Prof. Nikos C. Sagias

University of Peloponnese, Greece

Bio: Born in Athens, Greece in 1974, a distinguished academic currently serves as a professor at the University of Peloponnese (UoP) and holds the position of Director at the DSC Lab. Additionally, this academic is a member of the UoP Board of Directors and has twice chaired the Department of Informatics & Telecommunications.

Holding a PhD in Telecom Engineering, an MSc in Electronics and Radioelectrology, and a BSc from the Department of Physics at the University of Athens, this academic’s expertise spans a broad spectrum of digital communications. Areas of focus include wireless and mobile communication systems, satellite communications, information theory, modulation and coding, ΜΙΜΟ systems, statistical telecommunications, multihop networks, signal processing for communications, fading channels, and optical-wireless communication systems.

With 125 papers published in international journals and conferences, this researcher’s work is featured in prestigious journals such as IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Communications Letters, and Electronics Letters.

Notable conference presentations include IEEE GLOBECOM, IEEE ICC, and IEEE WCNC, where recognition for excellence in research was further solidified by receiving the best paper award in communications at the IEEE WCNC in Istanbul, Turkey in 2014, and the 3rd ISCCSP in Malta in 2008. The research has accumulated over 3,000 citations in SCOPUS and 4,000 citations in Google Scholar.

Editorial contributions have been extensive, with a tenure as Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications from 2009 to 2014, and prior editorial roles with AEÜ - International Journal of Electronics and Communications. This academic also serves as a reviewer and TPC member for various IEEE conferences.

With over 16 years of teaching experience, the teaching portfolio includes both undergraduate and post-graduate courses, covering a comprehensive range of subjects including Digital Systems, Design Logic, Microprocessors, Computer Architecture, Assembly, Computer Networks, Digital Communications, Satellite Communications, Simulation, Information Theory, Coding, Signal Processing for Communications, and Mobile Communications, C Programming Language.

Dr. Philipp Svoboda

Technische Universität Wien, Austria

Bio: Philipp Svoboda is an Researcher at TU Wien, where he serves as the Head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Digital Twin assisted Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Radio Access Networks (CDLab AIRAN). His research aims to contribute to the development of resilient, intelligent, and energy-efficient wireless systems through both fundamental and applied investigations.

His current research investigates the integration of Digital Twin (DT) models and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimize the design and operation of Radio Access Networks (RANs). This work addresses key challenges identified for 6G and subsequent systems, particularly the enhancement of data-driven network optimization and strategies for improving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

This focus is informed by his extensive experience analyzing the performance aspects of 4G and 5G cellular technologies. A foundational component of this research involved developing robust frameworks for evaluating network quality using crowdsourcing methodologies, aimed at supporting more reliable connectivity.

Dedicated to the principle of impactful, academic-industrial collaboration, Philipp leads a team of researchers within the CDLab AIRAN. The laboratory actively explores partnerships focused on advancing the state-of-the-art in intelligent and sustainable connectivity and welcomes professional inquiries regarding collaborative research opportunities.

Abstract: The transition towards 6G networks necessitates a fundamental paradigm shift from reactive network management towards proactive and autonomous optimization strategies. Central to this evolution is the "Digital Twin" (DT), acting as a high-fidelity virtual representation of the physical radio environment. Utilizing extensive empirical measurements from real-world datasets in Vienna, the construction of differentiable network twins allows for the direct and scalable optimization of critical network parameters—such as transmit power and load-balancing—via gradient-based Artificial Intelligence. The enhancement of prediction reliability for signal parameters (RSRP), particularly within complex urban environments and railway corridors, is achieved through the integration of uncertainty-aware Bayesian learning. In the context of 6G, these DTs evolve beyond simple monitoring tools to become the core engine for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), facilitating high-precision localization and context-aware connectivity. By addressing the "sim-to-real" gap as a structured AI challenge, this framework establishes a practical roadmap for sustainable, zero-touch network management. These findings provide a technical basis for future collaboration among researchers focused on digital-twin-based network evolution and intelligent infrastructure.

Assoc. Prof. Xingqi Zhang

University of Alberta, Canada

Bio: Dr. Xingqi Zhang received the B.Sc. degree (graduated with honors) from the Harbin Institute of Technology, China, and the M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada. He is also affiliated with the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University College Dublin, Ireland, as an Adjunct Professor. Besides, he has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto and the Queen Mary University of London, and an Associate Investigator at the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications (CONNECT) in Ireland.

His research is in the interdisciplinary areas of applied electromagnetics and wireless communications. A particular focus is on the development of high-performance computational models/algorithms for emerging wireless technologies in 5G/6G/THz wireless communications, intelligent transportation (air, ground, underground), underwater communications, industrial Internet of Things, as well as biomedical sensing and healthcare applications.

He has been involved in a variety of research council and industry-funded projects, and has been collaborating with many world-leading universities and international companies. For example, he is currently the coordinator and lead principal investigator (PI) for a million-level European-funded project under the Horizon 2020 Future & Emerging Technologies program. The projects in his group cover the following topics: wireless channel modeling and optimization in indoor, urban, and terrestrial environments, multiphysics and multiscale modeling for electromagnetic, micro-/nano-electronic, and biomedical problems, indoor/outdoor localization, integrated sensing and communication, machine learning and parametric modeling, stochastic uncertainty quantification, EMC/EMI analysis, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), as well as antenna and RF/microwave/millimeter-wave design & measurement.

He has served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters (AWPL), the IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation (MAP), and the IEEE Journal on Multiscale and Multiphysics Computational Techniques (JMMCT), as well as a Technical Program Committee Member and Session Chair for several flagship conferences, including the IEEE MTT-S International Conference on Numerical Electromagnetic and Multiphysics Modeling and Optimization (NEMO), the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (AP-S), etc. He was the recipient of the ACES Early Career Award from the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES), the RIA Charlemont Award from the Royal Irish Academy, the IRC Research Ally Prize from the Irish Research Council, the Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the IEEE ICCT, several Young Scientist Awards from the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and the Electromagnetics Academy, as well as Best Paper Awards at international symposia.