CAREER: On Highly Efficient and Reliable Wireless Networks

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER project is devoted to the fundamental research of highly efficient and reliable wireless networks through advanced multilayer methodologies. We focus on two problems: (i) Before a user enters the network, how to ensure efficient user-based access control? (ii) After a user is authorized to access the network, how to ensure efficient and reliable information transmission, especially, under malign environments? The intellectual merit of this research lies in the development of practical techniques for highly efficient and reliable wireless networks, and in the development of analytical and design tools that are broadly applicable to related engineering problems. For access control, our mutually interactive MAC-PHY framework identifies itself as a crosscutting research thrust in addressing the limitations in existing network and re-defining the reference framework for communications based on the network-centric paradigm. For information transmission, we break new ground in developing highly efficient, inherently reliable airlink interfaces. By exploiting cryptographic techniques and inherent ambiguity in signal detection over multiple access channels, our design of inherently secure and efficient wireless systems guarantees strong information confidentiality and integrity over wireless networks. The broad impacts of this project are multi-fold. First, it lays a solid foundation for the development of an ideal human technology platform for e-commerce, national security, environmental protection, health monitoring, as well as many future applications that can benefit from fast and reliable information exchange. Second, by integrating the technological advances resulting from this project into the undergraduate/graduate curricula, significant impacts are expected from this project on training a highly skilled and diverse workforce in the area of wireless communications and networking. Third, from this project, works supported by NSF provides important input to the standard committees in generating broad engineering and societal impacts.