Robert Stewart

Robert Stewart is a Professor in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, where he leads the 20-member StrathSDR engineering team. His research focuses on software-defined radio (SDR), dynamic spectrum access, FPGA-based implementations, and next-generation 5G private networks. He has played a pivotal role in major UK 5G testbed projects such as 5GRuralFirst, 5G NewThinking, and 5GRailNext, with a strong emphasis on rural and underground rail connectivity.

His expertise spans digital signal processing, shared spectrum systems, and RFSoC-based designs. He was a founding partner of the Scotland 5G Centre in 2019 and co-founded Steepest Ascent Ltd, later acquired by MathWorks. He previously held the Xilinx Professor of DSP and Digital Logic chair and served as Head of Department (2014–2017) and Director of the Institute for Sensors, Signals and Communications.

His recent publications (2024–2025) highlight advancements in intelligent resource management for shared spectrum networks, FPGA-based beamforming, 5G transmitter design on RFSoC platforms, and deep learning for modulation classification. These works reflect a strong integration of machine learning, hardware acceleration, and next-generation wireless systems.

• UCLA Extension Distinguished Professor Award 2010
• Award for Digital Inclusion (2019)
• Xilinx Professor of Signal Processing (2006–2013)

Stewart has led numerous EPSRC and industry-funded research projects and actively collaborates with AMD, MathWorks, and Cisco. He supervises research students and contributes to datasets and open-source tools. He also delivers technical short courses for industry professionals on RFSoC and PYNQ platforms.

He has led the StrathSDR team in developing innovative solutions for private 5G networks and spectrum sharing, contributing to both academic knowledge and industrial applications through the Scotland 5G Centre and Neutral Wireless Ltd.