Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Member of Communications and Signal Processing Research Group. Manager and active researcher on projects in underwater acoustics, wireless sensor networks, biomedical instrumentation and non-destructive testing. Supervisor of Postgraduate Students and Undergraduate/MSc project work and teaching on 2 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate taught module. As Director of Engagement for the school of EEE I am also actively involved in outreach activities with industry, schools and the community.

Research Interests

Digital signal processing, digital communications, biomedical instrumentation, underwater acoustics, ultrasound, analog and digital circuit design, embedded software. Member of the Communications, Sensors and Signal Processing Research group (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/eee/research/groups/cssp/index.htm)

Current Work

Recent projects:

NEWTON - Novel Sensing Network for Intelligent Monitoring, EPSRC
Development of low cost medical ultrasound scanners (NStar POC & EPSRC KTA funding).
Wireless environmental sensor networks (EPSRC MESSAGE project)
Development of high data rate through metal communication and power delivery systems.
Development of low cost acoustic communication and positioning system for divers and underwater vehicles, Knowledge Transfer Partnership with System Technologies, Cumbria.
Development of Optical Fire Detection System, Industry Funded project with Photon Fire Ltd.
Development of digital control algorithms for MEMS Gyroscopes, Collaborative Project with School of Mechanical Engineering.
Development of position and pressure instrumentation for endoscopy, sponsored by Prof Duncan Bell's Endoscopy Research Fund.
Development of instrumentation for assessment of Parkinson's Disease.
Development of underwater EM communication links, funded by Wireless Fibre Systems Ltd.    

Postgraduate Supervision

Geraint Goodfellow - Development of acoustic controlled autonomous underwater vehicle
Hengda Ding - Underwater communications using T-transform based OFDM
Neal Wood – Electronics for hostile environments

PhDs awarded:-

Ibrahim El-Lehaby - Design and implementation of DSP based magnetic control system for capsule endoscope
Ammar Abdelkareem - Doppler correction for underwater acoustic OFDM systems
David Graham - High data rate through metal communication
Chintan Shah - Iterative receiver structures for underwater acoustic communication
Raghav Menon - Novel Processing for broadband Interferometric Sonar
Gihad Elamary - High Bandwidth Transcutaneous Data Telemetry
Mou Tang - Position Tracking for Surgical Applications Using Passive RFID Technology
Deli Geng - "High Refresh Rate Three Dimensional Positioning System using Frequency Multiplexed Electromagnetic Fields"
Su Yu - "Quantitative Assessment for Parkinson’s Disease and Analysis on Applications Applying 3D Electromagnetic Motion System"

Esteem Indicators

In 2007 I was awarded a prize by the IET and BSAC for my contribution to diver safety in the development of the Divetrack system.
Invited author/speaker for the following events:-
The 7th European Conference on Underwater Acoustics, Delft, Netherlands, July 2004.
Unmmanned Underwater Vehicle Showcase (UUV2000), Southampton Oceanography Centre, Sept 2000.
Subsea 2000, Society for Underwater Technology, Aberdeen, March 2000.
Colloquium on Adaptive Signal Processing for mobile communication systems, IEE Signal Processing Division, London, UK, Oct 29 1997.

I have also acted as a consultant to the following companies:- 

Rolls Royce
Wellstream
Tritech International Ltd
Bioinnovel
System Technologies
STN Atlas Gmbh
Photon Fire Ltd

Funding

Recent Awards:-

£462,657 - NEWTON - Novel Sensing Network for Intelligent Monitoring, EPSRC
£45,000 - EPSRC KTA "Development of low cost ultrasound scanner"
£126,000 - "Acoustic and vibration sensor systems for wind turbine condition monitoring", Knowledge Transfer Partnership, DTI / CMR UK
£90,000 - "Development of ultra-low cost ultrasound scanner" - NStar Proof of Concept fund.
£143,145 - EPSRC Grant “A Stable Parametrically Amplified Gyroscope”
£101,544 - "Development of low-cost acoustic communication and positioning system", Knowledge Transfer Partnership, DTI/System Technologies.
£24,000 - "Development of Optical Fire Detection System", ERDF/Photon Fire Ltd.
£27,400 - "Development of Underwater Electromagnetic Modems", Wireless Fibre Systems Ltd/Scottish Executive.

Industrial Relevance

My work on underwater acoustic and positioning has led to a range of innovative products which are now marketed by Tritech International Ltd (www.tritech.co.uk). This technology has been licenced to this company and generates royalty income for the University.
My work on wireless environmental sensor networks has led to a spin-off company named Envirowatch Ltd who sell the technology under licence.

Projects

• A Stable Parametrically Amplified Gyroscope
  Project Leader(s): Dr B.J. Gallacher
• Development of an Imaging System Based on Magnetic Resources.
• Doppler Tolerant Receiver
  Project Leader(s): Prof. B.S. Sharif
• EXTREME Project
  Project Leader(s): Prof. N. G. Wright
• Novel Sensing Networks for Intelligent Monitoring (Newton)
  Project Leader(s): Prof. G.Y. Tian

Undergraduate Teaching

EEE1003 - Stage I Circuit Theory
EEE2008 - Stage II Project & Professional issues
EEE8114 - Industrial Project

Postgraduate Teaching

EEE8072 - Subsea Communication and control

• Goodfellow GM, Neasham JA, Tsimenidis CC, Sharif BS. High Data Rate Acoustic Link for Micro-ROVs, Employing BICM-ID. In: Oceans. 2012, Yeosu, South Korea: IEEE.
• Bouzid OM, Tian GY, Neasham J, Sharif B. Investigation of sampling frequency requirements for acoustic source localisation using wireless sensor networks. Applied Acoustics 2012, 74(2), 269-274.
• Dimitrov KE, Neasham JA, Sharif BS, Tsimenidis CC, Goodfellow GM. Low-Power Environmentally Friendly Underwater Acoustic Communication Using Pseudo-Noise Spreading Sequences. In: Oceans. 2012, Yeosu, South Korea: IEEE.
• Abdelkareem AE, Sharif BS, Tsimenidis CC, Neasham JA. Adaptive Doppler-shift compensation for OFDM underwater acoustic communications system. In: 4th International Conference and Exhibition Underwater Acoustic Measurements: Technologies & Results. 2011, Kos, Greece.
• Goodfellow GM, Neasham JA, Tsimenidis CC, Hinton OR, Sharif BS. Investigation of a Full Duplex Acoustic Link for a Tetherless Micro-ROV. In: IEEE Oceans Spain. 2011, Santander, Spain: IEEE.
• Graham D, Neasham J, Sharif BS. Investigation of Methods for Data Communication and Power Delivery Through Metals. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 2011, 58(10), 4972-4980.
• Shah CP, Tsimenidis CC, Sharif BS, Neasham JA. Low Complexity Iterative Receiver Structure for Time Varying Frequency Selective Shallow Underwater Acoustic Channels using BICM-ID: Design and Experimental Results. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 2011, 36(3), 406-421.
• Abdelkareem AE, Sharif BS, Tsimenidis CC, Neasham JA, Hinton OR. Low-Complexity Doppler Compensation for OFDM-based Underwater Acoustic Communication Systems. In: IEEE Oceans Spain. 2011, Santander, Spain: IEEE.
• Mohammed IK, Sharif BS, Neasham JA, Giaouris D. Novel MIMO 4-DOF Position Control for Capsule Endoscope. In: International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS). 2011, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: IEEE.
• Shah CP, Tsimenidis CC, Sharif BS, Neasham JA, Hinton OR. Adaptive iterative receiver design for shallow water acoustic communications. In: The 10th European Conference on Underwater Acoustics (ECUA). 2010, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Shah C, Tsimenidis C, Sharif B, Neasham J. EXIT chart analysis of BICM-ID based receiver for shallow underwater acoustic communications. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems (ISWCS). 2010, York, UK: IEEE.
• Shah CP, Tsimenidis CC, Sharif BS, Neasham JA. Low complexity iterative receiver design for shallow water acoustic channels. EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 2010, 590458.
• Harish KM, Gallacher BJ, Burdess JS, Neasham JA. Experimental investigation of parametric and externally forced motion in resonant MEMS sensors. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering 2009, 19(1), -.
• North RJ, Cohen J, Wilkins S, Richards M, Hoose N, Polak JW, Bell MC, Blythe P, Sharif B, Neasham J, Suresh V, Galatioto F, Hill G. Field deployment of the MESSAGE System for environmental monitoring. Traffic Engineering & Control 2009, 50(11), 484-488.
• Blythe PT, Sharif B, Watson P, Bell MC, Edwards S, Neasham J, Suresh V, Wagner J, Bryan H. An environmental sensor system for pervasively monitoring road networks. In: IET - Road Transport Information and Control. 2008, Manchester: IEEE.
• Tang M, Chester G, Neasham JA. An RFID Transponder Location System. In: Biodevices: International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices. 2008, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal: Springer.
• Khan MK, Carrasco RA, Wassell IJ, Neasham JA. Performance comparison of low density parity check codes using square root Kalman equalisation and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing techniques for broadband fixed wireless access systems. IET Communications 2008, 2(2), 272-283.
• Harish KM, Gallacher BJ, Burdess JS, Neasham JA. Simple parametric resonance in an electrostatically actuated microelectromechanical gyroscope: Theory and experiment. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science 2008, 222(1), 43-52.
• Neasham JA, Menon R, Hinton OR. Broadband, ultra-sparse array processing for low complexity multibeam sonar imaging. In: OCEANS 2007 - Europe. 2007, Vancouver, Canada: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
• Van Walree PA, Neasham JA, Schrijver MC. Coherent acoustic communication in a tidal estuary with busy shipping traffic. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2007, 122(6), 3495-3506.
• Neasham J, Hinton O. Underwater Acoustic Communications - how far have we progressed and what challenges remain?. In: Invited Keynote paper, Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Underwater Acoustics. 2004, Delft, Netherlands.
• Sharif BS, Neasham J, Hinton OR, Adams AE. A computationally efficient Doppler compensation system for underwater acoustic communications. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 2000, 25(1), 52-61.
• Sharif BS, Neasham J, Hinton OR, Adams AE, Davies J. Adaptive Doppler compensation for coherent acoustic communication. IEE Proceedings: Radar, Sonar and Navigation 2000, 147(5), 239-246.
• Sharif BS, Neasham J, Hinton OR, Adams AE. Closed loop Doppler tracking and compensation for non-stationary underwater platforms. In: Oceans 2000 MTS/IEEE Conference and Exhibition. Conference Proceedings. 2000, Providence, RI, USA: Institution of Electronic and Electrical Engineers.
• Sharif Bayan S, Neasham Jeff, Hinton Oliver R, Adams Alan E. Doppler compensation for underwater acoustic communications. In: OCEANS '99 MTS/IEEE. Riding the Crest into the 21st Century. 1999, Seattle, WA , USA: IEEE.
• Neasham JA, Thompson D, Tweedy AD, Lawlor MA, Hinton OR, Adams AE, Sharif BS. Combined equalisation and beamforming to achieve 20kbits/s acoustic telemetry for ROVs. In: Proceedings of IEEE Oceans 96. 1996, Fort Lauderdale, USA.