WICE Program

Dr. Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou is an Associate Professor, Computer Engineering Chair, and Director of Recruiting and Admissions at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico. She obtained her Diploma, MBA, and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 2008, 2010, and 2014, respectively. Her main research interests lie in the area of integrated communications and computing systems, with emphasis on network modeling and optimization. Five of her papers received the Best Paper Award and she was selected by the IEEE ComSoc N2Women as one of the top ten Rising Stars of 2017 in communications and networking.

Moayad Aloqaily received a Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Ottawa, Canada, in 2016. He has been with different industries, he was a Senior Researcher and Data Scientist with Gnowit Inc., 2016 to 2019. He also worked with Cheetah Network Canada from 2019 to 2020. He is the Managing Director of xAnalytics Inc., Canada, since 2019. He was an Instructor with the SYSC Department, at Carleton University, Canada, in 2017. From 2018-2019, he was an assistant professor at the American University of Middle East (AUM), Kuwait. From 2019-2021, he was the Cybersecurity Program Director and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Al Ain University, UAE. He is currently with the Machine Learning Department, at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), UAE. He was the recipient of many honors and awards, such as best paper awards of 2020 Ad Hoc Networks Journal, 2021 Computer Networks, 2022 IEEE IWCMC, 2022 IEEE MeditCom, 2022 IEEE Globecom, and 2023 IEEE Metaverse. His current research interests include the applications of AI and ML, blockchain solutions, and sustainable energy and data management. Dr. Aloqaily has chaired and co-chaired many IEEE conferences and workshops. He serves on the Editorial Board of many prestigious journals and guest editor in many journals. He was appointed the Co-Editor-in-Chief of IEEE CommSoft TC eLetter in 2020. He started his Special Interest Groups on Blockchain and Applications as well as the Internet of Unmanned Aerial Networks. He is an IEEE Senior Member, ACM Member, and a Professional Engineer Ontario (P.Eng.). He is the founder and director of artifitialleap.ai laboratory.

YESSICA SAEZ BARRIOS is an electronics and telecommunications engineer, graduated from the Technological University of Panama and a specialist in higher education from the University of the Isthmus of Panama. She holds an MEng and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. She currently works as a researcher professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Technological University of Panama, where she serves as the Research Coordinator of the Azuero Region Branch. She is the coordinator of the Research Group on Telecommunications Engineering and Intelligent Systems Applied to Society (ITSIAS), where she collaborates in several research projects financed by different institutions.

She is a member of the National Research System (SNI) of Panama. Dr. Sáez is the Student Competition Representative for the Women in Communication Engineering Committee (WICE). She was the Chair of the Communications Society (COMSOC) of the IEEE – Panama Section from 2021-2022 and is a member of the board of directors of the IEEE – Panama Section for 2023-2024. Dr. Sáez is the Director for IEEE ComSoc Latinamerican Region for 2024-2025.

M. Fátima Domingues, at present, is an Assistant Professor at the Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology Department at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi UAE and a Researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações – Aveiro.

M. Fátima Domingues received her PhD in Physics Engineering from University of Aveiro, and her research interests embrace new photonic based sensing solutions and its biomedical and e-Health applications. Dr. Domingues authored and co-authored more than +110 publications, resulting in the current H-index of 26 with a +2300 citations. She is part of the organizing committee of different conferences and scientific meetings, including IEEE HealthCom 2022 and IEEE ICC 2024. She is an IEEE Senior Member and an active member of several IEEE Societies.

Jaime Galán-Jiménez received the Ph.D. in computer science and communications from the University of Extremadura in 2014. He is currently with the Computer Science and Communications Engineering Department, University of Extremadura, as Associate Professor. His main research interests are energy efficiency in SDN networks, application of AI/ML techniques for computer networks, UAV-based networks, digital twin networks and mobile ad-hoc networks.

Dr. Baek-Young Choi is a Professor of Computer Science in the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). She received her Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research interests generally lie in the broad area of networking and communications, with specific emphasis on Internet-of-Things, software-defined networking, cybersecurity, and smart city technologies. She published five books on network monitoring, storage systems, cloud computing and Interent of Things. She has been a faculty fellow of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Visiting Faculty Research Program (AFRL-VFRP) and Korea Telecom’s - Advance Institute of Technology (KT-AIT). She has served as an associate editor for a number of journals, including IEEE Internet-of-Things Journal, Elsevier Journal Computer Networks, Springer Journal of Telecommunication Systems, and IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. Her works received multiple Best Paper awards as well as Best Video and Best Poster awards. She has delivered keynotes and tutorials, and served as a general chair, technical program co-chair, and many other organizational committees for many conferences and workshops. She is a senior member of ACM and IEEE, and was a Chair of Women in Communications Engineering (WICE) in the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) (2022-23). Currently, she is an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer, Associate Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Magazine, the Chair of the IEEE ComSoc Sister & Related Societies Committee, and a member of IEEE ComSoc GLOBECOM/ICC Technical Content and Financial Committees.

Joyce Mwangama received her Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc(Eng) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) in 2017, 2011 and 2008, respectively. She is an Associate Professor and currently heads the Telkom Centre for Broadband Networks and Applications research in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. Joyce's research is in smart city platforms, 5G-enabled testbeds, and digital health solutions. Beyond academia, She actively contributes to policy-making in 5G Research and Development as Chair of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa 5G Forum Working Group. She also has a role in the IEEE Communication Society Women Committee (WICE) to foster inclusivity and diversity in STEM fields.

Mehrnaz Afshang is a senior researcher at Ericsson Research in Silicon Valley, USA. Currently, she leads Ericsson's 6G IoT project, engages in several industrial-university collaborations for shaping 6G, and actively contributes to 3GPP standardization of 5G-advanced. She joined Ericsson in 2018 following her postdoctoral experience in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D.  from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2016. She is the recipient of the Ericsson 2022 Impact Award for extraordinary impact on Ericsson's business success and the 2016 Rising Star Award for the top 60 women in the field of computer and electrical engineering. With over 50 issued patents and 40 publications in flagship IEEE journals and conferences, her research spans various areas, including 6G networks, IoT and zero energy devices, communication theory, mmWave communication, and full-duplex communication.

Shui Yu is Professor of the School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS, the Deputy Chair of the UTS Research Committee, and is a researcher of cybersecurity, privacy and the networking, communication aspects of Big Data, and applied mathematics for computer science. He served as a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Communications Society (2018-2021). He is a Distinguished Visitor of IEEE Computer Society (2022-2024), a voting member of IEEE ComSoc Educational Services board, and an elected member of Board of Governors of IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, respectively. He is a Fellow of IEEE.

Zhu Han received the B.S. degree in electronic engineering from Tsinghua University, in 1997, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1999 and 2003, respectively. Dr. Han received an NSF Career Award in 2010, the Fred W. Ellersick Prize of the IEEE Communication Society in 2011, the EURASIP Best Paper Award for the Journal on Advances in Signal Processing in 2015, IEEE Leonard G. Abraham Prize in the field of Communications Systems (best paper award in IEEE JSAC) in 2016, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society 2022 Best Land Transportation Paper Award, and several best paper awards in IEEE conferences. Dr. Han was an IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer from 2015 to 2018 and ACM Distinguished Speaker from 2022 to 2025, AAAS fellow since 2019, and ACM distinguished Member since 2019. Dr. Han is a 1% highly cited researcher since 2017 according to Web of Science. 

I am an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago. From 2009 to 2015, I was a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University Northwest. From 2006 to 2009, I was a Lecturer/Postdoctoral fellow at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University. From 1999 to 2002, I was a Research Engineer in the Technology Evolution and Standards group of Microcell, Inc (now ROGERS Wireless), Montreal, surveying and studying radio-communication technology evolution. I also took part in major wireless normalization committees (3GPP, T1P1). In 1998 and 2006 I obtained a M.Sc. and Ph. D. from The University of Quebec (INRS-EMT), Montreal, Canada. Previously, I received the Diplome d'Ingenieur degree in telecommunications from The Ecole Superieure des Communications de Tunis (SUPCOM), Tunisia. My research focuses in the areas of Wireless Communication Theory.

I currently serve as Editor for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, Editor of the IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY and Lead Guest Editor for the SENSORS OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL. Previously I served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE COMMUNICATION LETTERS, and a Lead Guest Editor for special issues of the IEEE JOURNAL ON SELECTED AREAS IN COMMUNICATIONS.

I was awarded the INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine’s 2015 "100 Inspiring Women in STEM". I received the Academic Gold Medal of the Governor General of Canada in 2007 and the NSF CAREER award in 2015.

Toktam Mahmoodi is a Professor of communication Engineering and Director of the Centre for Telecommunications Research (CTR) in the Department of Engineering at King’s College London. Her research focuses on the areas of mobile and cloud networking, and includes AI enabled 5G/6G networks, Edge networking and intelligence, and ultra-low latency communications. She also works on applications of mobile communications in healthcare, smart cities, emergency services, industrial networks, and intelligent transportation. She has contributed to the ETSI, IETF and 3GPP standards, and has played an active role within 5GPPP in defining 5G vision for vertical industries. Toktam is the current chair of ComSoc WICE.

Dr. Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou is an Associate Professor, Computer Engineering Chair, and Director of Recruiting and Admissions at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico. She obtained her Diploma, MBA, and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 2008, 2010, and 2014, respectively. Her main research interests lie in the area of integrated communications and computing systems, with emphasis on network modeling and optimization. Five of her papers received the Best Paper Award and she was selected by the IEEE ComSoc N2Women as one of the top ten Rising Stars of 2017 in communications and networking.

Melike (Mel) Erol-Kantarci is a highly cited prolific researcher and an influential industry leader in AI in telecom. She is the Chief Cloud RAN AI\ML Data Scientist at Ericsson and Canada Research Chair in AI-enabled Next-Generation Wireless Networks and Full Professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Throughout her 15+ years of career in communications, she has received numerous awards and recognitions from technical societies. Dr. Erol-Kantarci is the co-editor of three books on smart grids, smart cities and intelligent transportation. She has over 200+ peer-reviewed publications with citations over 8000 and h-index 43. She is also the Vice-chair of IEEE ComSoc emerging technologies initiative on Machine Learning for Communications. Her main research interests are AI-enabled wireless networks, 5G and 6G wireless communications, smart grid and Internet of Things. She is an IEEE Senior member and ACM Senior Member. She was an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer between 2021 and 2023.

Rose Hu is a Professor with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Associate Dean for research of College of Engineering at Utah State University. She also directs Communications Network Innovation Lab. Her research interests include next-generation wireless system design and optimization, Internet of Things, Cyber Physical system, artificial intelligence in wireless networks. She is an IEEE Fellow, IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Distinguished Lecturer, NIST Communication Technology Laboratory Innovator 2020. She is currently serving as Associate Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Magazine, associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Wireless communications, IEEE transactions on vehicular technology, IEEE Wireless communication. Together with her students, her work received prestigious Best Paper Awards from the IEEE GLOBECOM 2012, the IEEE ICC 2015, the IEEE VTC Spring 2016, and the IEEE ICC 2016.

Hina Tabassum (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She is currently an Associate Professor with the Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Canada, where she joined as an Assistant Professor, in 2018. She is also appointed as the York Research Chair of 5G/6G-enabled mobility and sensing applications in 2023, for five years. Prior to that, she was a postdoctoral research associate at University of Manitoba, Canada. She has published over 90 refereed papers in well-reputed IEEE journals, magazines, and conferences. Her publications thus far have garnered more than 5500 citations with an H-index of 35 (according to Google Scholar). She received the Lassonde Innovation Early-Career Researcher Award in 2023 and the N2Women: Rising Stars in Computer Networking and Communications in 2022. She was listed in the Stanford’s list of the World’s Top 2% Researchers in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She has been recognized as an Exemplary Editor by the IEEE COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS (2020), IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY (IEEE OJCOMS) (2023), and IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GREEN COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING (2023). She was recognized as an Exemplary Reviewer (Top 2% of all reviewers) 1314 by IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. She is the Founding Chair of the Special Interest Group on THz communications in IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc)-Radio Communications Committee (RCC). She served as an Associate Editor for IEEE COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS (2019–2023), IEEE OJCOMS (2019–2023), and IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GREEN COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING (2020–2023). She is also serving as an Area Editor for (IEEE OJCOMS) and an Associate Editor for IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, and IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS.

Biography coming soon.