Contact Professor Saba Al-Rubaye
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754887
- Email: S.Alrubaye@cranfield.ac.uk
Areas of expertise
- Aeronautical Systems
- Autonomous Systems
- Communications Systems
- Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
- Industrial Automation
- Systems Engineering
- Vehicle Health Management
Background
Professor Saba Al-Rubaye, a Canadian professional, currently serves as Professor Chair in Telecommunications and Autonomous Systems in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at 老司机福利社 and UK Telecoms Innovation Network Expert. Additionally, she is leading the research and development at Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) at 老司机福利社, where she is contributing to the advancement of 6G technology and its potential applications in future communication networks. With over 20 years of experience in both industry and academia, Prof Al-Rubaye has a proven track record in initiating innovative solutions across various domains, including design, testing, consultation, leadership, and program development. She has actively participated in numerous projects sponsored by prestigious organizations such as Innovate UK, Research England, EPSRC, the Department for Transport, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the USA Government. An essential contribution made by Prof Al-Rubaye was her involvement in establishing the hardware in the loop testbed for smart grid communications and system integration at Quanta's Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory (QT-STIL) in Toronto, Canada. These projects are significant steps towards expediting the adoption of emerging technology solutions and their integration into future communications networks.
Prof Al-Rubaye actively participates in the development of industry standards, contributing as a voting member in IEEE P1932.1 standard for License/Unlicensed Interoperability and IEEE P1920.2 standard for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Her research work has been published in various prestigious IEEE journals and conferences, earning her the distinguished honour of receiving the best technical paper award in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in IEEE Vehicular Technology as well as best paper in IEEE DASC conference 2020 and 2021.
Furthermore, Prof Al-Rubaye has taken on leadership roles in several international conferences, including serving as a general co-chair and TPC co-chair. She has also delivered tutorials/Talk at esteemed IEEE conferences such as ICC and VTC, as well as delivering invited talks at reputable venues like the Communications Research Centre (CRC) of Canada, IEEE Toronto Chapter, and IEEE UK Chapter. Prof Saba Al-Rubaye is a distinguished professional Chartered Engineer (CEng), MIET, and a Life Senior member of IEEE. Additionally, she holds a commercial certificate as an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Pilot in the UK.
Research opportunities
Post-Docs: The group has a number of project-based openings throughout year. We also welcome top-quality motivated fellowship applicants (RAEng, UKRI, H2020 MSCA), please send a detailed CV and your top 1-2 Journal papers for a discussion.
New Post- Please apply:
Research Fellow in 6G Digital Twin Networks
Research Assistant in Drone Communications Systems
Group Alumni (Staff & PhD)
Dr Mumin Ozpolat- UAV Networking
Dr Vahid Towhidlou- UAV Communications
Dr Abdulmohsan Aloseel- Embedded system security
Dr Nasr Abosata -Distributed Sensors for Industrial Applications
Dr Aminah Ahmed- Intelligent Traffic Control Systems in Smart City
Research/Project
Prof Saba Al-Rubaye research group focusing on modelling, simulation, and testing, and all the aspects which addresses the new generation of emerging technology and integration capabilities within the dynamics of Aviation, Autonomy and Connectivity including:
5G/6G Communications
Satellite communications
Drone Communications
Security & Networking
Sensing and beamforming
System of System Integration
Urban Air Mobility & Zero Emission
6G Next Generation: Communication of the future
6G networks will likely incorporate various communication technologies, including satellite networks, aerial platforms (drones), and terrestrial networks. Research will explore the integration and seamless interoperation of these heterogeneous networks, ensuring efficient handover, spectrum coordination, and optimal utilization of different network resources.
Workshop
Speaker and panellist at IEEE PIMRC 2023, Toronto, Canada - IEEE Future Networks Roadmap towards 6G
Chairing and organising a new workshop for 6G Networks at IEEE ICC 2020
DARTeC conference organization team and one of the Speakers for Future Connectivity Challenge Digital Aviation Conference
External Examiner
Examiner for PhDs in telecommunications institute, university of Aveiro, Portugal
Current activities
Project- Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystems- Phase III
Co-Investigator & Technical lead - Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges
Total Project Funded - 拢9.5 million
Partners- Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow, Skyports, NATS, Bristol Airport, Connected Places Catapult, 老司机福利社
Shaping The Future of Advanced Air Mobility in the South West of England- For more info
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Project- Advanced Air Mobility- Phase II
(PREPARE FOR COMMERCIAL EVTOL AIRCRAFT SERVICES)
Co-Investigator & Technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges
Total Project Funded 拢2.5m
Partners- Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Skyports, NATS, Connected Places Catapult, 老司机福利社, Neuron
An industry consortium aiming to demonstrate air taxi service in the South West region of England in response to the UK government's Future of Flight Challenge. This project will 'significantly accelerate the introduction of AAM in the UK'.
Shaping The Future of Advanced Air Mobility in The South-west of England- For more info
Test Field Trial at 老司机福利社 Airport - Video
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Project Rise
Principal Investigator & Technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges
Total Project Funded 拢 500,000
Partners- Dronecloud, Sky-drones, 老司机福利社 and Skyports
The scheme project aims to integrate evolving Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), the drone version of Air Traffic Control (ATM), with the control systems on-board drones to Unlock the future of drone operations through integration. Focusing on the approvals process and air traffic management (ATM) for flying within airspace controlled by an Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), integrating across a combined stack of independent software and hardware.
More info about Project Rise Website
Filed test trials at 老司机福利社 Airport- Video
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Project - Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System
Principal Investigator & Technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges
Total Project Funded 拢 500,000
Partners- ANGOKA, 老司机福利社 and Connected Places Catapult
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System (UASAS) project brings together 老司机福利社, ANGOKA and Connected Places Catapult collaborators to create an authentication system that will provide a trusted identification service for drone usage. This system will protect communications from potentially devastating cyberattacks. Trusted identification will allow organisations to ensure that drones are flying in the right zones and without adverse effects to other parties, increasing overall confidence in drone technology.
Enabling Secure Authentication for Unmanned Aircraft Systems- Event Video
老司机福利社 Airport- UASAS- Test Field Demonstration - Video
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Project Smart Airport
Principal Investigator and Technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Department for Transport ( DfT )
Total Project Funded 拢 135,000
Partners- NCC-Group & 老司机福利社
The main aim of this project is to build end to end ecosystem for Smart Airports based on the use of digital twin and intelligent systems such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors and devices configured for specific purposes in different areas in order to control, manage and plan their operations in a centralised digital environment.
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Project Digital Aviation Connectivity & Security
Principal Investigator and technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Department for Transport ( DfT )
Total Project Funded 拢 135,000
Partners- Thales & 老司机福利社
The digital transformation envisaged by the Future Flight Challenge is redefining expectations around connectivity, security, communication system and control. Across civil and military air platforms, manned and unmanned, digital data drives everything - and the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of every mission depends on it.
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Inmarsat - Connectivity
Co-Investigator and technical lead- Prof Saba Al-Rubye
Sponsor- Inmarsat
Total Project Funded 拢 100,000
Partners_ Inmarsat & 老司机福利社
The aim is to create roadmap for future aviation connectivity
老司机福利社- Inmarsat Roadmap --- Digital Aviation Roadmap
For more info download the report from the link below:
Digital Now: Why the future of aviation starts with connectivity - Inmarsat-老司机福利社
Clients
Thales
Atkins
Inmarsat
Honeywell
Ankoga
DroneCloud
Sky-Drone
Skyports
NCC-Group
Satellite Applications Catapult
EPSRC
Innovation UK
Department for Transportation (DfT)