Mohammad Zarifi of University of British Columbia

Arctic environments create major challenges for transportation, energy systems, and critical infrastructure because of ice, snow, moisture, and extreme temperatures. This talk presents microwave ice-detection methods based on planar resonators and frequency-selective surfaces for operation under these harsh conditions. Planar resonators concentrate electromagnetic fields near the sensing surface. When ice, water, or snow covers the resonator, changes in the surrounding electrical properties produce measurable variations in resonant frequency, signal amplitude, and bandwidth. These measurements enable ice detection, differentiation between water and ice, and estimation of ice thickness. The proposed sensors can be integrated onto wind-turbine blades, drone propellers and wings, aircraft surfaces, bridge cables, and bridge decks. Their thin, lightweight, and flexible construction allows installation on flat or curved surfaces with minimal impact on aerodynamic and structural performance. Frequency-selective surfaces use repeated conductive patterns to cover larger areas and can combine ice sensing with controlled microwave reflection, transmission, or absorption.

This talk will discuss sensor requirements, coating materials, environmental effects, and methods for separating temperature changes from ice-related responses. Electromagnetic simulations, laboratory measurements, sub-zero testing, and rotating-platform experiments will demonstrate practical approaches for real-time ice monitoring, intelligent de-icing decisions, improved operational safety, and reliable Arctic surveillance.

Biography:

Mohammad Hossein Zarifi (Ph.D. PEng, PRC Tier II, Fellow IEEE), is currently an Associate Professor and Tier II Principal’s Research Chair (PRC) in Sensors and Microelectronics at the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia, and the director of Okanagan MicroElectronics and Gigahertz Applications laboratory (OMEGA Lab), Canada. Dr. Zarifi has authored or co-authored more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and holds six issued or pending patents. Dr. Zarifi’s research focuses on Applied Electromagnetics and Circuits and Systems for Communications and Sensing Applications. Dr. Zarifi has received the Emerging Researcher Award and the Best Teaching Award at the School of Engineering in 2020 and 2021, respectively. He is also an IEEE MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecturer for the class of 2024-2027.