Distinguished Lecturer Tour: Federated Intelligence Over the Air: From Centralized to Collaborative Sensing
Abstract: The next generation of wireless networks will no longer be confined to moving bits — they will sense, communicate, and learn simultaneously. This convergence is anticipated to enable distributed intelligence across devices, unlocking new capabilities for real-time perception and decision-making in dynamic environments. In this talk, two complementary advances in federated signal processing will be presented. First, an over-the-air federated edge learning (OTA-FEEL) framework with integrated radar sensing will be discussed. By leveraging echoes from the environment, rather than treating them solely as interference, robust model aggregation will be maintained while ensuring high-quality sensing and communication performance. A joint scheduling and beamforming design will be presented, supported by low-complexity optimization techniques, to preserve aggregation accuracy under realistic wireless conditions. Second, FedTrack, a novel federated learning–inspired algorithm for distributed target tracking, will be presented. By treating local log-likelihood functions as loss functions in a distributed optimization framework, FedTrack enables devices to collaboratively estimate a moving target’s position and velocity. This communication-efficient method closely approximates centralized maximum likelihood estimation, achieving accuracy near the Cramér–Rao bound while reducing reliance on a central coordinator. Together, these developments illustrate how federated intelligence over the air can transform 6G networks into systems that not only communicate but also sense and learn collaboratively. Implications for autonomous systems, smart cities, and beyond will be discussed, with emphasis on the central role of signal processing innovations in realizing this vision.
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- 2356 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Canada
- Building: Hector J. MacLeod Building - MCLD
- Room Number: MCLD 3038
- Starts 01 April 2026 07:00 AM UTC
- Ends 04 May 2026 07:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
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Biography: HINA TABASSUM (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. She is currently an Associate Professor with the Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Canada, where she joined as an Assistant Professor in 2018. She is also appointed as a Visiting Faculty with the University of Toronto in 2024, and the York Research Chair of 5G/6G-enabled mobility and sensing applications in 2023, for five years. She is listed in the Stanford’s list of the World’s Top Two-Percent Researchers from 2021 to 2025. She has been selected as the IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer for the term 2025–2026. She has co-authored over 120 refereed articles in well-reputed IEEE journals, magazines, and conferences. Her current research interests include multiband 6G wireless communications and sensing networks, connected and autonomous systems, and AI-enabled network mobility and resource management solutions. She has earned numerous distinctions, including the N2Women Star in Networking and Communications (2025), Early Career Lassonde Innovation Award (2023), N2Women Rising Star in Networking and Communications (2022), multiple Exemplary Editor awards from IEEE journals, and appointment to the NSERC Discovery Grant Evaluation Group (2025–2028). She served as an Associate Editor for IEEE COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS from 2019 to 2023, IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY from 2019 to 2023, and IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GREEN COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING from 2020 to 2023. She is also currently serving as an Area Editor for IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY and an Associate Editor for IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MOBILE COMPUTING, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, and IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS.