Matthew Baker - Head of Radio Physical Layer and Coexistence Standardisation, Independent

Matthew Baker is Head of Radio Physical Layer and Co-Existence Standardisation at Nokia, and a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. He was Chairman of 3GPP TSG RAN Working Group 1 from 2009 – 2013, and Vice-Chairman of the same group from 2013 – 2017. He has actively contributed to the standardization of UMTS/HSPA, LTE and 5G in 3GPP. Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia) in 2009, he worked at Philips for 12 years, where he conducted research into a variety of wireless communication systems and techniques, including propagation modelling, DECT, Hiperlan and UMTS, as well as leading the Philips 3GPP RAN standardization team. He holds degrees in Engineering and Electrical and Information Sciences from the University of Cambridge. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading, UK. He is co-editor of “LTE – The UMTS Long Term Evolution: From Theory to Practice” (Wiley, Second Edition 2012), has authored many papers and holds numerous patents in the field of mobile communications.

David Barker - CTO, Quintel Technology

David is CTO at Quintel. His role involves creating, identifying and assessing how Quintel’s RF technology innovations can be applied for wireless communications markets, and in particular for the LTE and MIMO antenna world. Prior to Quintel, David worked briefly with Arieso Limited, in the application and development of automated intelligent 3G network design optimisation products, and over 7 years with Mason Communications (now AnalysysMason) as a principal consultant in the fields of cellular network design & optimisation. David started his career in RF engineering 15 years ago in electronic warfare systems with the UK Ministry of Defence. David holds a BEng (Hons) from Bradford University and an MSc from the Royal Military College of Science. David has a number of patent applications and grants, and is author of a number of academic and conference papers.

Mark Beach - Professor of Radio Systems Engineering, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

Mark Beach received his PhD for research addressing the application of Smart Antenna techniques to GPS from the University of Bristol in 1989, where he subsequently joined as a member of academic staff. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996, Reader in 1998 and Professor in 2003. He was Head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from 2006 to 2010, then spearheaded Bristol’s hosting of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Communications. He is the Co-Director of this centre. He leads research in the field of enabling technologies for the delivery of 5G and beyond wireless connectivity; which includes the recent award of an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership in the field of Secure Wireless Agile Networks (SWAN). Mark’s current research activities are delivered through the Communication Systems and Networks Group, forming a key component within Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab. He has over 30 years of physical layer wireless research embracing the application of Spread Spectrum technology for cellular systems, adaptive or smart antenna for capacity and range extension in wireless networks, MIMO aided connectivity for through-put enhancement, experimental evaluation and optimization of Massive MIMO, Millimetre Wave technologies as well as flexible RF technologies for SDR modems. With a strong industrially focused research portfolio, he is also the School Research Impact Director.

Chris Clifton - CTO & Divisional Director:Europe based Sony Semiconductor & Electronic Solutions (SES), Sony Europe B.V.

Chris is the Chief Technology Officer and Divisional Director for Europe based Sony Semiconductor and Electronic Solutions (SES) with responsibilities for new technology/product incubation and telecommunication/semiconductor R&D activities. His main mission is to identify and help accelerate the development of core enabling technologies which will underpin future consumer and industrial electronic products. Current research focus areas include 3GPP related technologies which will pave the way towards the 5G era including the wireless M2M connectivity technologies which will underpin the next IoT revolution. He currently serves on the ETSI board.

A significant period of his time at Sony has been spent managing the Wireless Semiconductor Development activity in Basingstoke, joining the Sony Semiconductor operation in 1997. During this time the company succeeded in securing significant design wins in the European cellular phone market. After spending a period of time at the main development site in Atsugi, Japan, the design flow for the GaAs MMIC technology was transferred to the UK Design Centre so that European products could be designed locally.

Following the successful set-up of the MMIC design facility by Chris and his team, other areas of Mixed-Signal development were expanded at the Basingstoke facility including cellular RF transceivers, full Bluetooth chipset solutions and analogue devices for DTV applications, under his leadership. In 2001, he became Divisional Director for Wireless products within the European Development Centre.

In 2006, Chris launched a local design centre for the development of LCD panels for mobile consumer electronics devices. Since this time, he has maintained a strong interest in display and image capture technologies, in addition to several other strategically important microelectronic technologies such as MEMS.

Prior to Sony, he held positions as Chief Design Engineer at the GEC III-V semiconductor facility at Caswell and RF Engineering Manager at DSC Communications.

As well as being a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and Chartered Engineer (CEng), Chris has served on the boards of a number of UK government bodies covering training and promotion of engineering within the UK. Also a member of the UK Strategy Advisory board for 5GIC (5G Innovation Centre at Surrey University).

He has authored more than 20 international publications and holds a number of patents. Academic qualifications include a BSc(Hons) in Physics and a PhD in Electronic Engineering.

Paul Duxbury - European Sales Manager, Rainford EMC Systems Ltd

Philippe Garreau - CEO, Microwave Vision Group (MVG)

Philippe is a graduate of SUPELEC, a prominent engineering school in France. He began his career at the European Space Agency (ESA) before joining SATIMO in 1992 as an engineer in charge of antenna measurements. He became Managing Director of SATIMO in 1996 and at the age of 46, became CEO of Microwave Vision Group in 2008.

Stewart Lacey - 5G Driver, Europe and Latin America, Ericsson

Stewart has been with Ericsson for over 30 years in various customer facing technology leadership roles and has been engaged in the market introduction of 2G, 3G and 4G. He is currently focussed on securing readiness for 5G in both Ericsson and its customers across Europe and Latin America.

Leo Laughlin - Co-Founder, Forefront RF Ltd

Leo’s award-winning research on signal cancellation technology forms the basis of Forefront RF’s product development. He was previously a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, and has worked in the wireless industry on mobile chipset development. He has a Ph.D in wireless communication, has published in top academic and industry journals, and is named inventor on several patents.

Sylvia Lu - Corporate Strategy, u-blox UK, Member of Advisory Board, UKTIN

Sylvia Lu is an award-winning Chartered Engineer and Non-Executive Director. Sylvia has over 15 years of experience in the Telecom industry for four mobile generations with chipset vendors, currently with u-blox at the Corporate Strategy group – a Swiss vendor of positioning and wireless communication chipset, modules, and services.

Sylvia serves on several national and global industry Boards: she is an elected board director of CW (Cambridge Wireless), and serves on the Advisory Board of UKTIN, which provides independent advice on the telecoms sector, champions the opportunities in telecoms research, development, and innovation for the UK, and helps UKTIN provide impartial input to government. She also serves on the Board of 5G-ACIA (5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation), and joins forces with global industry stakeholders to influence 5G development and deployment in line with industrial imperatives to accelerate Industry 4.0.

She holds a first-class Electronic Engineering degree from Birmingham University and a Master of Science degree in Communications and Signal Processing from the University of Bristol. She graduated with a Distinction from the University of Oxford in PGDip Strategy & Innovation, and an Executive MBA degree from the University of Cambridge. Sylvia is also an artist.

Evangelos Mellios - Lecturer in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

Evangelos Mellios is a Lecturer in Electrical & Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol and a member of the Communication Systems & Networks Research Group. His research addresses key enabling technologies for future wireless communications, with particular focus on antennas and radiowave propagation for millimetre wave, massive MIMO, Wi-Fi and low-power Internet-of-Things networks. 

Kevin Morris - University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

Kevin Morris received the B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electronics and communications engineering from the University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K., in 1995 and 2000, respectively. He is currently a Professor of Radio Frequency engineering and Head of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds. He has authored or co-authored over 130 academic papers, and he holds five patents. His research principally concerns looking at methods of reducing power consumption in communications systems with specific interest in the design of efficient frequency flexible transceivers. He is currently involved with several industrial and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) research projects. He was the Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol from 2014 to 2018.

Simon Pike - Independent consultant, Independent

Simon Pike has worked in the mobile industry for more than 25 years. For fifteen years up to 2016, he was Chief Engineer, Regulatory and Spectrum for Vodafone Group, which he represented in UK, European and global meetings on radio spectrum management, mobile technology and standards. He has been Chair of groups in ITU (WRC-03), CEPT, ETSI (SMG8 and TFES) and Spectrum Policy Forum (Cluster 4). For the last year up to June ‘18, Simon was a 5G Adviser in DCMS, focussing on supporting policy for rail passenger connectivity. Immediately prior to this meeting, he will be giving a presentation on ‘5G: The Vision, the Reality and the Future’ at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC 2018) in Amsterdam.

Yinan Qi - Senior 5G Researcher, Samsung Electronics R&D Institute UK

Dr. Yinan Qi received Ph.D degree in Electronic Engineering from University of Surrey. He is currently a senior 5G researcher in Samsung R&D Institute UK. His main research interests include massive MIMO, cooperative communication systems, green communications and non-terrestrial networks.

David Reyes Paredes - Researcher, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

David Reyes Paredes received the B.S. degree in electrical and telecommunications engineering from the Escuela Politecnica del Ejercito (ESPE), Ecuador, in 2007 and the M.Sc. in information technology management from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (PUCE), Ecuador, in 2014. David was granted a scholarship from the Ecuadorian Government through the SENESCYT and is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in Communications with the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Communications at the University of Bristol, UK. During 2009-2015, he was at Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones CNT EP, Ecuador, working as a wireless access network engineer and as an international strategy analyst. His research interests are in wireless communications, particularly in over the air test methods for 5G millimetre wave frequency devices.

Reiner Stuhlfauth

Reiner Stuhlfauth is a technology manager wireless from the Test & Measurement Division of Rohde & Schwarz in Munich, before that he worked as trainer and has more than 15 years experience in teaching and promoting mobile communication technologies in the background of cellular standards  and non-cellular technologies. He is also involved in several projects concerning 5G, the next mobile communication technology. As technology manager wireless, he links development, customer requirements and sales organisations to coordinate implementation of technical features into  future test solutions.

Geoff Varrall - Director, RTT Online

Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx. As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.

Antonio Di Buono - Research Technologist, National Nuclear Laboratory

Antonio is a Research Technologist in the Instrumentation and In-situ Analysis team. He is working on several aspects of instrumentation development, focusing on wireless communications for nuclear decommissioning environments and the use of digital technologies. During his PhD project on Wireless Communications in Nuclear Decommissioning Environments he gained essential digital skills for the deployment of wireless technologies in nuclear environments. He focused on the radio frequency propagation and data transmission through reinforced concrete wall structures and the radiation tolerance of electronic components. Antonio joined NNL after completing his PhD project at the Centre for Innovative Nuclear Decommissioning (CINDe) in 2020. His research involved the design, prototyping and experimental evaluation of wireless sensing systems to support decommissioning activities and to provide remote sensing capability in nuclear material storage facilities. Antonio is an active member of the Nuclear Institute and European Nuclear Society Young Generation Network (ENS-YGN). He is a member of the European Nuclear Society - High Scientific Council and University Liaison for the North West Branch - Nuclear Institute.

John Haine - Visiting Professor, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

John Haine has spent his career in the electronics and communications industry, working for large corporations and with four Cambridge start-ups. His technical background includes R&D in radio circuitry and microwave circuit theory; and the design of novel radio systems for cordless telephony, mobile data, fixed wireless access and IoT communications. He has led standardisation activities in mobile data and FWA in ETSI, and contributed to WiMax in IEEE. At various times he has been involved in and led fund-raising and M&A activities. In 1999 he joined TTP Communications working on research, technology strategy and M&A; and after the company’s acquisition by Motorola became Director of Technology Strategy in Motorola Mobile Devices. After leaving Motorola he was CTO Enterprise Systems with ip.access, a manufacturer of GSM picocells and 3G femtocells. In early 2010 he joined Cognovo, which was acquired by u-blox AG in 2012. He led u-blox' involvement in 3GPP NB-IoT standardisation and the company's initial development of the first modules for trials and demonstrations. Now retired from u-blox he is an Honorary Professor in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Bristol University, where he chairs the SWAN Prosperity Partnership Project external advisory board . He was founder chair and is Board Member Emeritus of the IoT Security Foundation. He served on the CW Board chaired the Editorial Board of the CW Journal.  John has a first degree from Birmingham (1971) and a PhD from Leeds (1977) universities, and is a Life Member of the IEEE.

Kevin Morris - Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering, University of Leeds, Head of School, University of Leeds - School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Kevin Morris received the B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electronics and communications engineering from the University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K., in 1995 and 2000, respectively. He is currently a Professor of Radio Frequency engineering and Head of the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds. He has authored or co-authored over 130 academic papers, and he holds five patents. His research principally concerns looking at methods of reducing power consumption in communications systems with specific interest in the design of efficient frequency flexible transceivers. He is currently involved with several industrial and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) research projects. He was the Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol from 2014 to 2018.

Ian Wassell - Associate Professor, Digital Technology Group, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge

Dr Ian Wassell joined the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory as a Senior Lecturer in January 2006. Prior to this, he was with the Department of Engineering for six years. He received the PhD degree from the University of Southampton in 1990 and the BSc., BEng. (Honours) Degrees (First Class) from the University of Loughborough in 1983. He has in excess of 25 years experience in radio communication systems gained via positions in industry and academia and has published more than 200 papers. His research interests include broadband wireless networks, wireless sensor networks, radio propagation, coding, communication signal processing, compressive sampling, and image processing and classification.

Mark Beach - Professor of Radio Systems Engineering, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

Mark Beach received his PhD for research addressing the application of Smart Antenna techniques to GPS from the University of Bristol in 1989, where he subsequently joined as a member of academic staff. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996, Reader in 1998 and Professor in 2003. He was Head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from 2006 to 2010, then spearheaded Bristol’s hosting of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Communications. He is the Co-Director of this centre. He leads research in the field of enabling technologies for the delivery of 5G and beyond wireless connectivity; which includes the recent award of an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership in the field of Secure Wireless Agile Networks (SWAN). Mark’s current research activities are delivered through the Communication Systems and Networks Group, forming a key component within Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab. He has over 30 years of physical layer wireless research embracing the application of Spread Spectrum technology for cellular systems, adaptive or smart antenna for capacity and range extension in wireless networks, MIMO aided connectivity for through-put enhancement, experimental evaluation and optimization of Massive MIMO, Millimetre Wave technologies as well as flexible RF technologies for SDR modems. With a strong industrially focused research portfolio, he is also the School Research Impact Director.

Brian Collins - Managing Consultant, BSC Associates

Brian has designed antennas for applications including radio and TV broadcasting, base stations, handsets and consumer products, and has operated his own consultancy firm for the last 12 years. He has published more than 70 papers on antenna topics and contributed chapters to several recent textbooks. He operates a small consultancy company, chairs the Antenna Interface Standards Group and is an Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London.

Paul Harris - Principal Wireless Architect, VIAVI Solutions

Paul is a wireless technology expert with experience across a range of areas including research, design, implementation and standardisation. He received his PhD from the University of Bristol for evaluating the performance of massive MIMO technology in the lead-up to 5G and is currently a Principal Wireless Architect within the CTO Office at VIAVI Solutions providing thought leadership on new and emerging technologies for 5G, 6G and beyond. In line with this he represents VIAVI within a range of bodies and fora including 3GPP, the O-RAN Alliance, ETSI, the Next G Alliance, the 6G-IA and the UKTIN. His experience prior to joining VIAVI includes representing Vodafone within 3GPP for radio performance aspects, contributing to the development of massive MIMO channel estimation solutions at Cohere Technologies, and working with customers as a domain expert at National Instruments to establish effective research solutions using software-defined radio. He is also a Chartered Engineer, Senior Member of the IEEE, Fellow of the ITP, and an Honorary Industrial Fellow at the University of Bristol.

Peter Kibutu - 5G NTN Market lead, TTP plc

Peter has been working in the cellular industry for over 15 years, specialising in modem system architecture and physical layer development. Before joining TTP, Peter worked in the development of 2G/3G/4G wireless modem products and small-cell base station projects for a number of leading cellular equipment vendors. At TTP Peter has worked with a wide range of clients in the satellite and cellular communication domains, specialising in end-to-end system engineering, modem system development and advising on commercial aspects. Currently Peter is the TTP technical lead for 5G/6G activities and represents the company in range of industry bodies including 3GPP and UKTIN.

Peter Topham - Principal Engineer, Qualcomm Technologies International

Peter has more than 30 years experience of RF and high-speed circuit design, taking chips into production ranging from FM Band II through cellular, Bluetooth and on to UWB at 10GHz. He has been with Qualcomm for 7 years, specialising in low-power RF design for portable and wearable products.