Dr Albert Lysko of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Talk about IEEE, IEEE South Africa, opportunities available.

Biography:

Albert Lysko is a Principal Researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria and the IEEE South Africa Section Chair. He was born in Russia and received BSc and MSc in Russia and completed PhD (ICT) in Norway.

Dr Lysko was with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway from 1998. This is where he became a member of IEEE. He moved to South Africa in 2004, where he lectured at the University of KwaZulu Natal, then ran private consulting, and in 2007 joined the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). At the CSIR, he is now a Principal Researcher working in wireless communications and focussing his research on television white spaces (TVWS), dynamic spectrum access and smart antennas. He has published over 60 research papers, 2 books, 2 patents and led producing several technology demonstrators.

From 2009, Dr Lysko started to actively volunteer, and, having brought several IEEE Distinguished Lecturers to South Africa, he became a Chair for the Joint Chapter: Antennas and Propagation (AP), Microwave Techniques and Technologies (MTT) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) in 2013.

From 2015, he was a Vice-Chair for IEEE South Africa Section and from 2016, he is the Chair for the Section, as well as the Awards & Recognitions Chair. In these roles, he successful promoted the Best Chapter award, Section Congress grant. He was also a co-organizer (General Chair, Technical Chair) for 3 conferences (total 410+ presentations incl. ICACCE’16 in Durban and Africon’17 in  Cape Town), and an organizer and co-organizer for over 30 IEEE events, which have  attracted over 900 people.

He is also a member of a number of committees including IEEE AP-S  Education and SIGHT, IEEE 5G Testbed Roadmap, and IEEE Region 8 Membership Development committees.

Email:

Address:Meraka Institute, Brummeria, Prtoria, Gauteng, South Africa, 0001

Prof Riana Geschke of University of Cape Town

Talk about IEEE Senior memberhship, and processes to get there.

Biography:

Prof Riana Geschke is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town where she teaches undergradute courses on Engineering Design Methodology, Applied Electromagnetics and Microwave Systems. At postgraduate level, she teaches a course on Technologies and Practical Design for Microwave Filters. Her group’s current research activities span the microwave frequency range from L-band to the 60 GHz communications band. The work is focused on multilayer planar filters, electronic reconfigurability and filters based on transmission lines with special properties. She participated in the FP7 Marie Curie IRSES MultiWaveS project, which focused on Electronically Reconfigurable Multiband Devices and has authored and co-authored a number of journal papers, conference presentations and book chapters in this field.

Riana Geschke’s academic and research career started while pursuing a PhD degree (completed in 2004) at the University of Stellenbosch (SU) in the field of Computational Electromagnetics. During that time, she became a Lecturer in the Department of Communications’ newly established Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering Programme. She was based at SU until the end of 2012, developing an interest in the field of passive microwave component design. In 2013, she thus joined the Radar and Remote Sensing Group at UCT to extend the group’s capabilities in terms of microwave and millimeter wave activities. This naturally complements the group’s current and planned projects and activities. Riana is a regular reviewer the IEEE Wireless and Components Letters and on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer‐Aided Engineering. She is also a Senior Member of the IEEE.

In South Africa, she is involved in activities to stimulate academic and industry collaboration by promoting interaction and collaboration between electrical engineers. In this regard, she is an IEEE volunteer and is currently on the Executive Committee of the South African IEEE Section. From 2009 to 2012, she was the chair of the joint Antennas and Propagation-Microwave Theory and Techniques and Electromagnetic Compatibility (AP-MTT-EMC) IEEE chapter in South Africa, and during that time also chaired the South African AP-MTT-EMC chapter conference in 2011. As a Specialist Editor for the SAIEE Africa Research Journal, she contributes to initiatives for local researchers to publish Electrical and Electronic Engineering research that has both local and international significance.

Email:

Address:Western Cape, South Africa