Nila Nilavalan

Professor Nila Nilavalan is Head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Brunel University London, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. He holds a PhD in Near-field Microwave Imaging from the University of Bristol (2001) and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Peradeniya (1995). His research spans wireless communications, RF systems, antennas, and non-destructive testing, with active grants including EU projects on 6G networks (Optic 6G, 6G BRAINS).

Research Focus: His work integrates 5G/6G optimization, quantum networking, reconfigurable antennas, and RF-based biomedical diagnostics. Key areas include:

• Energy-efficient Open RAN architectures
• MIMO antenna design and mutual coupling reduction
• Eddy current sensing for industrial pipelines
• UWB antennas for solar-integrated RF energy harvesting

Awards & Honors:

• Fellow of IET, IEEE Senior Member, HEA Fellow
• Patent for microwave object-structure measurement (EP 1850743)

Advising & Grants: He has supervised 18+ PhD students on topics like wireless sensor networks and antenna design. Major grants include:

• Biotechnology Research Council: Portable pathogen detection (2018-2021)
• EU Horizon: 6G BRAINS (2021-2023)
• Innovate UK: Fire-alarm communications (2019-2021)