Associate Professor Iftekhar Ahmad is a communications engineer researching how to connect the cities of the future – without costing the Earth.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering, Iftekhar Ahmad had just finished his PhD in communications technologies at Monash University when his field of expertise underwent a huge shift and smartphones came along.
Iftekhar now leads the Wireless Communications Research Group at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia. He points to wireless and sensor technologies, electric vehicles and the ‘industrial Internet of Things (IoT)’ as exciting areas of innovation. “Smartphones and communication technologies like 4G and 5G have revolutionised the way we access information,” Iftekhar says.
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In his work at ECU, Iftekhar is currently focused on green communications technologies. “The increasing trend of energy consumption/carbon footprint contributed by the communications industry is a major concern,” he says. Iftekhar is researching ways to integrate renewable energy into communications technologies and is also interested in technology around electric vehicle charging.
Iftekhar was sold on ECU based on the facilities and culture, and says the uni’s School of Engineering boasts one of the best hands-on study experiences, working with the latest engineering equipment. “With the uptake of industrial automation and the digital revolution, electrical engineers are more important than ever,” he says.
Iftekhar’s study and career pathway
- Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
- PhD, Communications Engineering, Monash University
- Postdoctoral researcher, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University
- Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University
This article is brought to you in partnership with ECU. This article originally appears in Careers with STEM: Engineering 2020.
