Events

Sep 15 - Sep 21, 2019

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  Visible Light Communications in the UK: Recent Progress and Future Outlook

  Dr. Paul Anthony Haigh,Lecturer in Communications, Intelligent Sensing and Communications Group,Newcastle University

  Sep 17, 13:00 - 14:00

  B2 L5 R5220

  Visible light communications

  Abstract Visible light communications (VLC) is a hot topic in internet access networks, developing rapidly over the last decade. It has become one of the main candidate technologies to complement existing radio infrastructure in 5G and beyond technologies due to its inherent advantages such as high bandwidth and room-to-room security. In this talk, I will discuss several of the key developments that have occurred within the context of the UK research community, with particular focus on polymer photoactive components based on research that has occurred through my time at University College
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  Representation Learning for Personalized Recommendation

  Prof. Xiangliang Zhang

  Sep 16, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1 R2322

  recommender systems e-commerce industry personalized recommendations learning representations user privacy

  Abstract Recommender systems have already been successfully used in e-commerce industry and have been influencing our daily lives. We may all have got (personalized) recommendation of news, music, movies, videos, books, restaurants, hotels, etc. This talk will introduce the recent research in my group about promoting personalized recommendation by learning representations for users/objects to recommend. Examples of applications will be given for recommendation of the next movie to watch, the interesting research papers to read, the useful datasets to explore, and interesting places to visit
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  Waves Functional Materials - 2019-09-15

  Ying Wu, Professor, Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences

  Sep 15, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1 R2322

  Wave functional materials wave propagation control metamaterials Metasurfaces effective medium redirection emission rate

  Wave functional materials are artificial materials that can control wave propagation as wished. In this talk, I will give a brief review of the progress of wave functional materials and reveal the secret behind the engineering of these materials to achieve desired properties.

Sep 8 - Sep 14, 2019

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  Waves in Complex Media: Theories and Applications

  Ying Wu, Professor, Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences

  Sep 12, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  We focus on the theoretical modeling and numerical simulation of classical wave propagation in complex systems, such as periodic structures and random media. In this talk, I will give an overview of the research conducted in our group by emphasizing on three major aspects: numerical method, homogenization, and applications in artificial materials.
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  Study of III-nitride Nanowire Growth and Devices on Unconventional Substrates

  Aditya Prabaswara, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Sep 12, 09:30 - 11:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  semiconductors III-nitride nanowires optoelectronics

  This thesis aims to investigate the microscopic characteristics of the nanowires and expand on the possibility of using transparent amorphous substrate for III-nitride nanowire devices. In this work, we performed material growth, characterization, and device fabrication of III-nitride nanowires grown using molecular beam epitaxy on unconventional substrates including silicon substrates and fused silica substrates. We also investigated the effect of various nucleation layers on the morphology and quality of the nanowires.
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  Distributed Algorithms for Computing a Common Fixed Point of a Group of Nonexpansive Operators

  Dr. Xiuxian Li, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  Sep 9, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  Distributed algorithms nonexpansive operators

  This talk is concerned with the problem of seeking a common fixed point for a finite collection of nonexpansive operators over time-varying multi-agent networks in real Hilbert spaces. Each operator is assumed to be only privately and approximately known to each individual agent, and all agents need to cooperate to solve this problem by local communications over time-varying networks. To handle this problem, inspired by the centralized inexact Krasnosel’ski˘ı-Mann (IKM) iteration, two distributed algorithms, called distributed inexact Krasnosel’ski˘ı-Mann (D-IKM) iteration and distributed inexact block-coordinate Krasnosel’ski˘ı-Mann (D-IBKM) iteration, are proposed. It is shown that the two algorithms can converge weakly to a common fixed point of the family of nonexpansive operators.
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  Laser lighting and its application in visible light communications

  Boon Ooi, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Sep 8, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 R2322

  laser-lighting Visible light communications Underwater communication high-speed transmitters high-speed receivers

  This talk provides an overview of the latest laser-based lighting and Gbit/s VLC and underwater communications. Recent progress of visible wavelength high-speed transmitters and receivers will also be discussed.

Sep 1 - Sep 7, 2019

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  Data assimilation and optimal control in the context of UAV-based flash flood monitoring

  Christian Claudel, Assistant Professor, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at UT-Austin

  Sep 4, 10:00 - 11:00

  B5 L5 R5209

  UAV flood monitoring control systems

  Flash floods are one of the most common natural disasters worldwide, causing thousands of casualties every year. The emergence of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) gives the possibility to monitor these events over large geographical areas. In this talk, we focus on the problem of trajectory planning for a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles sensing flooding conditions.
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  Zero in on computational challenges in Nanopore sequencing

  Xin Gao, Program Chair, Computer Science

  Sep 2, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  bioinformatics machine learning Nanopore Sequencing DNA sequences

  In this talk, I will first give an overview of the research activities in Structural and Functional Bioinformatics Group (http://sfb.kaust.edu.sa). I will then focus on our efforts on developing computational methods to tackle key open problems in Nanopore sequencing. In particular, I will introduce our recent works on developing a collection of computational methods to decode raw electrical current signal sequences into DNA sequences, to simulate raw signals of Nanopore, and to efficiently and accurately align electrical current signal sequences with DNA sequences. Then, I will further introduce their applications in clinical and environmental fields.
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  Flexible, Wearable, Disposable Wireless Communication and Sensing Systems Through Additive Manufacturing - 2019

  Atif Shamim, Program Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Sep 1, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  additive manufacturing sensors electronics

  With the advent of wearable sensors and internet of things (IoT), there is a new focus on electronics which can be bent so that they can be worn or mounted on non-planar objects. Due to large volume (billions of devices), there is a requirement that the cost is extremely low, to the extent that they become disposable. The flexible and low-cost aspects can be addressed through additive manufacturing technologies such as inkjet, screen and 3D printing. This talk introduces additive manufacturing as an emerging technique to realize low cost, flexible and wearable wireless communication and sensing systems.
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  Interesting Problems in Estimation and Control on Smart Road Vehicles

  Professor Rajesh Rajamani, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota

  Sep 1, 11:00 - 12:00

  B1 L2 R4214

  Estimation Theory autonomous driving University of Minnesota

  A number of exciting vehicle automation and active safety systems are being developed by research groups around the world. This talk focuses on novel sensors, estimation algorithms and control systems that can fill critical gaps in the automation technologies under development. The first part of this seminar describes interesting sensing and estimation solutions that can significantly improve the effectiveness of active safety systems. The second part of the seminar describes the development of a new class of narrow commuter vehicles designed to address traffic congestion, improve highway mobility and provide very high fuel economy. The final part of the seminar describes the development of a smart bicycle with instrumentation that can track trajectories of nearby vehicles on the road and provide warnings to the motorist, if a potential car-bicycle collision is detected.

Aug 25 - Aug 31, 2019

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  Knowledge-based methods in biomedicine

  Robert Hoehndorf, Associate Professor, Computer Science

  Aug 26, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  Biostatistics artificial intelligence gene-disease associations drug targets

  The life sciences have invested significant resources in the development and application of semantic technologies to make research data accessible and interlinked, and to enable the integration and analysis of data. Utilizing the semantics associated with research data in data analysis approaches is often challenging. Now, novel methods are becoming available that combine symbolic methods and statistical methods in Artificial Intelligence. In my talk, I will describe how to apply knowledge-based methods for the analysis of biological and biomedical data, in particular identification of gene-disease associations and drug targets.
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  Compliant Electronics for Unusual Environments

  Amani Almuslem, Ph.D. Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Aug 25, 17:00 - 18:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  compliant electronics Implantable devices

  Abstract Compliant electronics are an emerging class of electronics which offer physical flexibility in their structure. Such mechanical flexibility opens up opportunities for wide ranging applications. Nonetheless, compliant electronics which can be functional in unusual environments are yet to be explored. Unusual environment can constitute a harsh environment where temperature and/or pressure is much higher or lower than the usual room temperature and/or pressure. Unusual environment can be an aquatic environment, such as ocean/sea/river/pond, industrial processing related liquid and bodily
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  UV light emitter – challenges and new approaches – an example of device oriented R&D at PORT

  Prof. Detlef Hommel, Polish Center for Technology development, Wroclaw University

  Aug 25, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  UV Emitter PORT

  The Wroław Research Center EIT+ was established in 2007 and renamed in 2018 into Polish Center for technology Development. This year PORT became an institute of the Łukasiewicz Network having similar goals like the Fraunhofer Society in Germany as an applied center for R&D. The presentation will concentrate on my research projects on deep-UV emitters. Going from UV-B (320-280nm) to UV-C (280-200nm) the external quantum efficiency decreases drastically and no breakthrough was obtained here based on high-Al content AlGaN. New, unconventional material combinations are needed to overcome these problems. One idea here is to add a small amount of arsenic to (Al,Ga)N to shift the valence band upwards and to increase the hole concentrations which is crucial for increasing the efficiencies of UV-C emitters. Results will be presented confirming this approach. Another idea is connected with strain engineering by using w-BN. This will allow to shift the unwanted TE to TM transition towards larges bandgaps (higher Al-contents).

Jul 28 - Aug 3, 2019

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  Saudi Summer Internship 2019 - E-Poster Competition

  Internship Participants

  Jul 31, 11:00 - 13:00

  Campus Library

  Student Internship Programs saudi vision 2030

  We invite all members of the community to visit the first ever E-poster competition at KAUST for the SSI. The Saudi Summer Internship (SSI) is currently in it’s 7th year. This year CEMSE welcomes over 40 undergraduate students from Saudi Arabia to KAUST. With 25 interns being female, and 12 universities represented, 2019 is the largest and most diverse cohort of the SSI that the division has welcomed since it’s inception. All students have an excellent academic record in their home institution in areas related to Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. The students undertake a 12 week research program, supplemented with graduate skills and academic courses and are mentored by faculty and researchers in the CEMSE Division.
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  Part 3: Boundary Control of Continuum Problems

  Professor Mamadou L. Diagne, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Jul 31, 10:30 - 15:00

  B9 L3 R3131

  Partial Differential Equations

  Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) are often used to model various complex physical systems. Representative engineering applications such as heat exchangers, transmission lines, oil wells, road traffic, multiphase flow, melting phenomena, supply chains, collective dynamics, and even chemical processes governing the state of charge of Lithium-ion battery, extrusion, reactors to mention a few. Generally, key aspects of these processes operating mode are driven by convection phenomena with a spatiotemporal dynamic that cannot be approximated straightforwardly using a finite-dimensional representation. This course will explore the boundary control of several class of PDEs via the well-known backstepping method.
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  Study of ultraviolet AlGaN nanowires light-emitting diodes

  Davide Priante, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jul 30, 16:00 - 17:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  photonics optoelectronics nanofabrication

  Ultraviolet (UV) group III-Nitride-based light emitters have been used in various applications such as water purification, medicine, lighting and chemical detection. Despite attractive properties such as bandgap tunability in the whole UV range (UV-C to UV-A), high chemical stability and relative low cost, the low quantum efficiency hamper the full utilization. This thesis aims to show alternative solutions to such problems by employing nanowires (NWs) structures, and target the eventual application of reliable and high power NWs-based light-emitting devices, enabling large-scale production using the established silicon foundry processes. Here, we present the improvement of injection current and optical power of AlGaN NWs LEDs by involving a metal bilayer thin film with a dual purpose: eliminate the potential barrier for carrier transport, and inhibit the formation of silicide.
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  Part 2: Boundary Control of Continuum Problems

  Professor Mamadou L. Diagne, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Jul 30, 10:30 - 15:00

  B9 L3 R3131

  Partial Differential Equations

  Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) are often used to model various complex physical systems. Representative engineering applications such as heat exchangers, transmission lines, oil wells, road traffic, multiphase flow, melting phenomena, supply chains, collective dynamics, and even chemical processes governing the state of charge of Lithium-ion battery, extrusion, reactors to mention a few. Generally, key aspects of these processes operating mode are driven by convection phenomena with a spatiotemporal dynamic that cannot be approximated straightforwardly using a finite-dimensional representation. This course will explore the boundary control of several class of PDEs via the well-known backstepping method.
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  Photonics Summer Camp 2019 - The Final Presentations

  Photonics Summer Camp Participants

  Jul 30, 08:30 - 11:00

  B2 B3 A0215

  photonics interships

  International Students in CEMSE who attended Photonics Summer Camp 2019, will present their research findings and experience of KAUST, in 10 minute presentations. Breakfast will be served. All KAUST affiliates are welcome to attend. The Photonics Summer Camp is an international internship program, currently in it’s 4th year. The program is just 4 weeks long and is designed to welcome overseas and local students to KAUST, in order to facilitate research innovation and collaboration amongst the next generation of photonics researchers. The program is sponsored by the CEMSE Division, with support from Graduate Affairs, and the International Programs Office.
• 

  Part 1: Boundary Control of Continuum Problems

  Professor Mamadou L. Diagne, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Jul 29, 10:30 - 15:00

  B9 L3 R3131

  Partial Differential Equations

  Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) are often used to model various complex physical systems. Representative engineering applications such as heat exchangers, transmission lines, oil wells, road traffic, multiphase flow, melting phenomena, supply chains, collective dynamics, and even chemical processes governing the state of charge of Lithium-ion battery, extrusion, reactors to mention a few. Generally, key aspects of these processes operating mode are driven by convection phenomena with a spatiotemporal dynamic that cannot be approximated straightforwardly using a finite-dimensional representation. This course will explore the boundary control of several class of PDEs via the well-known backstepping method.
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  Traffic Monitoring and MAC-Layer Design for Future IoT Systems

  Enas M. Odat, Ph.D. Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jul 28, 14:00 - 16:00

  B1 L4 R4214

  machine learning game theory cyber-physical systems

  The advances in the technology and the emergence of low complexity intelligent devices result in the evolution of the Internet-of-Things (IoT). One of the most important resources is the wireless channel, which is a shared resource; thus, it is necessary for the nodes to have methods that schedule channel access. This thesis considers the problem of distributed sensing and channel access in the context of IoT systems, where a set of selfish nodes competes for transmission opportunities. In the channel access part, a memory-one channel access game is proposed to reduce the collision rate, to enhance the cooperation among the nodes, and to maximize their payoffs by optimizing their channel access probabilities, based on the channel state in the previous time step.

Jul 14 - Jul 20, 2019

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  Computational Analysis of Transcriptional Regulation after Single and Multiple Drug Administration.

  Trisevgeni Rapakoulia, Ph.D., Computer Science

  Jul 17, 10:00 - 12:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  Transcriptomics RNA genes drug effects breast cancer cell conversion

  With the advances in transcriptomic analysis, the monitoring of genome-wide gene expression provides a powerful approach for determining the action of drugs. In this thesis, we analyzed the transcriptional responses of cells treated with drugs either alone or in combinations to explore their effects in two different applications: breast cancer therapy and cell conversion.

Jul 7 - Jul 13, 2019

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  Publishing Advanced Materials Science – How to maximize your success!

  Dr. Jos Lenders, Deputy Editor, Advanced Materials, Wiley

  Jul 9, 14:00 - 15:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  materials science wiley advanced materials

  Materials science is a multidisciplinary field of research with many different scientists and engineers having various backgrounds active in it. The literature landscape consequently is populated currently by a wide range of journals which greatly differ in purpose, scope, quality, and readership. Jos Lenders, Deputy Editor of Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, and Advanced Optical Materials, will track some of the most important developments and trends in the research field and the Advanced journals program. Last year, Advanced Materials reached an Impact Factor of 21.95 and received over 8,300 submissions – and Advanced Functional Materials over 9,200. Only around 15% of all those papers made it to publication in the journal, and this rate is similar for all other Advanced journals. So, what do editors do to select the very best papers, and what can authors do to optimize their chances of having their manuscripts accepted?
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  Wireless Network Intelligence @ the Edge

  Dr. Mehdi Bennis, Associate Professor, Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu

  Jul 8, 11:00 - 12:00

  B1 L3 R3119

  machine learning game theory Heterogeneous networks

  In just a few years, breakthroughs in machine learning (ML) and particularly deep learning have transformed every aspects of our lives from face recognition, medical diagnosis, and natural language processing. This progress has been fueled mainly by the availability of more data and more computing power. However, the current premise in classical ML is based on a single node in a centralized and remote data center with full access to a global dataset and a massive amount of storage and computing, sifting through this data for inference.
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  Spectrum Management for Future Generations of Cellular Networks

  Itsikiantsoa Randrianantenaina, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jul 8, 08:30 - 10:30

  B1 L2 R2202

  Wireless Communications Stochastic Geometry optimization Cellular Networks

  The demand for wireless communication is ceaselessly increasing in terms of the number of subscribers and services. Future generations of cellular networks are expected to allow not only humans but also machines to be immersively connected. However, the radio frequency spectrum is already fully allocated. Therefore, developing techniques to increase spectrum efficiency has become necessary. In that context, this dissertation analyzes two spectrum sharing techniques that enable efficient utilization of the available radio resources in cellular networks. The first technique, called full-duplex (FD) communication, uses the same spectrum to transmit and receive simultaneously. The second spectrum sharing technique, called non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), allows a transmitter to communicate with multiple receivers through the same frequency-time resource unit.

Jun 30 - Jul 6, 2019

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  Abstract Writing

  Prof. Liching Chiu, Graduate Program of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL), National Taiwan University

  Jul 2, 10:00 - 11:00

  B3 L5 R5209

  Scientific Writing

  This series of lectures guide students to the preparation and analysis of a well-organized abstract. We will discuss the proper language (tense, voice, and person) for abstract writing, and learn how to meet the purposes of different abstracts. Finally, students will have a chance to compose and evaluate their writing. Topics: Overview of abstract writing; Conference abstract journal abstract; Organization of an abstract; Language conventions of abstract writing; Disciplinary abstract analysis; Frequent mistakes of abstract writing.
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  Physical Layer Security of Wireless-powered NOMA-based Cognitive Radio Networks: Fundamentals & Challenges

  Dr. Faissal El Bouanani, Chair of CommNet and ACOSIS conferences

  Jul 1, 11:00 - 12:00

  B1 L2 R2202

  Cognitive radio network IoT 5G and beyond

  Abstract In the last decade, with the emergence of the internet of things (IoT) as well as machine-to-machine (M2M) paradigms, future wireless networks are targeting new critical services such as remote healthcare, surveillance, transportation, etc. In this regard, with the massive expected number of connected IoT and M2M devices, several requirements have been imposed by the regulatory bodies onto the deployment of 5G network. These requirements include, but not limited to, higher connectivity, reduced latency, as well as increased spectral and energy efficiency. Interestingly, the

Jun 23 - Jun 29, 2019

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  Learning to Benchmark: predicting performance limits from data

  Prof. Alfred Hero, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan

  Jun 25, 11:00 - 12:00

  B1 L4 R4214

  The objective of benchmark learning is to use a training sample to learn about fundamental limits on performance of a classifier or other statistical inference procedure. This meta-learning problem is a crucial component of data science and interpretable AI. Examples include sequential design of experiments, reinforcement learning and sensor management in the fields of statistics, machine learning and systems engineering, respectively. The challenge is learn about best achievable accuracy directly from the data sample without having to approximate and mplement an optimal classifier algorithm. In this talk we will introduce a general information theoretic framework that yields benchmark learners having both linear computational complexity and linear sample complexity. We will illustrate how this framework in the context of benchmarking image classification, autonomous navigation, and deep neural network performance.
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  5G IoT Networks: from Massive access to URLLC

  Prof. Yonghui Li, Director of Wireless Engineering Laboratory, The University of Sydney

  Jun 24, 16:30 - 17:30

  B1 L3 R3119

  the university of sydney IoT M2M Communication

  Connected smart objects, platforms and environments have been identified as the next big technology development, enabling significant society changes and economic growth. The entire physical world will be connected to the Internet. The intelligent network for automatic interaction and processing between objects and environments, referred to as the Machine to Machine Communications (M2M) for Internet of Things (IoT), will become an inherent part of areas such as electricity, transportation, industrial control, utilities management, healthcare, water resources management and mining. Wireless networks are one of the key enabling technologies of the IoT. They are likely to be universally used for last mile connectivity due to their flexibility, scalability and cost effectiveness.
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  Analysis and Optimization of Massive MIMO Systems via Random Matrix Theory Approaches

  Ikram Boukhedimi, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jun 24, 12:00 - 14:00

  B1 L3 R3119

  Random Matrix Theory wireless communication systems Ultra-massive MIMO systems

  Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a key enabling technology to achieve the required spectral and energy efficiency of the next generation of wireless networks. By endowing the base station (BS) with hundreds of antennas and relying on spatial multiplexing, massive MIMO allows impressive advantages in many fronts. To reduce this promising technology to reality, thorough performance analysis has to be conducted. Along this line, this work is focused on the convenient high-dimensionality of massive MIMO’s corresponding model. Indeed, the large number of antennas allows us to harness asymptotic results from Random Matrix Theory to provide accurate approximations of the main performance metrics. The derivations yield simple closed-form expressions that can be easily interpreted and manipulated in contrast to their alternative random equivalents. Accordingly, in this dissertation, we investigate massive MIMO in different contexts.
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  Random Matrix Theory: Selected Applications from Statistical Signal Processing and Machine Learning

  Khalil Elkhalil, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jun 24, 09:00 - 10:00

  B1 L4 R4214

  Random Matrix Theory machine learning high dimensional statistics data science

  Random matrix theory is an outstanding mathematical tool that has demonstrated its usefulness in many areas ranging from wireless communication to finance and economics. The main motivation behind its use comes from the fundamental role that random matrices play in modeling unknown and unpredictable physical quantities. In many situations, meaningful metrics expressed as scalar functionals of these random matrices arise naturally. Along this line, the present work consists in leveraging tools from random matrix theory in an attempt to answer fundamental questions related to applications from statistical signal processing and machine learning.

Jun 9 - Jun 15, 2019

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  Efficient Localization of Human Actions and Moments in Videos

  Victor Escorcia, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  Jun 11, 15:00 - 16:00

  B3 L5 R5220

  Computer Vision machine learning artificial intelligence

  Abstract We are stumbling across a video tsunami flooding our communication channels. The ubiquity of digital cameras and social networks has increased the amount of visual media content generated and shared by people, in particular videos. Cisco reports that 82% of the internet traffic would be in the form of videos by 2022. The computer vision community has embraced this challenge by offering the first building blocks to translate the visual data in segmented video clips into semantic tags. However, users usually require to go beyond tagging at the video level. For example, someone may want

May 26 - Jun 1, 2019

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  Quantum Inspired Photonics

  Prof. Liang Feng, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania

  May 30, 10:00 - 11:00

  B1 L2 R4214

  University of Pennsylvania quantum mechanics photonics

  Quantum mechanics and photonics share mathematical equivalence. By carefully exploiting the interplay between optical index, gain and loss in the complex dielectric permittivity plane, optics has become an ideal platform to explore some exotic quantum concepts, such as topological physics and parity-time (PT) symmetry. Instead of counteracting optical losses at micro and nano scales in integrated photonics, we started from an opposite viewpoint and developed a new paradigm of positively and strategically manipulating optical losses by the quantum-inspired photonics concept enrich fundamental optical physics and realized novel photonic synthetic matters with unique optical functionalities. In this seminar, I will present our recent efforts on engineering the complex optical potentials at an exceptional point (i.e. PT symmetry transition point). Based on the exceptional point-induced unidirectionality, we harness optical losses to enable unique microlaser functionalities, in particular, an orbital angular momentum (OAM) microlaser that structures and twists the lasing radiation at the microscale, which is expected to address the growing demand for information capacity. Additionally, I will discuss non-Hermitian topological photonics where optical non-Hermiticity and topological physics are coupled.
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  Light Matter Interactions in Layered Materials: from Trivial to Topological Band Structures

  Professor Ritesh Agarwal, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania

  May 30, 09:00 - 10:00

  B1 L2 R4214

  University of Pennsylvania layered materials

  Strongly confined electrical, optical and thermal excitations drastically modify material’s properties and break local symmetries that can enable precisely tunable novel responses and new functionalities. We will discuss the effect of engineered plasmonic lattice on light matter interactions in 2D excitonic crystals to produce novel responses such as enhanced and tunable emission, Fano resonances and strong exciton-plasmon polaritons, which can be precisely controlled by geometry and applied fields to produce novel device concepts. Our recent work on collective polaritonic modes and the formation of a complete polaritonic bandgap in few-layered excitonic semiconductors coupled to plasmons will also be presented.
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  Part 4: The isoperimetric inequality. Stability and related topics

  Prof. Nicola Fusco, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy

  May 29, 15:30 - 17:00

  B1 L4 R4102

  isoperimetric inequality Partial Differential Equations University of Jyvaskyla in Finland

  The aim of the course is to give a self contained introduction, at the level of a graduate course, to the stability of the isoperimetric inequality and other related geometric and functional inequality such as the Sobolev inequality, the Faber-Krahn and the Brunn-Minkowski inequality. Lecture 4: I will discuss the quantitative isoperimetric inequality in the general case and the quantitative form of related geometric and functional inequalities.
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  Modern Techniques of Statistical Optimization for Machine Learning

  Tong Zhang, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, HKUST

  May 29, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 H1

  HKUST statistics nonconvex stochastic optimization machine learning

  Many problems in machine learning rely on statistics and optimization. To solve these problems, new techniques are needed. I will show some of these new techniques through selected machine learning problems I have recently worked on, such as nonconvex stochastic optimization, distributed training, adversarial attack, and generative models.
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  Stationary Mean-Field Games with Congestion

  David Evangelista, Ph.D. Student, Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences

  May 28, 14:00 - 15:00

  B2 L5 R5220

  mean-field games

  Mean-field games MFG are models of large populations of rational agents who seek to optimize an objective function that takes into account their state variables and the distribution of the state variable of the remaining agents. MFG with congestion model problems where the agents’ motion is hampered in high-density regions. First, we study radial solutions for first- and second-order stationary MFG with congestion on R^d. Next, we consider second-order stationary MFG with congestion and prove the existence of stationary solutions. Additionally, we study first-order stationary MFG with congestion with quadratic or power-like Hamiltonians.
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  Part 3: The isoperimetric inequality. Stability and related topics

  Prof. Nicola Fusco, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy

  May 27, 14:30 - 16:00

  B1 L4 R4102

  isoperimetric inequality Partial Differential Equations University of Jyvaskyla in Finland

  The aim of the course is to give a self contained introduction, at the level of a graduate course, to the stability of the isoperimetric inequality and other related geometric and functional inequality such as the Sobolev inequality, the Faber-Krahn and the Brunn-Minkowski inequality. Lecture 3: I will present Fuglede’s proof of the quantitative isoperimetric inequality for convex and for nearly spherical sets
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  High Precision Comb-Assisted Molecular Spectroscopy in the Mid-Infrared

  Bidoor AlSaif, Ph.D. Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  May 27, 10:00 - 11:00

  B2 L5 R5220

  Optical sensors molecular spectroscopy

  The design of laser-based optical sensors relies heavily on precise spectroscopic knowledge of atomic and molecular absorption transitions. Accurate spectroscopic information is invaluable in several fields such as biology, chemistry, astronomy, and environmental science. Within the electromagnetic spectrum, the mid-infrared (MIR) region can enable sensors with higher sensitivity due to the stronger absorption cross-sections. Moreover, MIR spectral transitions correspond to the fundamental vibrational motions of the molecules and are thus considered fingerprints of the molecular structure. Vibrational bands contain many rotational transitions, resulting in fine-splitting of spectral bands, particularly in gaseous samples. In order to resolve the fine rotational structure of vibrational bands, high-resolution MIR spectrometers are needed.
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  Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access for 5G and Beyond

  Prof. Daniel Costa , Federal University of Ceará

  May 26, 14:00 - 15:00

  B1 L2 R2202

  Federal University of Ceará 5th generation cellular

  Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has recently emerged not only as a new design of multiple access techniques in cellular networks, but also as a general principle of network architecture for applications beyond cellular systems. This talk will present and discuss the fundamentals of NOMA, and examine how it can be combined with other emerging communication technologies. Some new research trends and challenges will also be discussed.

May 19 - May 25, 2019

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  Part 2: The isoperimetric inequality. Stability and related topics

  Prof. Nicola Fusco, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy

  May 22, 14:30 - 16:00

  B1 L4 R4102

  isoperimetric inequality Partial Differential Equations University of Jyvaskyla in Finland

  The aim of the course is to give a self contained introduction, at the level of a graduate course, to the stability of the isoperimetric inequality and other related geometric and functional inequality such as the Sobolev inequality, the Faber-Krahn and the Brunn-Minkowski inequality. Lecture 2: I will present De Giorgi’s proof of the isoperimetric inequality and comment on other proofs of the isoperimetric inequality
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  A Uniquely Defined Digital Experience

  Jason E. Roos, Chief Information Officer, KAUST

  May 22, 08:30 - 09:30

  B9 H2

  digital experience KAUST community

  “KAUST Smart” is a newly launched program intended to facilitate the design and implementation of digital experiences that will be developed in partnership with leading technology companies and the tremendous talent of KAUST. These unique solutions will be piloted and tested utilizing the KAUST community as a living laboratory and showcased to the rest of the world as an example of how KAUST is a global innovation leader.
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  Numerical simulation in engineering and medicine - On multi-scale approaches, scientific software, and uncertainty

  Prof. Rolf Krause, Faculty of Informatics, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano

  May 21, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 H2

  Complex geometries, non-smooth surface-effects, non-linear and heterogeneous material behaviour, and coupled multi-physics problems pose fundamental challenges for numerical simulation methods - may it be on the mathematical or on the software sie. In this talk, we will present and discuss multi-scale approaches for the efficient solution of smooth and non-smooth large scale non-linear systems, and we will comment on how to realize them in modern and HPC-friendly scientific software. Particular emphasis will be put on the design and construction of non-standard approximation and model hierarchies for non-linear problems, which then will be exploited for designing efficient solution methods in space, time, and space-time.
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  Part 1: The isoperimetric inequality. Stability and related topics

  Prof. Nicola Fusco, Università di Napoli Federico II, Italy

  May 20, 14:30 - 16:00

  B1 L4 R4102

  isoperimetric inequality Partial Differential Equations University of Jyvaskyla in Finland

  The aim of the course is to give a self contained introduction, at the level of a graduate course, to the stability of the isoperimetric inequality and other related geometric and functional inequality such as the Sobolev inequality, the Faber-Krahn and the Brunn-Minkowski inequality. Lecture 1: I will introduce some basic notions of the theory of sets of ignite perimeter and of geometric measure theory.
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  Data mining and fusion for image analysis in remote sensing

  Dr. Wenzhi Liao, Ghent University, Belgium

  May 19, 12:00 - 13:00

  B2 L5 R5209

  Specifically, I will introduce hyperspectral image restoration and its impacts on content interpretation. Despite advances in sensor technologies, degradation (e.g., noise, blur, low resolution, etc.) cannot be avoided during the hyperspectral images’ acquisitions, which can affect information retrieval and content interpretation. The first part of my talk will present the techniques I developed to improve the image qualities (noise reduction, sharpening, resolution enhancement, etc.), with specific applications to plant disease mapping in precision agriculture and fruit bruise detection in food inspection.

May 12 - May 18, 2019

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  Numerical methods for stochastic conservation laws with multiplicative rough drivers in the flux

  Håkon A. Hoel, Visiting Researcher, Stochastic Numerics Research Group

  May 16, 15:00 - 16:00

  B1 L4 R4214

  numerical methods numerical analysis

  Abstract Stochastic conservation laws (SCL) with quasilinear multiplicative``rough'' path dependence in the flux arise in modeling of mean field games. An impressive collection of theoretical results has been developed for SCL in recent years by Gess, Lions, Perthame, and Souganidis. We present the first fully computable numerical methods for pathwise solutions of scalar SCL with, for instance, "rough" paths in the form of Wiener processes. Convergence rates are derived for the numerical methods and we show that for strictly convex flux functions, "rough" path oscillations lead to
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  The strength of multidisciplinary research: the joint example of statistics and geoscience

  Dr. Luigi Lombardo, University of Twente, Netherlands

  May 14, 16:00 - 17:00

  B1 L4 R4102

  University of Twente spatial statistics

  Different scientific branches have the potential to develop topics which would provide visibility and fame. However, comparable if not greater milestones can be achieved when researchers from totally different fields join their efforts. This seminar will summarize the scientific journey of a former member of KAUST, which spent three years here as a postdoc in statistics coming from a pure geological background, combining the best out of the two worlds. Examples of the latest researches will be provided in the context of space, time and space-time statistics, bridging it with the underlying geoscientific research questions.
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  Sim-to-Real Transfer for Autonomous Navigation

  Matthias Mueller, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

  May 14, 16:00 - 17:00

  B2 L5 R5220

  Computer Vision UAV robotics machine learning

  This work investigates the problem of transfer from simulation to the real world in the context of autonomous navigation. To this end, we first present a photo-realistic training and evaluation simulator Sim4CV which enables several applications across various fields of computer vision. Built on top of the Unreal Engine, the simulator features cars and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a realistic physics simulation and diverse urban and suburban 3D environments. We demonstrate the versatility of the simulator with two case studies: autonomous UAV-based tracking of moving objects and autonomous driving using supervised learning.
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  Adaptive Intrusion Management System for Databases

  Muhamad Felemban, Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering Department, KFUPM

  May 13, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  cybersecurity

  With the growing cyber-security threats to governmental and organizational infrastructures, the need to develop high resilient systems that preserve the security and privacy of data is becoming increasingly important. Although there is a large body of work on security and privacy countermeasures, cyber-attacks still persist. A prominent type of such attacks is intrusion attack that aims at data tampering, which can impair the availability and the integrity of data.

May 5 - May 11, 2019

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  Joint longitudinal-survival models using R-INLA

  Janet van Niekerk, Research Scientist, Statistics

  May 9, 12:00 - 13:00

  B9 L2 H1

  stochastic smoothing pipeline R-INLA

  Joint models have received increasing attention during recent years with extensions into various directions; numerous hazard functions, different association structures, linear and non-linear longitudinal trajectories amongst others. They gained popularity amongst practitioners by the ability to incorporate various data sources. In this talk, we will introduce joint models and provide some conceptual ideas about their use and necessity. Also, we will illustrate how these models can be formulated as Latent Gaussian Models and hence be implemented using R-INLA.