University of Queensland Microwave and Optics Group Profile

The following is a brief profile of the capabilities and experience of the largest academic group in Australia working in the area of Microwave, Antennas and Optical Engineering.

Staff

A/Prof. Marek Bialkowski (Head of Microwave and Antenna section) has conducted microwave research work in Australia since 1982. His research areas of interest include antennas for mobile satellite and terrestrial communications, low profile antennas for reception of satellite broadcast TV programs, near-field/far-field antenna measurements, quasi-optical power combining techniques, six-port techniques, industrial applications of microwaves, and computational electromagnetics. He has published extensively in all these areas and is recognised as an international expert in mobile satellite communications and microwave techniques with over 160 papers, 7 reports, one book and one patent in his record. He has worked as a consultant to industry and held academic appointments in Canada, UK, Ireland, Poland and Australia. He is a senior member of the IEEE.
email:meb@elec.uq.edu.au

Dr. Marian L. Majewski joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Queensland, in January 1986, after many productive years at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.A.) and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia). His research interests are optoelectronics, microwave solid state devices and circuits, and fibre-optic networks. He spent two years (1988 and 1992) with the Optoelectronic Technology Centre at the University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A. as a research fellow. He enjoys skiing, bushwalking and jogging.
email:mlm@elec.uq.edu.au

Dr. Nick Shuley has an international record in microwave antenna design. He joined the University of Queensland in 1988 from Chalmers University in Sweden where he successfully carried out R&D in antenna engineering for Ericsson Radio Systems and the European Space Agency. He currently holds research contracts from DSTO for ship antenna design and research grants from the ATERB for millimetre wave antenna design. His main areas of interest are scattering, numerical methods and antennas.
email:nic@elec.uq.edu.au

Dr. Mikhail Cherniakov received the M.Eng.Sc degree (1974) in Microwave Systems, Ph.D degree (1980) in Digital Signal Processing ( communication systems) and D.Sc. degree (1992) in Applied Theory of Nonlinear Signal Processing ( microwave systems) from the Technical University- Moscow Institute of Electronics Engineering (Russia, MIEE). Since 1974 he was with the department of Microwave Systems and Devices. In 1981 he became the Head of the Microwave Systems R&D Laboratory (with about 50 person staff). In 1992 he accepted an appointment as Professor in MIEE. In 1994 he was a visiting professor in St. John's College, the University of Cambridge, UK. In 1994, he was a co-coordinator ( with Mr. Peter Berlin) of INMARSAT "Project 21". Since 1995 he has been a lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Queensland.
Dr. Cherniakov is the author of about 100 technical papers and 8 patents. His research interests include microwave system (radar and communications) design and special problems in digital signal processing. His recent work in Australia is related to Ground Penetrating Radar and Mobile Communications. His current priority area is mobile communications and radar .
email:mc@elec.uq.edu.au

Mr Ray Whitehead is the Lab supervisor for the microwave group. He came to the University from the Australian Army where he was in charge of the precision meaurements system in Queensland and the Northern Territoritory. He is a specialist in RF calibration and communication system engineering. His current project is the redisign of the Anechoic Chamber and learning to program in Labview.
email:rjw@elec.uq.edu.au

Current Postgraduate Students

Mr. Nemai Karmakar is currently investigating aperture coupled microstrip antennas and arrays. He joined the group in 1992 from the Communications Research Group at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada where he researched electromagnetically coupled microstrip antennas. Previously he has worked at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and as an assistant engineer at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Bangladesh on R&D projects for electronic instrumentation. Supervisor :- A/Prof. Marek Bialkowski.
email:karmakar@elec.uq.edu.au

Mr. Ashley Robinson is currently researching quasi-optical power combining techniques. In wireless communications the delay of operating at millimetre waves has been caused by lack of compact, reliable, high-power sources. The current semiconductor technology has reduced power capabilities. Thus combining small millimetre wave semiconductor power sources could be made possible by quasi-optical resonator techniques. He is currently working part time for MITEC. Supervisor :- A/Prof. Marek Bialkowski.
email:robinson@elec.uq.edu.au

Mr. Ross Varnes is a holder of the Rural - industry scholarship with the Rural Board of Australia. He is currently investigating microprocessor based systems for mobile satellite communications. This will enable steering the beam of an array so that mobile earth vehicles can communicate through geostationary satellites. This work will be of benefit to the rural community for communications to mobile farm equipment around Australia. He is now working for MITEC. Supervisor :- A/Prof. Marek Bialkowski.
email:varnesr@elec.uq.edu.au

Mr Paul Davis recieved his B. Eng (Hons. 1) degree in Electrical Engineering in 1991 from the University of Queensland, Australia. As a graduate he was awarded the University of Queensland Medal. From 1992 to 1993 he was employed with the Queensland Electricity Commission as a Communications Engineer in Townsville, Australia where he worked on modulation techniques for low baud rate channels.
In 1994 he was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Research Award (Industry), (APRAI), to work towards a PhD degree with the Microwave and Antenna Group at the University of Queensland. His topic is Low Profile Antennas for the reception of Direct Broadcast Satellite Television. The research was further supported by an ATERB Postgraduate Scholarship, awarded by the Australian Telecommunications and Electronics Research Board in 1996. His research interests include finite element methods, spectral domain methods for analysis of planar transmission lines, mobile and satellite communications. Supervisor :- A/Prof. Marek Bialkowski.
email:davis@elec.uq.edu.au

Mr Lee McMillan completed a bachelor of Engineering degree, with first class honours in 1993. He was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award in 1994. Since then he has been working towards his PhD, in computational electromagnetics, investigating leaky waves and leakage from planar structures in particular microstrip. His research interests include leaky waves and leakage from planar structures, spectral domain analysis of planar structures, and hyperthermia therapy. He is also is an active participant in the school liaison program. Supervisor :- Dr. Nic Shuley.
email:mcmillan@elec.uq.edu.au

Macy Lu graduated with first class honours from the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland in 1994. She worked for one year in applications development at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Systems on the Gold Coast, before returning to undertake Masters research at UQ in 1996. Her research interests include Fibre Optic Systems Design and Biomedical Engineering. She also serves as a postgraduate representative and participates in the school liaison program.Supervisor :- Dr. Marian Majewski.
email:lu@elec.uq.edu.au

Past Postgraduate Students

Dr. Shaun Jellett is a holder of the APRA - industry scholarship. He is currently investigating an antenna system for land vehicle satellite communications. Investigation into the radiating/receiving elements of antenna arrays is underway to find new innovative approaches to increase the operational bandwidth, the optimal configuration, novel phasing networks and optimal tracking algorithms. He was awarded his PhD in 1996. He now works for British Aerospace (Adelaide).
email:sjellett@awadi.com.au

Dr. Deane Prescott is currently investigating time domain analyses of guiding and radiating structures. This involves the analysis of various antenna structures using the finite difference time domain technique. Investigation of mathematical methods, analysis and computing these results is necessary in the prediction of radiating effects and repeatability of design. Deane was awarded his PhD in 1997 . He now works for DSTO (Adelaide).
email:deane.prescott@dsto.defence.gov.au

Dr. Vesa Waris has completed a PhD working on microwave radial waveguide power combiners. He was awarded his PhD in 1997.
email:waris@elec.uq.edu.au

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