equalization and Distributed Beamforming in Asynchronous Single-Carrier Bi-Directional Relay Networks
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2016-01-29
We consider a single-carrier asynchronous two-way amplify-and-forward relay network, where two single-antenna transceivers exchange information with the help of several single-antenna relay nodes. We assume that the propagation delay of each relaying path, originating from one transceiver, going through a certain relay, and ending at the other transceiver, can be different from those of the other relaying paths. This assumption turns the end-to-end link into a multi-path channel, which produces inter-symbol-interference at the transceivers.
Sum-Rate Maximization for Two-Way Active Channels
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2015-10-26
A two-way active parallel channel refers to a communication link between two transceivers, where the subchannel gains between the two transceivers can be adjusted such that a given performance criterion is optimized. A two-way active channel can have reciprocal subchannels, meaning that the subchannel gains in both communication directions are identical. Otherwise, if the gains of each subchannel in the two communication directions are different, the active channel is referred to as non-reciprocal. In this paper, we consider the problem of sum-rate maximization for reciprocal and non-reciprocal two-way active channels under two constraints on the transceivers' transmit powers and a third constraint on the channel power (i.e., the sum of squared of the subchannel gains).
Sparse Signal Recovery Based Imaging in the Presence of Mode Conversion With Application to Non-Destructive Testing
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2015-10-05
We propose a sparse signal representation based method for imaging solid materials in the presence of mode conversion phenomenon using an array of ultrasonic transducers. Traditional imaging techniques, such as MUSIC, Capon, and delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer, do not take into account mode conversion. Recently, the well-known Capon and MUSIC techniques have been modified such that they can be used in multimodal propagation environments. Referred to as MC-Capon and MC-MUSIC techniques, these methods yield a higher resolution and lower sidelobe levels, as compared to the DAS beamformer. Moreover, unlike the DAS beamformer, they do not suffer from Rayleigh resolution limit, which is independent of the SNR.
Optimal Resource Sharing and Network Beamforming in Multi-Carrier Bidirectional Relay
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2015-07-09
Considering a bidirectional collaborative scheme, we study the problem of resource sharing between two transceiver pairs in a multi-carrier scenario. One pair, referred to as the primary pair, is considered to be the owner of the spectral resources, meaning that the rates of its users must be guaranteed to be greater than a predefined threshold. It is assumed that the other pair, called the secondary pair, owns the relay infrastructure.
On Achievable SNR Region for Multi-User Multi-Carrier Asynchronous Bi-Directional Relay Networks
IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
2015-06-01
We study the problem of obtaining achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) region and the corresponding rate region for an asynchronous bidirectional multi-carrier relay network which consists of two transceivers and multiple relays. We assume that each relaying path, corresponding to each relay, causes a delay in the signal transmitted by one of the transceivers when this signal goes through that relay and arrives at the other transceiver. This delay depends on the distance traveled by the signal. Hence, different relaying paths incur different delays in the signal time of arrival at each of the two transceivers.
A New Model for Array Spatial Signature for Two-Layer Imaging With Applications to Nondestructive Testing Using Ultrasonic Arrays
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2015-05-01
Imaging multilayer materials is a common challenge in seismology, medical diagnosis, and nondestructive testing. One of the applications of multilayer imaging is ultrasonic immersion test where the material under test and the transducer array are immersed in water. The main imaging challenge in immersion test (or in imaging any multilayer medium) is that since the sound wave propagates with different speeds in different layers of a multilayer medium, such a medium cannot be assumed homogenous.
Sum-Rate Optimal Network Beamforming and Subcarrier Power Allocation for Multi-Carrier Asynchronous Two-Way Relay Networks
IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing
2015-04-15
In this paper, we consider a multicarrier asynchronous bidirectional relay network, where different relay-transceiver links can cause different delays in the signals they convey, thereby producing inter-symbol-interference at the two transceivers. Such a two-way relay link can be modeled as a frequency selective channel with multiple taps, and thus, it can be equalized using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission and reception schemes at the two transceivers, while the relays use simple amplify-and-forward relaying protocol.
Joint Spectrum Sharing and Power Allocation for OFDM-Based Two-Way Relaying
IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
2015-02-11
Considering a bidirectional amplify-and-forward based multi-carrier multi-relay network, we formulate two different joint power allocation and network beamforming problems. In the first formulation, we aim to minimize the total transmit power of the network, subject to two constraints on the transceiver rates. In the second problem, our goal is to maximize the sum-rate of the two transceivers subject to a constraint on the total network transmit power.
Joint Pairing and Power Allocation Optimization in Multichannel MABC-Based Two-Way Relaying
IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
2015-01-01
We consider two-way amplify-and-forward relaying in a multichannel system with two end nodes and a single relay, using a two-slot multi-access broadcast (MABC) relaying strategy. We investigate the problem of joint subchannel pairing and power allocation to maximize the achievable sum-rate in the network, under an individual power budgets at each node.