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Wireless Communications and Networking Laboratory

Background

The Wireless Communications and Networking Laboratory (WCNL) at Macquarie University conducts research into emerging wireless communications and networking technologies.  It follows in the footsteps of pioneering wireless research conducted by Prof Neil Weste and Prof. David Skellern (currently adjunct professors of the Department of Electronic Engineering) in late 1990s. Their research  into WLAN IEEE 802.11 technology resulted in Macquarie University's most successful IT-related commercial startup, Radiata Communications, which was bought by Cisco Systems for a record $US295 million. Subsequently, the wireless research group led by Prof. Linda Davis continued the research effort focusing on the exciting area of 60GHz wireless networking technology. Since 2008, WCNL, led by Prof. Eryk Dutkiewicz, has focused on research into wireless body area networks for medical applications (see a short promotional video) and research into cognitive radio networks for next generation mobile communications systems. WCNL conducts collaborative research with premier research organisations around the world. (For more information see Linkages.)

Vision

To provide the environment for a top international centre for wireless communications and networking research, strongly aligned to premier wireless research institutions around the world and providing research outputs of relevance to our industry partners.

Mission

To pursue world-class research into next generation of wireless communications and networking technologies and to train top-quality research students.

Further Information

We welcome your enquiries about our work - please contact the Director, Professor Eryk Dutkiewicz. 

News:

We are bringining to Australia the 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Communications and Information Technologies to be held on 2-5 October 2012 in Gold Coast, Queensland. The paper submission deadline is 7 May 2012. For more information visit the conference website.

PhD Research Scholarship Opportunities

Macquarie University offers generous PhD scholarships (MQRES) to domestic and international students. These MQRES scholarships are unique to Macquarie University. Applications can be made all year round. International students can also apply for Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (E-IPRS). Applications for E-IPRS scholarships close in August. Macquarie University also offers cotutelle MQRES scholarships under inter-university arrangements. This allows the possibility of getting two PhD degrees for the same research work, one from Macquarie University and the other from a European, Asian or North American university. Cotutelle MQRES scholarships are open all year. For more information about research scholarships see Opportunities.

Some of the research topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Resource allocation in cognitive radio networks
• Medium access control protocols with collaborative MIMOs
• Interference mitigation in wireless body area networks
• Multidisciplinary research on ubiquitous health systems (in collaboration with CSIRO - see Opportunities)
• Localisation for wireless ad-hoc positioning systems (in collaboration with CSIRO - see Opportunities)
• Context-aware ultra-low power body area networks for health monitoring (joint PhD supervision program in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology - see Opportunities)
• Green radio communications
• Micro and nano-scale communications networks