Professor Simon Cotton and Dr Hien Ngo have been made Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

It is highly unusual for two people from the same institution to be appointed Fellow in the same round. In this current round, 12 Fellowships have been awarded in total across UK and the Republic of Ireland, so for Queen’s to have scooped two of these – and for CWI to lay claim to both – is a rare achievement.

The IEEE has over 460,000 members across 190 countries. Its Board of Directors confers the IEEE Grade of Fellow upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments. It is the highest grade of membership with less than 0.1% of voting members selected annually for this prestigious elevation. 

Dr Ngo was cited for his contributions to cellular and cell-free massive MIMO which are novel technologies that exploit many co-located and distributed antennas to enhance the performance of wireless networks such as 6G. Professor Cotton, who is the Director of the CWI, was cited for his contributions to the modelling of fading channels, which is helping to break new ground in our understanding of how radio waves travel and change as they move through the environment, all with the aim of developing better wireless systems.

Commenting on the news, Prof Cotton said:

“Achieving IEEE Fellow status is a significant accomplishment for researchers in our field. To have two individuals from the same group elevated simultaneously is truly exceptional and reflects the high calibre of research conducted at CWI.

“This success is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of the entire team. I am particularly thrilled for Hien, who has reached this milestone at a remarkably young age. His talent and expertise are invaluable to Queen's, and we are fortunate to have him as part of our research community.”

Dr Ngo commented:

“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the world’s largest technical professional society. It is even more special as we are have been elevated simultaneously. The achievement reflects not only my own contributions but also the invaluable support and dedication of my family, students, colleagues, collaborators, and mentors over the years.

“I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to staff in CWI, EEECS, and Queen’s University for their tremendous support.”

Professor Roger Woods, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, who was made an IEEE Fellow last year, added:

“Future telecommunications has been recognised as one of five critical technologies identified in the UK government Science and Technology Framework published earlier this year.

“Simon and Hien’s work in wireless technologies has the potential to revolutionise how we interact with each other and our environment.”

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Inquiries to Una Bradley u.bradley@qub.ac.uk