Two Western Engineering professors named IEEE Fellows

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Western Engineering professors Abdallah Shami (left) and Rajiv Varma have been named IEEE fellows.

Abdallah Shami and Rajiv Varma, both Western Engineering professors in the department of electrical and computer engineering, have been named IEEE Fellows, the highest grade of IEEE membership.

Shami, also the chair of the department, has been recognized for his contributions to resource management and orchestration methods for virtualized networks and optical access design, while Varma is being recognized for his contributions in developing technology for static synchronous compensators (STATCOM).

“Less than 0.1% of IEEE members are named fellows,” says Western Engineering Dean Ken Coley. “That is a fantastic representation of the significance of this well-deserved recognition for Abdallah and Rajiv.”

Shami’s ability to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical industry application has been a marker of his leadership in technology transfer.

He has made significant improvements in managing virtual networks, creating new ways to place and manage virtual network functions (VNFs) that meet high standards. His simple method uses a graph to model the system, considering all resources and VNF instances, and works in real-time. This method is now used by cellular companies for core network management.

He has also developed a framework for sharing wireless resources among multiple mobile network operators (MNOs). This framework keeps MNOs separate and allows for specific scheduling policies, improving throughput, fault-resilience, high-availability and compliance with geo-restrictions. His solutions are practical and ready for use in real networks, making them very important in the wireless network field.

“I am honoured to receive this prestigious recognition and sincerely thank my former and current graduate students, collaborators, industrial partners, family, and Western Engineering for their invaluable support and contributions," says Shami.

Varma is the creator of an innovative technology called "PV-STATCOM" that uses solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at night and day as a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) for dynamic reactive power support. This technology when implemented on solar farms provides all STATCOM functions like dynamic voltage control and power oscillation damping but is ten times cheaper than new STATCOM installations.

PV-STATCOM also provides new revenue opportunities for solar farms by allowing them to offer night and day STATCOM functions in addition to daytime power sales. For this technology Varma has 24 granted and 4 pending patents in US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, India and China. 

The IEEE has mandated some of these functions for nighttime and daytime use in solar farms. Several features of PV-STATCOM technology are now being marketed globally by top solar inverter manufacturers, with significant sales in the US and implementations in several countries.

"I am humbled by this honour," says Varma. "I am grateful to Western University for providing me with significant opportunities and facilities to develop the PV-STATCOM technology."

"I thank all my postdoctoral fellows and graduate students who were involved in this research. I owe this accomplishment to my family who has supported me all along this journey, and above all to the grace of the eternal teacher."