Two UCLA Engineering Professors Join $25 Million NSF-Funded Radio Spectrum Center

Electrical and computer engineering professors Danijela Cabric and Sudhakar Pamarti from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering will work with other top minds to develop the radio spectrum of the future at a National Science Foundation-funded, five-year, $25 million research center.

SpectrumX, headquartered at the University of Notre Dame, was founded earlier this year in response to the increasing use of radio frequency spectrum for 5G commercial wireless broadband networks, GPS navigation and broadcasting systems. A coordinated shift in radio spectrum management, research and development efforts is necessary to meet the growing demands of the telecommunications, satellite, defense and science sectors.

The interdisciplinary group of more than 40 scholars and staff members from 27 universities across the U.S. will collaborate on research, education and management of the radio spectrum to advance its utilization and improve public and private access.

Cabric and her research group will work on expanding broadband access in the radio spectrum while preventing interference with existing spectrum-dependent technologies. Using machine-learning tools, she will also develop automated security approaches for the fingerprinting and identification of radio transmitters.

Pamarti and his research group will develop low-power, inexpensive radio frequency-sensing hardware. This will allow for better utilization of the finite radio spectrum resources and reduce interference of multiple devices using the radio spectrum.

The NSF is working with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission, which regulate government and nongovernmental use of the spectrum respectively, to align interests with U.S. policies on the use, research and development of the radio spectrum.

Natalie Weber contributed to this story.