Dr Krushna Kanth of Queen's University Belfast

Planar periodic structures have revolutionized electromagnetic engineering by enabling tailored control of wave propagation, transmission, reflection, and absorption. Their evolution from conventional frequency-selective surfaces (FSS) and electromagnetic bandgap structures to advanced metamaterials and metasurfaces has opened new opportunities across microwave, millimetre-wave, and terahertz frequencies. Recent developments have introduced multifunctional and reconfigurable structures incorporating active components, novel materials, and advanced fabrication techniques. Emerging technologies, including reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), plasma-integrated metasurfaces, and space-time modulated structures, offer exciting possibilities for dynamic electromagnetic control. Furthermore, artificial intelligence-driven design approaches are expected to accelerate optimization and enable intelligent electromagnetic functionalities. This presentation explores the evolution, recent advancements, challenges, and future research directions of planar periodic structures, highlighting their potential applications in next-generation wireless communications, radar, sensing, and electromagnetic protection

Biography:

Dr Krushna Kanth Varikuntla is an accomplished researcher and currently a Research Fellow at the Centre for Wireless Innovations, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS), Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom, a position he has held since December 2023. Before that, he served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA, from February 2022 to November 2023. His research spans microwave sensors, RF plasma modelling, plasma-based Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) for high-power electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection, and high-quality-factor resonant structures for RF and microwave applications. Dr Krushna Kanth’s work emphasises both the design and theoretical analysis of FSS and their practical applications in RF sensing, stealth radomes, polarizers, low-RCS antennas, and RCS field computations for aerospace and defence systems. He possesses extensive expertise in substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) technology, metasurfaces, microwave integrated circuits, and antenna design, integrating advanced electromagnetic theory with practical engineering solutions. His research combines analytical, numerical, and experimental approaches and contributes to innovative solutions in electromagnetic compatibility, high-power microwave protection, and low-observable technologies.

Dr. Krushna Kanth obtained his B. Tech degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Andhra Pradesh, India, followed by an M. Tech in Electronics Engineering from Pondicherry University, India. Between 2015 and 2016, he worked at the Centre for Electromagnetics, CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR–NAL), Bangalore, India, as a Project Assistant-III, gaining hands-on experience in advanced electromagnetic measurements and materials characterization. In 2020, he earned his PhD in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India, where his research contributions were recognized with the Budding Researcher Award (2019–2020).

He has been an active Member of IEEE (MTT-S and AP-S) for over 10 years, the European Microwave Association (EuMA), and a Corresponding Member of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). During his doctoral studies, he demonstrated strong leadership by founding and chairing the IEEE MTT and IEEE APS Student Branch Chapters at NIT Trichy, fostering student engagement in microwave and antenna research. Dr Krushna Kanth’s research achievements have been widely recognized. He received the Young Scientist Award at URSI EMTS 2025, won First Prize in the DRDO – Dare to Dream Innovation Contest (2019) organized by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and exhibited his work at DefExpo 2020, one of the largest defence exhibitions globally. He was also nominated for the Best Postdoctoral Researcher Award at Queen’s University Belfast in 2025.

He has authored over 50+ technical publications, earned three Best Paper Awards at international conferences, and serves as an editor for the Springer book, “Handbook of Nano-Metamaterials.” He is an active peer reviewer for leading journals, including IEEE MTT, IEEE Access, IEEE APS, IEEE OJAP, IEEE Sensors, IET MAP, IET Electronics Letters, MOTL, IJMWT, and Elsevier AEU, contributing to the dissemination and quality control of cutting-edge research in his field.

Dr Krushna Kanth’s career reflects a balance of innovative research, practical engineering applications, and academic leadership, positioning him as a leading contributor to the fields of microwave engineering, plasma-based materials, and electromagnetic protection technologies.

Address:Centre for Wireless Innovations, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS), Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Dr. Srujana of IIT Torupati

Biography:

Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering , IIT Tirupati

Dr. Srujana Kagita is Assistant Professor in the Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave Group of the department of Electrical Engineering. She obtained her Masters in Engineering Degree from Arizona State University in 2009 and PhD degree from IIT Delhi in 2016.Between 2017-2019 she worked as an assistant professor in IIT Jammu. Her research primarily focusses on developing passive microwave components for RF transceiver systems. Her expertise  is in designing high frequency circuits using magnetic materials .

Address:department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Tirupati, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India