Luís Correia Elected to European Association for Communication Technology

Luís Correia Elected to European Association for Communication Technology

Luís Correia, a faculty member and researcher at Instituto Superior Técnico of the Universidade de Lisboa (IST-UL) / INOV-INESC, involved in the dual degree Ph.D. program in Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) of the CMU Portugal Program, was elected to the General Assembly of 5G-PPP, a European association that brings together a diversity of stakeholders from the communication technologies area. The main goal of the association is to implement a strategic roadmap for research and innovation to improve competitiveness and innovation, stimulating economic growth and job creation.

Luís Correia was co-advisor of Rathapon Saruthirathanaworakun, along with Jon Peha, from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Rathapon finished his dual degree doctoral program in EPP, at IST-UL and CMU, in the academic year 2012/2013, and he is now an engineering specialist at the True Corporation – True Move. Rathapon’s dissertation title was “Gray-Space Spectrum Sharing with Cellular Systems and Radars, and Policy Implications.”

Other than Luís Correia, six additional members were elected to the 5G-PPP. The association seeks to foster a stronger, more competitive and more innovative telecommunications industry. It’s ultimate goal is to provide solutions to important societal challenges as identified in the Digital Agenda, such as drastically reducing energy in network operations and optimizing radio frequency usage.

CMU Portugal: You have been elected to the General Assembly of the 5G Association. What will be your role?
Luís Correia (LC): I will have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from industry and academia, and contribute to identify the main research directions towards the development of the 5th generation of mobile and wireless communications. This is expected to have a strong impact, given the European presence in this area of telecommunications. Moreover, because I am an academic, this is an opportunity to convey the messages of the academic community to industry.

CMU Portugal: What does this election mean to you?
LC: It is an honor. Being involved in European R&D activities for many years, this election shows the recognition that many colleagues, from both academia and industry, have for the work I have done and my contributions to the area.

CMU Portugal: You have an extensive curriculum as a professor, researcher and as a participant in R&D activities in the telecommunications area. What are the new challenges that this role brings?
LC: The challenges are both technical and organizational. In terms of the technical aspects, I will have to contribute with new ideas and concepts for the development of new networks and mobile and wireless communication systems. However, as a researcher this is a normal challenge, and the fact that these ideas need to be implemented in a time frame of about ten years creates additional constrains. As far as the organizational aspects are concerned, representing the community in an association means that I need to be capable of expressing the views of my colleagues during the meetings, and also to help reach consensus, so that decisions are made properly.

March 2014