Lightwave technology creates many new challenges for the future wireless networks, as the hybrid RF/Lighwave systems, simultaneous lightwave information and power transfer and the use of wireless optical communications in biomedical applications. This talk will focus on these challenges and opportunities as well as on misconceptions about the use of lightwave technology in wireless systems, both in theory and practice.

Biography (from https://www.comsoc.org/george-k-karagiannidis)

George K. Karagiannidis was born in Pithagorion, Samos Island, Greece. He received the University Diploma (5 years) and PhD degree, both in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Patras, in 1987 and 1999, respectively. From 2000 to 2004, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, Greece. In June 2004, he joined the faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece where he is currently Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept. and Director of Digital Telecommunications Systems and Networks Laboratory.  He is also Honorary Professor at South West Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.

His research interests are in the broad area of Digital Communications Systems and Signal processing, with emphasis on Wireless Communications, Optical Wireless Communications, Wireless Power Transfer and Applications, Molecular and Nanoscale Communications, Stochastic Processes in Biology and Wireless Security.

He is the author or co-author of more than 450 technical papers published in scientific journals and presented at international conferences. He is also author of the Greek edition of a book on “Telecommunications Systems” and co-author of the book “Advanced Optical Wireless Communications Systems”, Cambridge Publications, 2012.

Dr. Karagiannidis has been involved as General Chair, Technical Program Chair and member of Technical Program Committees in several IEEE and non-IEEE conferences. In the past, he was Editor in IEEE Transactions on Communications, Senior Editor of IEEE Communications Letters, Editor of the EURASIP Journal of Wireless Communications & Networks and several times Guest Editor in IEEE Selected Areas in Communications.