Keynote Speakers

		Mohamed-Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia Homepage: https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/mohamed-slim-alouini

Mohamed-Slim Alouini was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical
Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1998. He served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota then in the Texas A&M University at Qatar before joining in 2009 the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) where he is now a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prof. Alouini is a Fellow of the IEEE and OPTICA (Formerly the Optical Society of America (OSA)). He is currently particularly interested in addressing the technical challenges associated with the uneven distribution, access to, and use of information and communication technologies in rural, low-income, disaster, and/or hard-to-reach areas.
穆罕默德·斯利姆·阿卢尼出生在突尼斯的突尼斯市。他获得了电气博士学位。1998年毕业于加州理工学院(Caltech)。在2009年加入阿卜杜拉国王科技大学(KAUST)之前，他曾担任明尼苏达大学的教员，然后在德克萨斯农工大学卡塔尔分校(Texas A&M University at Qatar)任职，现在是电气和计算机工程的特聘教授。阿卢尼教授是IEEE和OPTICA(前身为美国光学学会(OSA))的会员。他目前特别感兴趣的是解决农村、低收入、灾害和/或难以到达地区的信息和通信技术分配不均、获取和使用不均所带来的技术挑战。

(Online) Title: Tapping into the full potential of the Stratosphere

Abstract: High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) are emerging as a key complement to LEO satellite mega-constellations, offering a scalable solution for global connectivity and bridging digital divides where terrestrial and satellite networks fall short. Operating from the stratosphere, HAPS leverage advanced beamforming and free-space optics (FSO) to deliver high-capacity and low-latency communications across diverse geographical areas. This talk explores the technological connectivity advancements driving HAPS by highlighting how intelligent beam management and optical feeder and inter-HAPS links can democratize broadband access and provide also unique solutions for disaster recovery, paving the way for a more connected world. 

		Julian Cheng, Great Bay University, China Fellow of CAE, EIC, IEEE, Optica Homepage: https://www.gbu.edu.cn/detail/article/1376

Julian Cheng received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. He is now the founding Dean of the School of Computing and Information Technology at Great Bay University, Dongguan. Formerly, he was with the Faculty of Applied Science, The University of British Columbia, Canada, where he is also a Professor Emeritus. His research interests include robotics wireless Communications for civilian and defense applications, deep learning for wireless communications, optical wireless technology. Dr. Cheng has been a technical program committee member for many IEEE conferences and workshops. He co-chaired the 12th Canadian Workshop on Information Theory (CWIT 2011) in Kelowna, Canada. He also co-chaired the 2021 and 2024 Communication Theory Workshop. He served as an Area Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications (2018-2023). Previously, he was an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, and IEEE Communications Letters. He was a past Guest Editor for a special issue of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications on optical wireless communications. He also served as the President of the Canadian Society of Information Theory (2017-2021). From 2022 to 2023, he was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. Dr. Cheng holds the Principal Research Chair (Tier-1) at UBC on Advanced Wireless Systems. He is also a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of Optica. In 2025, he was elected a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (FEIC) and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE).

(In - person) Title: Ultraviolet Indoor Wireless Communications: Potentials, Scenarios, and Recent Results

Abstract: Radio frequency (RF) technology is widely adopted in indoor wireless communications due to its attractive benefits, such as low cost and easy deployment. However, RF technology also faces certain challenges, such as spectrum scarcity and security concerns. In this talk, ultraviolet (UV) communication is introduced to tackle these issues thanks to its distinctive benefits, for example, huge bandwidth without licensing, scattering and reflection propagations, and communication security. Following that, UV representative scenarios for indoor communications and related performance indicators are investigated. Finally, we present a unified framework for indoor non-line-of-sight ultraviolet communication, integrating channel modeling with radiation-safety assessment. This recent work provides a basis for safety-assured performance analysis and the development of future indoor non-line-of-sight ultraviolet communication systems.

		Nan Chi, Fudan Univerisity, China Homepage: http://www.it.fudan.edu.cn/En/Data/View/1784

Professor Nan Chi is the executive dean of College of Future Information Technology, Fudan University, China. She is the author or co-author of more than 400 papers and has been cited more than 17000 times. Her current research interests include optical fiber communication and visible light communication. She is a fellow of the OPTICA.

(In - person) Title: Optical Interconnect, Switching, and Communication Technologies for 6G and Space-based Computing

Abstract: The evolution toward 6G networks and the rise of space-based computing are driving an unprecedented need for ultra-high-capacity, low-latency, and energy-efficient connectivity across terrestrial, aerial, and orbital domains. This talk presents a comprehensive vision of how optical interconnect, optical switching, and optical communication technologies collectively form the backbone of this converged infrastructure. we examine advanced optical wireless communication (LiFi), free-space optical links, and fiber-based x-haul networks as key enablers for seamless data access. Advances in optical switching, photonic integrated circuits, wavelength-division multiplexing technology will be discussed. The talk will feature new spectrum carrier resources (terahertz, visible light, ultraviolet, and infrared bands) illuminate the future of wide-coverage, multi-scenario, multi-mode ultra-high-speed 6G pervasive communication networks. By bridging the extreme performance goals of 6G with scalable space computing architectures, optical technologies are poised to realize a seamlessly interconnected computing and communication fabric from the chip level to orbit.

		Majid Safari, The University of Edinburgh, UK Homepage: https://eng.ed.ac.uk/about/people/professor-majid-safari

Majid Safari is Professor of Optical and Wireless Communications and Deputy Head of the Institute for Imaging, Data and Communications (IDCOM) at the University of Edinburgh. He received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada, in 2011. Prof Safari’s research focuses on the application of optics, information theory and signal processing to optical, wireless and quantum communications. He has received the Mitacs Fellowship (Canada) and prestigious research funding from the Leverhulme Trust and the EPSRC (UK), as well as support through the Horizon Europe programme. His contributions to optical wireless communications (OWC) have been recognised with Best Paper Awards at IEEE GLOBECOM 2022, IEEE ICC 2023 and IEEE WCNC 2025. Prof Safari has served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Communications (2019–2024) and IEEE Communications Letters (2015–2019). He has also co-chaired several OWC workshops, including the 4th Workshop on Optical Wireless Communication (2015) and the OWC workshops at IEEE WCNC 2023 and IEEE GLOBECOM 2024.

(In - person) Title: Photon-Counting Receivers for Future Optical Wireless Communications

Abstract: Optical wireless communication (OWC) offers several complementary advantages over radio-frequency wireless networks, including access to a vast available spectrum. As a result, OWC is expected to play an important role in forthcoming sixth-generation wireless communication networks. Although significant progress has been made in OWC over the past decades, outages caused by intermittently low received optical power remain a key limiting factor for widespread deployment. In this talk, the potential of photon-counting receivers is discussed as a promising solution to overcome this limitation. The main factors that limit their performance are also introduced, along with approaches for modelling them. Finally, a comprehensive performance-enhancement framework is proposed to address these issues, and selected open problems for future research are presented.

		Sujan Rajbhandari, University of Strathclyde, UK Homepage: https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/rajbhandarisujandr/

Dr Sujan Rajbhandari is a reader at University of Strathclyde. He is a leading expert in optical wireless communication (OWC) with a research focus on OWC for the next generation of wireless networks. He has worked at world-leading universities and research groups (Northumbria, Oxford, Coventry, Bangor, and Strathclyde universities) and the leading industry in wireless communication (Huawei R&D centre, Sweden). He is also co-Ordinator for Horizon-Europe funded MSCA doctoral network on “Advanced Network Connectivity using Harmonious Optical and Radio Technologies”. He has co-authored over 200 scholarly articles with a citation of >10000 (Google Scholar). He is a keynote speaker and invited speaker for various international conferences and has served as an Associate Editors for IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, editor board member for MDPI, Wiley and Frontiers Journals.

(In - person) Title: Performance Enhancement in Optical Wireless Communication via Diversity, Advanced Receiver Design, and Mitigation Techniques

Abstract: Significant advancements in optical wireless communications (OWC) techniques in recent years have positioned it as a leading complementary technology to extend future-generation wireless connectivity from underwater to space. Over the years, OWC has seen substantial technological improvements addressing fundamental challenges such as channel impairments, limited transceiver bandwidth and restricted mobility due to the directional nature of optical transmission. The availability of high-spatial-density optical sources at multiple wavelengths has enabled the development of spatial and wavelength diversity techniques, which are essential for overcoming limitations in system bandwidth. However, designing robust diversity schemes that can effectively operate under channel impairments remains challenging, requiring careful system design and advanced mitigation strategies to address unavoidable spatial and temporal interferences. Furthermore, the etendue imposes a trade-off between the field of view and receiver optical gain, which are critical for achieving wider mobility and a power-efficient receiver design.  

This talk presents an overview of optical spatial diversity techniques, including imaging and non-imaging approaches, and various practical demonstrations.  The talk will also highlight the spatial and temporal interference challenges and their joint mitigation approach using advanced mitigation strategies, such as the use of artificial neural networks.  The talk will also highlight approaches for designing wide field-of-view receiver designs based on fluorescent antennas to overcome the Eendue, along with methods for implementing wavelength-diversity receivers using these devices.