keynote speakers

Title: Connected and Autonomous Electric Vehicles in Smart Cities
Abstract: The transformation of our current cities into smarter cities will bring challenges in diverse areas such as the transportation system, the electricity system, and wearable systems, just to name a few. In smart cities, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will play a vital role for providing services in the urban environment. These services include real time monitoring and reaction in time through wireless sensor and actuator networks. Smart Grids (SGs), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Internet of Things (IoT), Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) will be the building blocks of futuristic smart cities. Smart grid refers to the modernization of traditional power grid by incorporating two-way digital communication support at generation, transmission, and distribution level.	Hussein Mouftah Fellow IEEE Prof. and Canada Research Chair and Distinguished University Professor School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Intelligent transportation system refers to making the vehicular traffic smarter by reducing congestion, optimized fuel consumption, shorter routes, and better safety, self-driving cars by using communication and sensing technologies. Internet of things refer to a world-wide network of interconnected objects uniquely addressable, employing M2M communications, based on standard communication protocols and allows people and things to be connected Anytime, Anyplace, with Anything and Anyone, ideally using Any path/network and Any service. IoT can be very useful for resource management in the context of smart cities. Wireless sensor networks are composed of sensor nodes capable of performing sensing and implementing the M2M communications. All these technologies will help to build a smart city. In this presentation we will address technology trends with a focus on connected and autonomous electric vehicles in smart cities. Speaker Biography: Hussein T. Mouftah joined the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Ottawa in 2002 as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Professor, where he became a University Distinguished Professor in 2006. He has been with the ECE Dept. at Queen's University (1979-2002), where he was prior to his departure a Full Professor and the Department Associate Head. He has six years of industrial experience mainly at Bell Northern Research of Ottawa (Nortel Networks). He served as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Communications Magazine (1995-97) and IEEE ComSoc Director of Magazines (1998-99), Chair of the Awards Committee (2002-03), Director of Education (2006-07), and Member of the Board of Governors (1997-99 and 2006-07). He has been a Distinguished Speaker of the IEEE Communications Society (2000-2007). He is the author or coauthor of 13 books, 73 book chapters and more than 1800 technical papers, 16 patents, 6 invention disclosures and 150 industrial reports. He is the joint holder of 24 Best/Outstanding Paper Awards. He has received numerous prestigious awards, such as the 2017 C.C. Gotlieb Medal in Computer Engineering and Science and the 2016 R.A. Fessenden Medal in Telecommunications Engineering of IEEE Canada, the 2015 IEEE Ottawa Section Outstanding Educator Award, the 2014 Engineering Institute of Canada K. Y. Lo Medal, the 2014 Technical Achievement Award of the IEEE Communications Society Technical Committee on Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks, the 2007 Royal Society of Canada Thomas W. Eadie Medal, the 2007–2008 University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Research, the 2008 ORION Leadership Award of Merit, the 2006 IEEE Canada McNaughton Gold Medal, the 2006 EIC Julian Smith Medal, the 2004 IEEE ComSoc Edwin Howard Armstrong Achievement Award, the 2004 George S. Glinski Award for Excellence in Research of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Engineering, the 1989 Engineering Medal for Research and Development of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, and the Ontario Distinguished Researcher Award of the Ontario Innovation Trust. Dr. Mouftah is a Fellow of the IEEE (1990), the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2003), the Engineering Institute of Canada (2005) and the Royal Society of Canada RSC Academy of Science (2008).

Title: Novel Pick-and-place technology of III-N semiconductors for heterogeneous integration of photonic and electronic components
Abstract: Combined photonic and electronic systems require diverse devices to be co-integrated on a common platform. This heterogeneous integration is made possible through several separation and transfer methods where the functioning epilayers are essentially released from their growth substrate. The use of 2D layered h-BN as a mechanical release layer has been demonstrated to be a promising technique for the hybrid integration of III-nitride devices. Because 2-D materials have chemical bonds only in the plane of the 2-D material, the attachment of the subsequent epitaxial layer to the 2-D surface exists only through the extremely weak van der Waals forces. This weak bonding between the substrate and the epitaxial layer enables a wider range of uses that make new applications and new device designs possible.	Abdallah Ougazzaden Prof and Director, Georgia Tech Lorraine Co-President, Institut Lafayette Georgia Institute of Technology
Placing the devices on any type of support and the ability of convenient integration with larger systems is extremely attractive. Today transfer printing technologies are booming with the appearance of a pick-and-place approach. It can therefore reduce the manufacturing costs compared to traditional methods through reduced substrate costs (via substrate reusability), reduced epitaxial growth times, reduced epitaxial gas use and elimination of a costly process step for layer release. In this talk we will present results on broad range of components based on this technology which can be used for applications such as IOT, smart vehicles and smart cities. Speaker Biography: Professor at ECE School at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT), Director of GeorgiaTech-Lorraine, the European Campus of GIT, Co-Founder and Co-President of Lafayette Institute a platform of Innovation and Technology Transfer. He was a leader in creating the Joint International Research Lab between GT and CNRS and then has served as director for 3 terms. He worked in R&D as senior researcher and group leader at France Telecom for more than 8 years and one year at Optoplus/Alcatel (France) as Manager of Optoelectronic Materials Group. In 1999, he joined Bell-Labs at Lucent Technologies (USA), as Epitaxy and materials characterization Manager for Optical Fiber Communication. He kept this position with the company Agere Systems (USA), and then he worked as R&D and Fab Manager at TriQuint Semiconductor (USA). Dr. Ougazzaden joined the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2005. His current research activity is in the field of wide bandgap semiconductors and related devices for opto-electronic applications. He has authored more than 450 international scientific papers and communications and holds 26 patents. Recently in 2019 he was awarded of “La Légion d’Honneur” the highest decoration in France on behalf of the French President. He is member of National Academy of Metz since 2017. He is scientist member expert in the France Parliamentary office for theassessment of Scientific and Technology (OPECST, French Congress). In 2015, he was named recipient of the first international Stellab Award from PSA Peugeot Citroen. He was awarded the Medal of the city of Metz in 2014, for his main contributions in R&D and economic development. He is the recipient of Georgia Institute of Technology Steven A. Denning Award 2013 for Global Engagement for his dedication to economic development. He received France Telecom Best Research Award 1990 for his main contributions to the development of the first laser semiconductor at 1.3-micron for fiber telecommunication in France and its transfer to Alcatel. He was the Chair and the organizer of the International Conference MOVPE 2008 in Metz. He has served as Member of Program Committee for more than 30 international conferences on advanced materials and optoelectronic devices and systems.

Title: Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) for Future Zero-Net-Energy Buildings
Abstract: Since 1900, human-made CO2 and other emissions have increased the average temperature of Earth by around 1°C. This global warming has already had noticeable impacts on our environment, including heat waves, droughts, ocean acidification, heavy rainfall with floods, heavy snowfall and species extinctions (due to temperature regime shifting). The Sun’s energy can be used to combat climate change. Solar photovoltaics (PV) (as well as wind) renewable technologies have been identified as excellent solutions to eliminating CO2 and other emissions, and they are currently witnessing exponential growth, worldwide.	Kamal Alameh Prof and Director, Electron Science Research Institute Edith Cowan University Joondalup, WA, Australia
Buildings consume almost 40% of the energy produced globally and produce more than 40% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, it is crucial to target building energy use as a key to decreasing energy consumption and reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based energy. The majority of current Solar PV systems are roof-mounted. However, solar PV modules that are fully integrated into the skin (or envelope) of the building allow energy consumption in cities, in particular, to be more sustainable. In this talk, we discuss the deployment of Building-Integrated PhotoVoltaic (BIPV) systems, present conventional BIPV systems and look at their advantages and limitations, and introduce innovative BIPV solutions that can potentially make the construction of Zero-Net-Energy (ZNE) buildings more feasible. Speaker Biography: Professor Kamal Alameh has over 26 years of research experience in photonics, optoelectronics and Opto-VLSI, since receiving his PhD from The University of Sydney in 1993. Professor Alameh is the Director of the Electron Science Research Institute (ESRI), Edith Cowan University (ECU). He is also Adjunct Professor with the Department of Information and Communications at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, South Wales University, Wales, UK, Minzu University,Beijing, China, Southeast University, Nanjing, China, and KFUPM, KSA. Professor Alameh has pioneered the integration of microelectronic and photonic sciences and developed a new and practical research area, “MicroPhotonics” that achieved innovative solutions for the ICT, Agriculture, Health, Consumer Electronics, Renewable Energy, Environment, Oil and Gas, Security and Defense sectors. He is currently undertaken research on moving electron and photon sciences to practical applications of Micro-/Nano-Photonics has been highly attractive to industry and has led to the establishment of the world-class Micro-/Nano fabrication and characterization facilities at ECU housing (i) a 256m2 cleanroom facility, (ii) a world class Electronic Workshop as well as (iii) world class Photonics Laboratories. Professor Alameh has led many R&D projects including (i) “Development of energy-harvesting clear glass window panels”, (ii) “Development of a high-definition coloured PV panels for BIPV applications”, (iii) “Development of a pre-production prototype for a laser-based plant sensing weed control system” and (iv) Development of hybrid RF/optical catheters capable of monitoring the quality of ablated tissues in Atrial Fibrillation ablation procedures”. Professor Alameh has published 430+ peer reviewed journal and conference papers and filed 35 patents over technologies and discoveries that have commercial potential. He has been exceptionally well supported by successful government and industry grants totaling over $20 million dollars cash and $50m in-kind finding.

Title: Role of solid-state lighting in smart street lamps and IoT applications
Abstract: The development of light-emitting diodes in recent decades found its applications not only in backlights for flat panel displays but also in general lighting. The low-voltage and low-current driven LEDs are much more suitable than their fluorescent predecessor to be integrated with various physical devices in sensor networks, providing a critical element in modern life, i.e. lighting. This talk will focus on the connectivity of LEDs and how LEDs enrich life experience in the smart city. While it’s generally recognized of high electrical-optical conversion efficiency of LED street lighting, the connection of each individual street lamp into networks has the tremendous advantages beyond that.	Jian-Jang Huang Prof., Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics & Department of Electrical Engineering National Taiwan University Taiwan
The sensor network built upon the infrastructure of street lamps helps traffic control, security surveillance and disaster prevention. A new business model has been developed that considers street lamp networking as the real estate. In this talk, I will provide some cases of a company in Taiwan that deploys LED street lamp infrastructure worldwide. In addition, the LED itself can be modulated and thus behaves as a communication device that replaces WIFI. The idea of VLCs (visible light communications) has been employed for indoor data transmission for, e.g. supermarkets, and outdoor traffic control for, e.g. traffic light-automobile interactions, enriching the quality and convenience of modern urban life. Speaker Biography: JianJang Huang received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) and the M.S. degree in Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics (GIPO) from National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan, in 1994 and 1996, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 2002. He is currently the chairman of GIPO NTU and the director of Innovative Photonics Advanced Research Center, NTU. He was the chair of SPIE (San Diego, CA, USA), Optics & Photonics, International Conference on Solid State Lighting from 2011~2015, and the executive secretary of Taiwan Photonic Society from 2013 to 2016. He has been involved in several industrial and venture positions, including the board director of Unity Opto in Taiwan (2019~now), Global Communication Semiconductor, Inc. in CA, USA (2011~2019), Tacbright Optronics Corp. in Taiwan (2013~2016) and TMP co. in Taiwan (2012~2013). In academia, he currently serves as the Editor of IEEE, Transactions on Electron Devices, the Associate Editor of IEEE, Transactions on Nanotechnology, and the IEEE EDS committee member of Optoelectronics. He is a fellow of SPIE and OSA.

Plenary Speakers

Title: A Novel Field-Effect Approach to Improving the Photovoltaic Properties of III-V based Schottky Solar Cells
Abstract: P-N junction structures are currently the most commonly used structure for development of single and multi-junction solar cells. There exists several practical limitations in design and fabrication of conventional these solar cells using wide bandgap semiconductor, such as reaching the high p-type doping level which is usually accompanied with difficulties in impurity incorporation and crystal defect formation [1-2]. This leads to complications in producing high quality doped layers that can be used as active layers in solar cells. Application Schottky junction solar cells can eliminate the the use of highly doped p-type semiconductor, and therefore potentially improve the photovoltaic response of solar cells.	Ian T. Ferguson FRSA, Fellow of IEEE, IOP and SPIE Prof and Dean SPCEET, Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA, USA
However, a narrower depletion region and relatively larger reverse saturation current density can seriously reduce the photovoltaic response of these solar cells in comparison to p-n junction structures. In an attempt to improve the photovoltaic response in Schottky junction solar cells, a new method is proposed here to induce external electric field (i.e. band bending) at the top surface of semiconductor using a secondary bias contact layer, called as Isolated Collection and Biasing Solar cells (ICBS). The main advantage of ICBS structure over the conventional Schottky junction solar cell is the existence of an electrical isolation between the bias contact and primary collection contact, in which the bias contact is floating and primary collection contact is connected to external circuitry, will leave the Schottky barrier height underneath the bias contact unaffected if there are any changes in barrier height underneath the collection contact due to voltage drop of the load. This leads to a reduced reverse saturation current, improved open-circuit voltage and photo-current in the ICBS solar cells. Speaker Biography: Ian Ferguson is currently the Dean of Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Kennesaw State University. Prior to joining Kennesaw State University he had leadership positions in both academia (Imperial College, Northwestern University, Georgia Tech, UNC Charlotte, Missouri S&T, etc.) and industry (GEC, EMCORE, etc.). His research expertise is in building interdisciplinary teams to use compound semiconductor materials and devices for applications in the areas of sensors, illumination, energy harvesting, and spintronics. This research was supported through competitive research grants and contracts through various government agencies and others totaling over $28.5M as a lead investigator in academia and industry. As an international educator and researcher, he has had active collaborations in the US, Europe, and Asia, which has resulted in over 500 refereed journal publications, conference proceedings, books, book chapters, and patents. In addition, he has been actively involved in the entrepreneurial process of establishing new companies in academia and industry, co-founding a business incubator. He is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE), the Institute of Physics (IOP), and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE).

Title: Flexible Division and Unification Control Strategies for Resilience Enhancement in Networked Microgrids
Abstract: Networking a series of autonomous microgrids (MGs) is a strategic effort toward the resilience enhancement in extreme conditions. We consider flexible division and unification control strategies to help networked MGs prepare adequately for extreme events and adapt comprehensively to subsequent changing conditions, which enhance the system resilience. Networked MGs can switch between two distinct modes of division and unification by utilizing a sparse communication network without requiring any additional communication infrastructures or controllers. In division mode, each MG is regulated by its local master controller (MC) for active power sharing, which ensures that disruptions are handled effectively by local energy resources without utilizing those in adjacent MGs.	Prof. Dr. Mohammad Shahidehpour IEEE Fellow Bodine Chair Professor, ECE Director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA
Thus, any islanding or resynchronization of individual MGs would not introduce further disruptions to the remaining networked system. In unification mode, the remaining networked MGs, which are still functional, share all available energy resources and adapt to continuously changing operating conditions in order to respond to extreme events. The proposed control algorithm for devising a flexible networked MG system is a cost-effective scheme that can fully exploit the system operation flexibility corresponding to different operation stages for enhancing the resilience. The proposed control strategies are applied to a networked MG system and the performance is tested using time-domain PSCAD/EMTDC simulations. Speaker Biography: Dr. Mohammad Shahidehpour is a University Distinguished Professor, Bodine Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Director of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). He has also been the Principal Investigator of $60M research grants and contracts on power system operation and control. His project on Perfect Power Systems has converted the entire IIT Campus to an islandable microgrid. His CSMART (Center for Smart Grid Applications, Research, and Technology) at IIT has promoted the smart grid cybersecurity research for managing the resilience of wireless networked communication and control systems in smart cities. His SPIKE initiative facilitated the design and the implementation of affordable microgrids in impoverished nations. He is the recipient of the 2009 honorary doctorate from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. Dr. Shahidehpour was the recipient several technical awards including of the IEEE Burke Hayes Award or his research on hydrokinetics, IEEE/PES Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award, IEEE/PES Douglas M. Staszesky Distribution Automation Award, and the Edison Electric Institute’s Power Engineering Educator Award. He has co-authored 6 books and 650 technical papers on electric power system operation and planning, and served as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. Dr. Shahidehpour is a Fellow of IEEE, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE).