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Research Group: Intelligent Sensing and Communications

Research Group: Intelligent Sensing and Communications

We focus on a broad range of communications, sensors and signal processing.

Who we are

The Intelligent Sensing and Communications (ISC) group was first established in 1989. Our world-leading research delivers impact across the whole spectrum of communications and digital signal processing from underpinning theories through to applications involving interdisciplinary scientific collaborations and close interactions with industry leading to an appreciation of emerging technological trends and bottleneck problems.

The ISC research comprises two intertwined strands:

  1. Intelligent Sensing for limb prosthetics, biometrics, ultrasound imaging and non-destructive testing (NDT) and
  2. Communications, including wireless and underwater acoustic communications.

We provide our students with a world class engineering education delivered to the highest standards through our BEng, MEng, MSc and PhD programmes. We educate the next generation of telecommunications and signal processing engineers to become international leaders in engineering.

Working across a range of disciplines

Our expertise is varied and wide-ranging. We work collaboratively across disciplines. We develop solutions for current and future communications, sensors and signal processing systems.

Our research includes:

  • mobile wireless communications
  • green communications and energy harvesting
  • underwater acoustics and communications
  • encryption, biometrics and security
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • biomedical engineering

Research

Intelligent Sensing Laboratory

Our areas of research expertise are varied and wide-ranging. We have designed cutting edge technology in Biomedical Engineering. We are experts in upper-limb prosthesis control.

Communications

Our research in communications is world renowned. We pioneer techniques across many areas. We develop innovative solutions in Encryption and Secure Communications, Optical Communications, Underwater Acoustic Communications, and Wireless Communications.

Sensors

We're at the forefront of the newest technologies in sensors, arrays and networks. Our team works across four main areas: Electromagnetic Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation, Security and Weapon Detection, Ultrasound Imaging, and Wireless Sensor Networks.

Signal Processing and AI

We pioneer techniques to interpret, understand and act on information contained in data. Our research covers many areas, including biometrics, biomedical applications, image analysis, and GNSS.

Current and recent projects
Completed projects

Impact

Discover the impact our world-leading research is having in academia, industry and society. Here are a few examples showcasing our current research activities.

Underwater Communications

Our pioneering research in underwater acoustic communication and positioning technology has been commercialised via 4 industrial partners (Blueprint Subsea, Tritech, Succorfish and WSENSE). An example of this is the Seatrac range of products manufactured under licence by Blueprint Subsea which is being used worldwide for communication/navigation of underwater vehicles and divers.

Recent innovations have enabled vast reduction in cost, energy consumption, sound emission and size whilst maximising data rate and range. This is helping to realise the “Internet of Underwater Things” - large scale, bio-friendly subsea networks deployed for marine environment and security monitoring (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/usmart/). This work is also contributing to emerging standards for underwater acoustic communication.

Intelligent Healthcare

Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have led to new systems that can transform healthcare.  Our research is helping to understand health risks, predicting disease progress and health interventions for improved patient outcome.

Our research and expertise of image processing is proving invaluable and has had a huge impact in supporting healthcare professions.  Our ongoing research with the Ophthalmology Department at the Royal Victoria Infirmary have produced a novel segmentation framework for detection of raised intracranial pressure/problems of the central nervous system.

Dr Will Innes consultant Medical Ophthalmologist

“Artificial intelligence has already made promising moves towards revolutionising the way we give and receive healthcare.  Ophthalmology is one of the areas that has seen the most progress and algorithms have already proven successful in replacing and enhancing various roles performed by eye doctors.”

Dr Jeff Hogg NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Ophthalmology

“Collaborating with professor Dlay and his team has allowed us to capitalise on the large real world datasets at Newcastle Eye Centre to explore fresh avenues for innovation and ultimately patient benefit.”

Full-Duplex Communications

We conduct pioneering research in full-duplex based communications leading to potentially doubling the throughput in bandlimited propagation media such as the underwater acoustic channel. The ongoing research is supported by ATLAS Elektronik UK, Teledyne, DSTL and NATO.

Read more about at https://research.ncl.ac.uk/fduac/

Communicating through light: developing advanced ultra-low-cost IoT systems

Researchers at Newcastle University, in combination with an international consortium that includes University College London (UK), the London Centre for Nanotechnology (UK), the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland) and the Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials (Italy), have made significant advances in applications of polymer light-emitting diodes to next generation internet connectivity.

They demonstrated, through combined expertise across the materials, organic semiconductors, communications and digital signal processing domains, long wavelength polymer light-emitting diodes used in an information transmission capacity, for the first time. The landmark study solves a major and longstanding issue in producing efficient red and infrared (650-800 nm) polymer light-emitting diodes, which is important due to their ultra-low processing costs and the absence of heavy-metals.

Introducing the additional far red/near infrared spectral range unlocks a series of important and previously unavailable applications that will lead to impact across numerous domains. The most important of which is connected health, where data enabled far red/near-infrared implantable sensors will enable simple and effective data readout that was previously impossible due to absorbance at lower wavelengths.

At Newcastle University, real time digital signal processing and electronics were developed to drive the polymer light-emitting diodes and transmit signals across a free-space link. A data rate of ~2.2 Mb/s was realised, a world record in terms of fully real time links, based on an information transmission method that has been heavily developed and studied at Newcastle University.

The research was supported by a combination of funding, including the UK-based EPSRC and the Royal Society.

Partners (links):

Teaching

Taught Programmes

From day one, our Electrical and Electronic Engineering Undergraduate Programmes give students a path to become a professional engineer addressing major global challenges.

Our Electrical and Electronic Engineering Postgraduate Taught (MSc) Programmes equip students with the advanced skills and expertise to help shape the world. 

Join us

The ISC is a diverse, internationally-leading group in research, teaching and engagement with industry. Our Group includes a team of academic, research and teaching staff, and PhD and MSc students.

We offer exciting opportunities.

Job Vacancies

We often have new vacancies within our team. Check out Newcastle University vacancies for current opportunities.

We actively seek and recruit high-quality research students and several funded PhD studentships are available for Home and EU prospective students. The University also offers scholarships for the very best international students.

Facilities

The group dedicated state-of-the-art facilities to enable transfer of theoretical research conducted within the group to technological advancement and industrial application. The facilities include:

  • The Intelligent Sensing laboratory that was built in 2016 and equipped with £0.75M funding from Newcastle University Vice-Chancellor’s office to facilitate cross-disciplinary work and provide solutions to many multi-sensor data acquisition and interpretation problems from various thematic areas such healthcare engineering and security.
  • The Sensors, Electromagnetics and Acoustics Lab (SEALAB), which is dedicated to enable world leading research in wireless sensor systems and communications within extreme environments equipped with lab facilities worth over £2M.
  • The Sensor Systems and NDE lab, established to support research in the field of electromagnetic non-destructive testing and evaluation.
  • The Communications Lab and Anechoic Chamber, designed to foster research in wireless communications equipped with state-of-the-art measurement facilities such as a massive MIMO 5G base station worth over £650k.
Collaborations

Academic: Cambridge University, Imperial College, Leeds University, Sheffield University, Manchester University, University of Bath, Warwick, Lancaster University, Queen's University of Belfast, University of California, USA, Sidney University, Australia, Southwest Jiaotong University China, Queen Mary University of London, Queen's University Belfast, Institute of Molecular Medicine USA, Regional Hospitals, Technical University of Cartagena


Industrial: Cambridge Broadband Ltd, BAE, Tritech International, HW Communications, Rinicom Ltd, Shlumberger, BT Medical, Foster Findlay, QinetiQ, e-Therapeutics, Torridon, Nortel, Rolls Royce, Alstom Power, Cross-Government Departments, British Energy, The Welding Institute (TWI), Bioinnovel, Photon fire, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), RWE nPower.

Alumni

We are keen to keep in touch with our alumni and maintain relationships. Contact a member of the Group directly to keep us informed of your activities.

Contact us

Head of Group

Dr Charalampos Tsimenidis

Email: charalampos.tsimenidis@ncl.ac.uk

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 5965
  • Address: School of Engineering, Room E2.15, Merz Court, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU

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    Our People

    Eisa Aghchehli
    Marie Curie ITN Early-Stage Researcher
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    Professor Said Boussakta
    Prof of Communications and Signal Processing
    +44 (0) 191 208 7186
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    Richie Burnett
    Research Associate
    0191 2085286
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    Professor Jonathon Chambers
    FREng, Visiting Professor

    Professor Satnam Dlay
    Professor of Signal Processing Analysis
    +44 (0) 191 208 8356
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    Dr Matthew Dyson
    Newcastle University Research Fellow
    +44 (0) 191 20 86682
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    Dr Paul Haigh
    Lecturer in Communication
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    Dr Martin Johnston
    Senior Lecturer
    +44 (0) 191 208 8927
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    Dr Stephane Le Goff
    Lecturer
    +44 (0) 191 208 6523
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    Professor Alan Murray
    Professor of Cardiovascular Physics
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    Dr Mohsen Naqvi
    Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Signal and Information Processing
    +44 (0)191 208 5966
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    Jeffrey Neasham
    Senior Lecturer
    +44 (0) 191 208 8850
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    Professor Ian Postlethwaite
    Head of Engineering

    Dr Benjamin Sherlock
    Research Associate
    +44 (0) 191 208 5286
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    Professor Gui Yun Tian
    Professor of Sensor Technologies
    +44 (0) 191 208 5151
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    Dr Charalampos Tsimenidis
    Reader in Digital Communications
    +44 (0) 191 208 5965
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