In the CTL group at KAUST, we enjoy modeling, designing, optimizing, and evaluating the performance of emerging and future wireless communication systems and networks.

Mohamed-Slim Alouini is the Al-Khawarizmi Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Affiliate Professor of Applied Mathematics and Computational Science (AMCS), Affiliate Professor of Statistics (STAT), and Principal Investigator of the Communication Theory Lab (CTL) of the King Abdullah University of Sciences and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia.

Education and Early Career

He is one of the Founders of the ECE Program at KAUST and is now leading the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, California, United States of America, in 1998.

Areas of Expertise and Current Scientific Interests

Professor Alouini's general research interests include design and performance analysis of diversity combining techniques, MIMO techniques, multi-hop/cooperative communications systems, optical wireless communication systems, cognitive radio systems, green communication systems and networks, and integrated ground-airborne-space networks. He is currently actively working on addressing the uneven global distribution, access to, and use of information and communication technologies by studying and developing new generations of aerial and space networks as a solution to provide connectivity to far-flung, less-populated, and/or hard-to-reach areas.

Honors and Awards

  • 2023 Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC)
  • 2023 UNESCO Chair on “Education for Connecting the Unconnected”
  • 2022 Fellow of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF)
  • 2022 Fellow of the UNESCO The World Academy of Science (TWAS)
  • 2022 UNESCO The World Academy of Science (TWAS) Award in Engineering Sciences
  • 2021 TAKREEM Foundation Award in the “Scientific & Technological Achievement” Category
  • 2021 IEEE Communication Society Education Award
  • 2021 NSP Obada Prize (Supported by the African Academy of Sciences)
  • 2021 Fellow of OPTICA (formerly known as the Optical Society of America (OSA))
  • 2021 Member of  the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) Distinguished Scholars Program
  • 2021 Fellow of Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA)
  • 2020 Kuwait Prize in Applied Sciences
  • 2020 IEEE Vehicular Technology Society James Evans Avant Garde Award
  • 2019 Technical Achievement Award of the IEEE Communication Society Communication Theory Technical Committee
  • 2019 Member of the Academia Europaea  (AE)
  • 2019 Member of the European Academy of Science and Arts (EASA)
  • 2018 Fellow of the African Academy and Science (AAS)
  • 2017 Inaugural Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Science & Technology Achievement Award in Engineering Sciences
  • 2016 Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers in Engineering Sciences
  • 2016 Recognition Award of the IEEE Communication Society Wireless Technical Committee
  • 2009 Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • 1999 US National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award
  • 1999 Charles Wilts Prize for outstanding independent research leading to a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering at Caltech
  • IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Communication Society, the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, and the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society
  • Member for several times in the annual (i) Thomson ISI/Clarivate Web of Knowledge list of Highly Cited Researchers and (ii) AMiner list of the AI 2000 Most Influential Scholars in the area of Internet of Things
  • Member of the Shanghai Ranking/Elsevier list of Most Cited Researchers
  • Co-recipient of best paper/poster/video awards/prizes in 32 journals/conferences/challenges including Frontiers in Signal Processing (2023 Outstanding Article Award), IEEE Wireless Communication Letters (2023 IEEE Communication Society Heinrich Hertz Award), IEEE Trans. on Communications (2021 IEEE Communications Society Award for Advances in Communication), IEEE Communication Surveys & Tutorials (2020 IEEE Communications Society Best Tutorial Paper Award), IEEE Communication Magazine (2021 IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize), 2021 EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking Best Paper Award, IEEE ICC'2010, IEEE GLOBECOM'2007, IEEE VTC'1999, IEEE PIMRC'2009, IEEE ISWCS'2017, IEEE UCET'2020, IEEE DySPAN'2012, IEEE SusTech'2021, IEEE SusTech'2023, ACM MSWIM'2004, EAI CROWNCOM'2010, the IEEE Radar Challenge'2021, the 2021 United Nations (UN) International Telecom Union (ITU) "Connect2Recover Research Competition", the European-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) region 2022 IEEE Communication Society Internet for All Competition, 2023 IEEE Future Networks 6GNTN23 "6G and NTN: Challenges and Solutions" Competition, and 2023 Saudi Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Prize in the Future Technologies Category.

Editorial Activities

He has published several conference and journal papers in his area of expertise and he is the co-author of the textbook Digital Communication over Fading Channels published by Wiley Interscience. He was an editor for the IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, and Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Journal, and series editor for the IEEE Communication Magazine (Optical Communications and  Networks Special Series). He has been also the founding field chief editor for the Frontiers in Communications and Networks journal since 2020 and an editor for the IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronics Systems since 2022.

Why KAUST?

KAUST is a fertile place for any researcher who wants to develop rigorous computational and engineering methods to solve real-world problems. Its unique support to science allows the most advanced scientific (r)evolution.

Patents

An Improved Scheduling Algorithm For Linear Networks

Publication number: 20180213543

Non-invasive Beam Forming Add-on Module

Publication number: 20180198203

Enhanced Performance Hybrid-arq

Publication number: 20170366304

Adaptive Modulation Scheme With Simultaneous Voice And Data Transmission

Patent number: 6304593

Robust Node Estimation And Topology Discovery For Large-scale Networks

Publication number: 20180227188

Direct Closed-form Covariance Matrix And Finite Alphabet Constant-envelope Waveforms For Planar Array Beampatterns

Publication number: 20180052219

Generation Of Correlated Finite Alphabet Waveforms Using Gaussian Random Variables

Publication number: 20160013819

Education Profile

  • ​​​​Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, United States, 1998
  • M.S. Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Atlanta, United States, 1995
  • Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies (D.E.A.) in Electronics, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, 1993
  • Diplome d'Ingenieur, École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (Télécom Paris Tech), Paris, France, 1993