Keynotes

A new generation of metasurface antennas

Abstract: “Metasurface” (MTS) denotes a surface constituted at microwave frequency by PCB or 3D printed elements small in terms of wavelengths that collectively exhibits equivalent homogeneous boundary conditions to any interacting electromagnetic fields. MTSs have had and are having a strong impact in Antenna applications. In the years 2000-2010 MTS for antennas were essentially uniform in space and realized by periodic printed elements.  This was the first generation of MTS. In the second generation (2010-2020), MTS for antennas was constructed in such a way to change boundary conditions in space and control the scattered field. Today we are facing a transition to the third generation of MTS antennas, where MTSs change boundary conditions in space and time, opening new perspectives in 5G communications and beyond. In this presentation, the evolution of MTS antennas is described, with new ideas and examples on future communication scenarios.

Biography

Stefano MACI is a Professor at the University of Siena since 97. His research interest includes high-frequency and beam representation methods, computational electromagnetics, large phased arrays, and metamaterials and metasurfaces. In 2004 he was the founder of the European School of Antennas (ESoA). Since 2004, he is the Director of ESoA. Since 2010 he has been Principal Investigator of 6 cooperative projects financed by European Space Agency.

Professor Maci has been a former member of the AdCom of IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S), associate editor of AP-Transaction, Chair of the Award Committee of IEEE AP-S, and member of the Board of Directors of the European Association on Antennas and Propagation (EurAAP). From 2013 to 2015 he was member of the first National Italian Committee for Qualification to Professor. He has been former member of the Antennas and Propagation Executive Board of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, UK). He founded and has been former Director of the consortium FORESEEN, involving 48 European Institutions. He was the principal investigator of the Future Emerging Technology project “Nanoarchitectronics” of the 8^th EU Framework program, and he is presently principal investigator of the EU program “Metamask”. He was co-founder of 2 Spin-off Companies. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S), and EuRAAP distinguished lecturer in the ambassador program. He was recipient of the EurAAP Award in 2014, of the IEEE Schelkunoff Transaction Prize in 2016, of the Chen-To Tai Distinguished Educator award in 2016, and of the URSI Dellinger Gold Medal in 2020. He has been TPC Chair of the METAMATERIAL 2020 conference and designed Chairperson of EuCAP 2023. In the last ten years he has been invited 25 times as key-note speaker in international conferences. He is President Elect of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society 2022. 

Advances in Computational and Experimental Bioelectromagnetics for Healthcare: Sensors and Neurointerfaces

Abstract: Although technical challenges are still daunting, the clinical utility of neuroprosthetics has increased dramatically over the past few years. This has been accomplished through the convergence of numerous disciplines, which have individually added fundamental understanding/capabilities to systems that interface with the human body to restore senses and movement, or treat prevalent diseases that have currently no foreseeable cure. Among these, predictive multiscale computational modeling methods have greatly aided in the design of neuroprosthetics by embracing the complexity of the nervous system, which span multiple spatial scales, temporal scales, and disciplines. In this talk, we will cover some of the recent advances in bioelectromagnetic systems for healthcare, with a particular focus on visual and hippocampal prosthesis, peripheral neuroprosthetics, and sensors.

Biography

Gianluca Lazzi, PhD MBA is a Provost Professor of Ophthalmology, Electrical Engineering, Clinical Entrepreneurship and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) where he is also the holder of the Fred H. Cole Professorship and the Director of the Institute for Technology and Medical Systems (ITEMS), a joint initiative of the Keck School of Medicine and the Viterbi School of Engineering. His expertise is in antenna design, medical applications of electromagnetics, implantable devices, neuroengineering, wireless telemetry, and liquid metal sensors. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He co-founded Teveri, Inc, which is focused on the commercialization of stretchable conductive liquid metal-based fibers knitted in clothing and athletic apparel to bring seamless biometric, sensing and illumination solutions to smart clothing as well as stretchable electronic systems for medical, consumer, and military applications. He is the 2022 President of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society.

New Trends in Antenna Design using Gap Waveguide Technology

Abstract: In this talk, a brief overview of the fundamentals of gap waveguide technology and a summary of classical designs of directive antennas based on corporate fed arrays will be first presented. After that, some new options for using this technology in the millimeter frequency bands will be presented. This includes the use of alternative periodic structures instead of the classical bed of nails, as well as the

potential of this technology to be combined with classical technologies such as microstrip and the design of other kind of antennas as for instance leaky wave antennas. In this way, an overview of different on-going research lines connected to this technology will be presented.

Biography

She is now a Professor with the Department of Signal Theory and Communications University Carlos III of Madrid since 2018 where she works since 2002. She has been an Affiliated Professor with the Antenna Group of Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) since 2009 to 2016 and Visiting Professor in other universities as KTH, Siena. PUCV or Paris X. She has co-authored more than 100 papers in JCR international journals and more than 150 papers in international conferences. Her current research interests include artificial surfaces and periodic structures with higher symmetries, gap waveguide technology, patch antennas and MIMO systems.

In 2022 she was appointed European Association on Antennas and Propagation (EurAAP) ambassador

Prof. Rajo-Iglesias was the recipient of LAPC Conference Best Paper Award in 2007, the Best Poster at the conference Metamaterials 2009, the 2014 Excellence Award to Young Research Staff at the University Carlos III of Madrid, the Third Place Winner of the Bell Labs Prize 2014 and the 2020 ISAP Best Student paper Award. She has served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION MAGAZINE (2009-2019)and Associate Editor of the IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS (2011-2017). She is also listed as one of the Top 2% Most Influential Scientists (Career Impact) (1960-2020) in the list elaborated by Stanford University.