Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115
Biography
Sergi Aliaga, born in Barcelona in 1998, is a wireless communications engineer at the UNLab with a special focus on aerospace systems. As a Ph.D. student, his research focuses on enabling ultra-broadband communication in the next generation of Non-Terrestrial Networks, addressing challenges spanning all layers of the protocol stack, from the physical layer to the network layer and above.
His vision is a sustainable world with ubiquitous high-speed communication, continuous climate change monitoring, human space exploration beyond the Moon, direct support to natural disaster rescue operations, and instantaneous global economic trade. His mission is to leverage ultra-broadband wireless device technology, signal processing, and sub-orbital and orbital flight testing to fulfill that vision.
In an effort to reduce the impact of massive satellite deployments in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and increase climate change monitoring data, Sergi designed the first space-based THz wireless system that can simultaneously sense the Earth’s atmosphere and communicate with other systems in Space using a single radio module. By combining Differential Absorption Radar with a Chirp Spread Spectrum modulation, the system is the first to enable Joint Communications and Sensing in Space.
He is also addressing the interference challenge posed by the next generation of satellite mega constellations, which are envisioned to utilize inter-satellite connectivity to grant global coverage from LEO. He developed a mathematical model and validated it both analytically and numerically, paving the way to interference-aware routing protocols in future Non-Terrestrial Networks.
Sergi, received two B.S. degrees in Telecommunications Engineering and Industrial Engineering, respectively, from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, under the CFIS (Interdisciplinary Higher Education Centre) program, in May 2021. He completed his undergraduate studies as a visiting student in the System Architecture Group of the AeroAstro department at MIT. Leveraging the latest On-Board Processing capabilities of the next generation of High Throughput Satellites, he developed an AI-based methodology to configure current and future Dynamic Resource Management (DRM) algorithms to allocate resources in multi-beam satellite constellations.
Sergi also gained extensive industry experience through an internship at SES Satellite, where he further developed his resource management solutions for the recently launched O3b mPOWER Constellation. He also interned at Zanini Auto Group, where he gained experience in PCB design and electronic testing through the development of an Arduino-based product demonstrator to show the transparency of EM waves of a proprietary metallic coating.
Selected Honors and Awards
- IEEE International Conference on Communications Student Travel Grant – May 2023
- Best Student Paper Award, IEEE WoWMoM 6G-NTN – June 2022
- 2020 LaCaixa Fellowship recipient: obtained full funding for my M.S. studies (411 applicants, 1/8.4 acceptance ratio, 26.3 average age)
Research
Satellite Communications, Joint Communications and Sensing in Space, Remote Sensing, Satellite Networking, 6G Wireless Communications, THz Communications
UN Lab Publications
Other Publications
J. J. Garau-Luis, S. Aliaga, G. Casadesus, N. Pachler, E. F. Crawley, B. G. Cameron, “Frequency Plan Design for Multibeam Satellite Constellations Using Linear Programming”, in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 2020
S. Aliaga, J. J. Garau Luis, E. F. Crawley, B. G. Cameron, “Dynamic Resource Management Algorithm Reconfiguration for Multibeam Satellite Constellations”, in the Proc. of the IEEE Aerospace Conference, March 2022.
M. Guerster, E. F. Crawley, S. Aliaga, B. G. Cameron, “So Many Beams, So Little Time: Revenue Management in the Next Generation of Flexible Communication Satellites”, to appear in Acta Astronautica, Elsevier, December 2021.
Service
Reviewer for the following journals and conferences:
IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems
IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
Proceedings of Engineering and Technology Innovation
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communication: SI-Edge Based Wireless Communications Technologies to Counter Infectious Diseases
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communication: Electromagnetic Nanonetworks: From On-chip Communication to Wearable and Implantable Networks
IEEE IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communication: Advanced Optimization Theory and Algorithms for Next Generation Wireless Communication Networks
IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM) 2023
IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) 2023, 2024
IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine
IEEE International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks (WoWMoM) – NTN-6G Workshop 2023
Springer Nature Scientific Reports
IEEE Open Journal of the Communication Society
IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology