Contact

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Office

  • 426 ISEC
  • (617) 373-5719

Lab

  • 465C ISEC

Research Focus

Terahertz communications for 6G systems, wireless nano-bio-communication networks, Internet of Nano-Things

About

Josep Miquel Jornet is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), the director of the Ultrabroadband Nanonetworking (UN) Laboratory, an Associate Director of the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (WIoT), and a faculty member of the SMART Center at Northeastern University (NU).

He was born in Tarragona, Spain, in 1984 and grew up between the city and the village of Ascó. He received an Engineering Degree in Telecommunication Engineering and a Master of Science in Information and Communication Technologies from the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain, in 2008. From September 2007 to December 2008, he was a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, under the MIT Sea Grant program. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, in August 2013, under the guidance of Professor Ian F. Akyildiz. Between August 2013 and August 2019, he was a faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University at Buffalo (UB), The State University of New York. He joined NU in 2019 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to Full Professor in 2023.

His research interests are in terahertz communication networks, wireless nano-bio-communication networks, and the Internet of Nano-Things. In these areas, he has co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including one book, and has been granted five US patents. His work has received over 16,000 citations (h-index of 57 as of November 2023). His work has been funded by multiple grants from different U.S. federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) as well as industry, totaling over $15M in less than ten years. He received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2019, several other awards from IEEE, ACM, UB, and NU, and several best-paper awards. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, Class of 2024.

Since July 2016, he has been the Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier’s Nano Communication Networks Journal. He has been an Associate Editor in IEEE Transactions on Communications since 2022 and for Scientific Reports since 2023. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the ACM Conference Series on Nano Computing and Communication since 2016, as well as the IEEE International Workshop Series on Terahertz Communications (TeraCom) and the ACM Workshop Series on Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Networks and Sensing Systems (mmNets), both since 2022.

Besides research and service, he is committed to education and workforce development. Since 2022, he has been the co-director of the two new Master of Science (MS) degrees in the Internet of Things and Wireless and Network Engineering by the WIoT and ECE at Northeastern University. He has introduced multiple pioneering and innovative courses, including the first course on Nanonetworking (2014-2019), Terahertz Communications for 6G (since 2020), and an Experimental Approach to Wireless Communications (since 2021). Outside Northeastern University, he has participated in many panels, delivered multiple short courses and tutorials, served as a keynote speaker in multiple venues, and is currently an IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer.

Education

  • Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA 2013
  • M.S., Information & Communication Technologies, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain, 2008
  • B.S., Telecommunications Engineering, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain, 2008

Honors & Awards

Teaching Interests

Both fundamental and advanced concepts in communications and networking, including terahertz communications, nanonetworks, and the Internet of Things.

Leadership Positions

(Active at least in the last two years)

Spectrum Leadership

Editorial Work

Conference Organization

Education

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  • IEEE Communications Society
  • Association for Computing Machinery

Research Overview

Terahertz communications for 6G systems, wireless nano-bio-communication networks, Internet of Nano-Things

Dr. Jornet directs a vibrant, diverse, and interdisciplinary laboratory with multiple Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.S. students, a third of which is composed of students from underrepresented groups in STEM. The UN Lab addresses wireless communication challenges that are of national and societal relevance, such as solving the spectrum scarcity problem by developing new wireless technologies for terahertz communications (from graphene-based nano-transceivers and nano-antennas to ultra-broadband signal processing and communication algorithms); or facilitating transformative healthcare systems (from cancer monitoring plasmonic implants to brain-machine interfaces for neural function restoration) by laying the foundations of wearable and intra-body nano-bio communication networks at optical frequencies. The UN Lab has expertise in nano-device design, modeling and analysis; signal propagation modeling and experimental characterization; and communication and networking protocol design, performance analysis, implementation, and experimental testing. For a list and more details of the current active projects in the lab, please check here.

Broader Impacts

Under the premise that anything is possible as long as it does not break the laws of physics, the UN Lab works hard towards bridging the gap between science, engineering, and society. In this direction, Dr. Jornet is at the forefront and actively involved in many activities aimed at both policy and regulation of the spectrum above 100 GHz as well as the standardization of solutions that can ensure equitable access to such resources.

In particular, aimed at transitioning terahertz communications research from theory to practice, with the support of the US National Science Foundation and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, Dr. Jornet was able to obtain first-of-a-kind US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses, including the first license to operate a wireless communication system above 1 THz (File numbers 0143-EX-ST-2018 and 0516-EX-CN-2018) and, more importantly, the first license ever to allow a long-range wireless communication system (multiple kilometers) to operate over the 220-260 GHz, a frequency range which includes to protected frequency bands reserved to satellite-based passive scientific users of the spectrum (File number 0753-EX-ST-2018). This required the dynamic operation of the link according to the presence of the satellite of interest in the area of influence. Effectively, this demonstrated that different ways of sharing the spectrum beyond exclusive access are possible, which can, in fact, benefit all the users of the spectrum. For example, larger contiguous bandwidths, uninterrupted by the presence of forbidden bands, can enable ultra-high capacity wireless backhauls to provide ultra-broadband Internet access to rural areas and bridge the digital divide in the nation. At the same time, having more resources for atmospheric sensing (including radar and spectroscopy) applications, can facilitate the data collection and expedite the studies and solutions to climate change. The experiences and lessons learned from the studies conducted by Dr. Jornet were contributed as inputs and captured in the final version of the US FCC Docket 19-19 Spectrum Horizons, which introduces new mechanisms to obtain FCC licenses for experimental THz systems above 100 GHz, allocates more than 20 GHz of unlicensed spectrum for the same and, ultimately, positions the US at the forefront of spectrum policy. Other more recent contributions to the FCC include new recommended practices to ensure the protection of the scientific users of the spectrum while achieving a more cost-effective use of the 24 GHz 5G band. This has resonated very well with key spectrum players, such as AT&T.

The FCC is, however, only the first stop because to have a worldwide impact, such spectrum recommendations must be captured by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In 2020, led by Dr. Jornet, Northeastern University joined and became one of the only ten US-based academic members of the ITU. As a full member of the ITU, NU can submit contributions not only through specific working groups but also directly to the US Department of State. For example, in the last two years, Dr. Jornet has led contributions to US Working Party (WP) 1A – Spectrum Engineering – and US WP 7C – Remote Sensing Systems on the timely topic of spectrum coexistence above 100 GHz, which were approved by the US Department of State and discussed at the global ITU meeting in Geneva in Fall 2020. As an ITU Member, the group can influence the direction of ITU’s work, which eventually can translate into related work within the United Nations system and, thus, worldwide outreach across the 193 ITU Member States.

More recently, Dr. Jornet has also been contributing to the vision of the creation of a National Radio Dynamic Zone (NRDZ), or the playground where the future of spectrum usage can be experimentally tested while minimizing interference to existing systems. The focus of Dr. Jornet’s supplement is to specifically focus on the techniques needed to ensure coexistence and protection of the spectrum users above 100 GHz. Closely related to this, Dr. Jornet led the high-frequency aspects of Northeastern’s university application and recent approval to become an FCC Spectrum Innovation Zone. He is also the university liaison and contributor for the mmWave Coalition, an industry group aimed at removing the regulatory barriers to technologies and using frequencies between 95 GHz and 450 GHz, and a member of the Working Groups on Spectrum, Technology, and National Roadmap for 6G in the NextG Alliance, a coalition aimed at building the foundation for North American leadership in the 6G and beyond.

Besides policy, Dr. Jornet has consistently contributed to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15 Terahertz Interest Group. Dr. Jornet’s first contribution to the group was in 2010 when he was a junior Ph.D. student. Since that day, he has been regularly participating in the meetings and presenting the outcomes of the group (including the first standard for THz communications approved in 2017) to a larger audience, who are often not familiar with either the existence or the impact of such activities.

It is also the goal of Dr. Jornet to ensure that more people are exposed to all these organizations, procedures, and facts, starting with students. To achieve this, Dr. Jornet promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by leveraging multiple vehicles developed at Northeastern. The UN Lab contributes to the university’s Young Scholar’s Program by hosting two high-school students in the lab over the summer every year, offering them a unique opportunity for a hands-on research experience. In addition, Dr. Jornet is a regular speaker in the Pathways to STEMprogram, an after-school program geared towards high school students interested in STEM. In both cases, the goal is to show the excitement, diversity, and opportunities for real impact in the broad field of STEM. Once on campus, the UN Lab is also the mentor and research advisor for the Undergraduate Program for Leaders in Future Transformation (UPLIFT), as part of which promising first-year undergraduate students are given the opportunity to work in a research laboratory and be exposed to state of the art research. All these add to a very diverse group of master’s and Ph.D. students working on diverse aspects ranging from nanomaterials to spectrum policy, regulation, and standardization.

Last but not least, all the lessons learned through the years are now part of a semester-long graduate inter-disciplinary course on terahertz communications for 6G networks offered every year at Northeastern. In addition, aimed at disseminating this knowledge and promoting workforce development in areas that are of critical national interest, Dr. Jornet has given this course in different forms to other institutions (not only academic but also companies and national research labs) and in conferences, through keynote speeches, tutorials and short courses, panel discussions, and seminars and webinars.

Ultra-broadband Nanonetworking (UN) Laboratory

The UN Laboratory is a vibrant research team aimed at addressing wireless communication and networking challenges that are of national and societal relevance by leveraging the state of the art in nanotechnologies. Examples include solving the problem of spectrum scarcity by developing new wireless technologies for Terahertz (THz) band (0.1-10 THz) communication; facilitating transformative health monitoring and drug-delivery systems by laying the foundations of wearable and intra-body nano-biosensing networks at infrared and visible optical frequencies; and developing non-invasive low-cost communication technologies for the Internet of Things and Nano-Things (IoNT).

Ultra-broadband Nanonetworking (UN) Laboratory

Research Centers and Institutes

Selected Publications

Check on Google Scholar!

Faculty

Feb 23, 2024

Widespread AT&T Outages May Have Had Mutiple Possible Causes

ECE Assistant Research Professor Michele Polese and ECE Professor Josep Jornet suggest many possible causes of the widespread AT&T cellphone outages Thursday morning.

Faculty

Dec 07, 2023

2023 Stanford University Annual Assessment of Author Citations

The following COE professors are among the top scientists worldwide selected by Stanford University representing the top 2% of the most-cited scientists with single-year impact in various disciplines. The selection is based on the top 100,000 by c-score (with and without self-citations) or a percentile rank of 2% or above. The list below includes those […]

Faculty

Nov 27, 2023

Chowdhury and Jornet Elevated to IEEE Fellows

ECE Professors Kaushik Chowdhury and Josep Jornet were elevated to IEEE Fellows. Chowdhury was elevated for contributions to the development of cognitive radio networks and applied machine learning for wireless systems, and Jornet for contributions in terahertz communication and nanonetworking.

Josep Jornet

In the Media

Nov 21, 2023

6G Could Pull Double Duty to Monitor Climate Change

The sixth generation of wireless cellular networks (6G, circa 2030) is expected not just to increase the availability, reliability, and speed of wireless networks but also serve as a major sensing infrastructure. In a recent interview by IEEE Spectrum, Josep Jornet, professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate director of the Institute for the […]

Faculty

Nov 13, 2023

WIoT Team Wins Best Paper Award at IEEE Globecom 2023

Several College of Engineering faculty and students affiliated with the Institute for Wireless Internet of Things, together with the IMDEA Networks Institute of Madrid, received the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) 2023.

Faculty

Sep 20, 2023

Reshaping Spectrum Sharing Above 100 GHz

ECE Professors Josep Jornet (PI), Tommaso Melodia, Principal Research Scientists Michele Polese, Michael Marcus, and Associate Research Scientist Vitaly Petrov, in collaboration with Steven Reising from Colorado State University, was awarded a $750,000 NSF grant for “DASS: Dynamically Adjustable Spectrum Sharing between Ground Communication Networks and Earth Exploration Satellite Systems Above 100 GHz.”

Deniz Erdogmus

Faculty

May 24, 2023

Kostas Research Institute Receives $13M U.S. Army Contract for Wireless Research

The Kostas Research Institute (KRI) at Northeastern University has been awarded $13 million by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory for foundational research into Cognitive Distributed Sensing in Congested Radio Frequency Environments. KRI and five partner institutions will conduct innovative research to enable technologies in distributed machine learning, signal processing algorithms, and computational, sensing, and communication hardware infrastructure for distributed sensing and communication.

Faculty

Mar 07, 2023

Collaborative Research in THz Communication for 6G Mobile Networks

ECE Associate Professor Josep Jornet and Principal Research Scientist Michele Polese were awarded a $456,000 NSF grant for “Enabling Mobile Terahertz Communication for 6G Cellular Networks.”

Josep Jornet

Faculty

Mar 02, 2023

Jornet Receives Best Demo Award at ACM HotMobile 2023

ECE Associate Professor Josep Jornet received the Best Demo Award at the 24th International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications (HotMobile) for the work titled “Adversarial Aerial Metasurfaces,” with electrical engineering student Sherif Badran, PhD’26, and collaborators at Rice and Brown Universities.

Faculty

Mar 02, 2023

Enhancing Communication and Sensing at Terahertz Frequencies with Programmable Electromagnetic Surfaces

ECE Associate Professor Josep Jornet (PI), Assistant Professor Cristian Casella, Assistant Professor Ben Davaji, and Associate Research Scientist for the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things Vitaly Petrov were awarded a $500,000 AFOSR grant titled “Programmable Electromagnetic Surfaces Based on Ferroelectric and Antiferroelectric Hafnium Zirconium Oxide Films and Graphene for Terahertz Communications and Sensing.”

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