Professor Yang Hao, Queen Mary University of London

Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships 2021-22

Although digital electronics (PIN/FETs) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) still play important roles in modern wireless communications, including MIMO and phased array antennas, the performance of such systems are often restricted by the fundamental physics including operational bandwidth, efficiency and beam steering range etc. for a given aperture. Our vision for this research is to develop a radically broad but new concept as “software defined materials (SDMs)”, of which properties can be modified by simply uploading and updating computer software. It leads to tight integration of sensing, actuation, and computation, as well as lighter environmental impact.

In this project, I propose to collaborate with QinetiQ, our long-term research partner and specifically study SDMs with reconfigurable electromagnetic properties at high frequencies up to 300GHz, and explore exciting applications in wireless communications and circular economy, including IoT, 5G/6G and satellite communications.

This Award will enable me and QinetiQ staff to co-design new modelling processes, co-develop manufacturing methods, test demonstrator systems and devices, and commercialization. One of the key objectives is to fabricate and scale-up prototype products, so that SDMs can be further exploited and taken up for market introduction.

Personal website: http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~yang/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yang-hao-b24742171/