Professor Wasiu O. Popoola

Director of Discipline

Engineering Discipline: 

  • Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Research Institute: 

  • Imaging, Data and Communications

Research Theme: 

  • Communications
  • Signal and Image Processing
  • Optical Systems and Materials

Biography: 

Wasiu O. Popoola is a Professor of Communications Engineering and the current Director of Electronics and Electrical Engineering. From 2019-2024, he was a Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching leading the School's initiatives on Widening Participation & Outreach. In 2022, he was awarded RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship for his work on ‘ethical LiFi’ research.  He has published over 200 journal articles, conference papers, patent and several invited articles. He also co-authored the acclaimed book ‘Optical Wireless Communications: System and Channel Modeling with MATLAB’ and many other book chapters. His primary research interests are digital and optical communications, including VLC/LiFi, FSO, and fiber communications. One of his journal articles ranked No. 2 in terms of the number of full text downloads within IEEE Xplore, in 2008, from the hundreds of articles published by IET Optoelectronics, since 1980. Another article he co-authored with one of his Ph.D. students received the Best Poster Award at the 2016 IEEE ICSAE Conference. Popoola is a science communicator appearing in science festivals and on “BBC Radio 5live Science” programme in Oct. 2017.  He is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Access Journal, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology (FIET), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)  and a Senior Member of IEEE . He was an invited speaker at various events including the IET Lunch and Learn Lecture 2024, Rank Prize Symposium 2024, IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals 2016 among others.

Academic Qualifications: 

  • BSc (First Class Hons), MSc (Distinction), PhD

Professional Qualifications and Memberships: 

  • Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Fellow IET (FIET)
  • Senior Member IEEE
  • Member IEEE Photonic Society

Research Interests: 

Communication Systems Engineering

  • Optical communication systems (optical fibre communication and free-space optics)
  • Communication channel modelling and mitigation
  • Visible light communications
  • Modulation techniques for communication systems
  • Digital communication system modelling, design and analysis
  • Spatial and temporal diversity techniques for communication systems
  • Equalisation techniques for communication systems

Specialities: 

  • Wireless Communication systems
  • Optical Fibre Communications
  • Free-Space Optical Communications
  • Visible Light Communications