Graduate Students Present Research at Leading International IEEE Conferences
June 26, 2026Wireless Institute graduate students represented the University of Notre Dame on the international stage this spring, presenting their peer-reviewed research at two of the world’s most respected IEEE conferences. Throughout May and June, students shared innovations in microwave sensing, antenna systems, and wireless spectrum optimization with researchers from around the globe.
Their participation reflects months of research and development, culminating in papers accepted through a highly competitive peer-review process. Presenting at conferences such as the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) and the IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) not only provides students with the opportunity to share their work with leaders in the field, but also demonstrates the impact of the research taking place within the Wireless Institute.
The 2026 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) was held in Glasgow, Scotland, from May 24–28. As one of the flagship conferences of the IEEE Communications Society, ICC brings together researchers, industry leaders, and government organizations from across the world to present the latest advances in communication technologies.
Fourth-year Ph.D. student Christopher Wahl, from Professor Nick Laneman’s research group, presented the paper, “Optimizing Sensor Placement for Estimating Radio Occupancy Maps.”
His research focuses on improving radio map estimation, a technique used to understand how wireless spectrum is being utilized across a geographic area. By developing new methods to optimize the placement of spectrum sensors, the work improves the accuracy of estimating radio occupancy while requiring fewer sensing resources.
These advances have important applications in dynamic spectrum sharing and next-generation wireless networks, where efficient awareness of the radio environment is essential for improving spectrum utilization.
The 2026 IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS), held June 7–12 in Boston, Massachusetts, is the flagship conference of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) and is widely recognized as the premier international forum for microwave, millimeter-wave, and RF engineering research. Each year, researchers from around the world compete for acceptance through a rigorous peer-review process, making a presentation at IMS a significant professional achievement.
This year, two graduate students from Professor Jonathan Chisum’s research group were selected to present their work.
Fourth-year Ph.D. student Atefeh Ghafari presented her paper, “Real-Time Microwave Reflectometry for Precision Electronic Material Synthesis.”
Ghafari’s research explores a new approach to monitoring material synthesis in real time using microwave reflectometry. By developing a non-invasive sensing technique capable of rapidly measuring changes in material properties during manufacturing, the work has the potential to significantly accelerate the development of next-generation electronic materials.
Supported through the DARPA FLEX program, the project aims to create new methods for in-situ material characterization that could dramatically improve the speed and precision of developing high-performance materials for GHz-speed microelectronic devices.
Second-year graduate student Josh Mathis presented his paper, “Receiver G/T Analysis of Phased-Array-Fed Lens Systems.”
Mathis’s research focuses on phased-array-fed lens (PAFL) systems, an emerging antenna technology that offers lower power consumption, reduced system complexity, and lower costs compared to conventional phased array antennas. His work provides new design recommendations for receiving systems using PAFL technology, demonstrating that these systems can achieve comparable performance while maintaining their inherent efficiency advantages.
The findings help advance the practical implementation of phased-array-fed lenses for future wireless communication and sensing applications.
Advancing Wireless Research
These conference presentations offer a snapshot of the research taking place across the Wireless Institute. Together with the work of other students and faculty, they reflect the breadth of research underway, from advanced materials and microwave sensing to antenna systems, wireless communications, and spectrum management. We congratulate all of our student researchers who represented the Wireless Institute at conferences this spring and commend them for the dedication and scholarship reflected in their work.
Story by Julia Hahn. The Wireless Institute at Notre Dame. For more information on this story or the Institute contact us at wireless@nd.edu