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Dr. Muhammad Zubair (SFHEA, SMIEEE, SMOptica) received his PhD in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, followed by postdoctoral research at the SUTD-MIT International Design Centre, Singapore. Before joining Leicester, he held academic and research appointments at the James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); Information Technology University (ITU), Lahore; and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Dr. Zubair’s research interests span applied electromagnetics and metasurfaces, with a focus on developing next-generation models, materials, and devices for future communication, sensing, imaging, and energy applications. He has contributed as PI/ Co-PI or researcher co-lead in projects funded by several international agencies, including the EPSRC (UK), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), HEC (Pak), PHEC (Pak), Singapore Temasek Labs, and the US Department of Defense (DoD). He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, co-authored two book chapters/monographs, and has been listed among the top 2% most-cited researchers worldwide by Stanford-Elsevier since 2021. His contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the URSI Young Scientist Award, Punjab Innovation Research Challenge Award, IEEE Education (ETOP 2025) Change Champion, and the RSC Emerging Investigator 2024/2025 distinction. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Senior Member IEEE, Senior Member Optica, IEEE AP-S Young Professionals Ambassador 2025, Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) Ambassador 2025, and an active member of IET, ACES, and SPIE. He currently serves or has served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Access, PLOS ONE, Wiley International Journal of Antennas and Propagation, and IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation.

My research lies at the intersection of Applied Electromagnetics and Metasurfaces, with applications spanning communication, sensing, imaging, and energy harvesting. I am particularly passionate about electromagnetic metamaterials, photonic metasurfaces, biomedical imaging, and fractional modeling of electrical engineering systems. Please refer to my profile for the most up-to-date publication list.

I welcome applications from prospective research students in the following areas (non-exhaustive):

• Applied and Computational Electromagnetics, Computational Nanophotonics, Metamaterials & Metasurfaces
• Intelligent Metasurfaces and AI for Next-Generation Wireless, Sensing, and Energy Systems
• Flexible, Printed, and Self-Powered Electronics for Healthcare and Smart Mobility
• Cognitive Sensing and Secure, Energy Efficient Wireless Technologies for Future Cities

I am also happy to support strong candidates applying for externally funded scholarships (e.g., CSC, HEC, Commonwealth). Please feel free to get in touch via email for further discussion.

• EG1122 Digital Electronics and Communications
• EG4231/7231 Real-time Simulation for Industry 4.0

Professional Memberships / Fellowships

• 2020 – Present: Senior Member, IEEE, USA

• 2025 – Present: Senior Member, OPTICA (formerly OSA)

• 2025 – Present: Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Advance HE, UK

• 2021 – Present: Member, IET, UK (MIET)

• 2019 – Present: Member, SPIE, USA

• 2019 – 2025: Member, OPTICA (formerly OSA)

• 2021 – Present: Member, Applied and Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES)

• Lifetime Registered Engineer, Pakistan Engineering Council (since 2009)

International Journal Editorships

• 2019 – Present: Associate Editor, IET Microwave, Antennas & Propagation

• 2019 – Present: Editorial Board Member, Wiley International Journal of Antennas and Propagation

• 2019 – Present: Editorial Board Member, PLOS ONE

• 2019 – 2024: Associate Editor, IEEE Access

• 2020 – Present: Moderator, IEEE TechRxiv

• 2020 – 2023: Review Editor, Frontiers in Nanotechnology

Peer-Review Activities

• Verified Peer-Review Profile:

• Journals reviewed for include:

  • IEEE: TAP, TED, AWPL, Access, Sensors, TCAS, and others

  • Nature: Nature Communications, Scientific Reports

  • Wiley: Advanced Materials, Advanced Optical Materials, Advanced Electronic Materials, Advanced Material Technologies

  • Optica: Optics Express, Optics Letters, Optical Materials Express, Photonics Research, OSA Continuum, Applied Optics

  • Elsevier: Physics Letters A, Optik

  • AIP: Physics of Plasmas, APL, JAP

  • Others: Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications, ACES Journal

Grant Reviewer

• Royal Academy of Engineering (Green Future Fellowships)

• Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDI). KSA

• Pakistan Science Foundation

• Xiamen University Malaysia

Selected Recent Talks:

• From Applied Electromagnetics to MedTech: Smart Sensing & Imaging for Healthcare Futures, MedTech @ Leicester Day, Leicester, UK, 1 September 2025.

• Introduction to AP-S and YP Program, Keynote Speaker for Professional Development Program (PDP) REMOTE-2025, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRM IST), Chennai, India, 2 September 2025.

• From Morse to Mars: The Evolution of Communication Technology and Future Trends, Leicester-Dalian Summer School 2025, National Space Centre, Leicester, UK, 10 August 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Bio-Sensing Applications, Sino-Pak Science and Technology Bridge Symposium, Lahore, Pakistan, 21 July 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, International Symposium on Metamaterials and Nanophotonics, SCZU, China, 3 July 2025.

• Revisiting Fractals and Fractional Dimensions in Electromagnetics: Unlocking New Approaches in Design and Analysis of Practical Devices, Workshop on Mathematical Methods for Wave Problems, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, UK, 11 June 2025.

• Revisiting Fractals and Fractional Dimensions in Electromagnetics: Unlocking New Approaches in Design and Analysis of Practical Devices, IEEE AP/ED/MTT North Italy Chapter YP Talk, University of Trento, Italy, 7 May 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, IEEE AP/ED/MTT North Italy Chapter YP Talk, Online, 23 April 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, IEEE AP/MTT Joint Chapter YP Talk, ITU Lahore, Pakistan, 14 April 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, IEEE AP-S YP Talk, IEEE AP-S Kenya Chapter, Online, 6 March 2025.

• Revisiting Fractals and Fractional Dimensions in Electromagnetics: Unlocking New Approaches in Design and Analysis of Practical Devices, IEEE AP-S YP Invited Talk, UNESCO/ICTP Winter College on Optics, Trieste, Italy, 27 February 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, IEEE AP-S YP Invited Talk, UNESCO/ICTP Winter College on Optics, Trieste, Italy, 27 February 2025.

• Metasurfaces for Next-Gen Applications: A Platform for Communication, Sensing, Imaging, and Energy Innovations, IEEE AP-S YP Talk, IEEE Bangladesh AP-S/MTT-S Joint Chapter, Online, 17 February 2025.

• Empowering Communities in Microscopy through Place-Based Training and Outreach Model, IEEE ETOP, Glasgow, May 2025. 

• Publish with Quality: A Practical Guide for New Scientific Authors (In-Person Workshop), ASEAN Business Engineering and Technology Symposium (ABEATS), Organized by Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, December 2024.

• Recent Developments in Fractional Modeling of Electron Emission from Rough Surface Devices, International Symposium on Light-matter Interactions in Nano, Nanjing, 27–28 November 2024.

• Computational Electromagnetics and Photonics: From Conventional Fast Solvers to the Novel Fractional Formulations and Their Applications, ICTP East African Summer School on Optics and Lasers, Kenya, 6–17 May 2024.

Selected Recognitions:

• 2025: Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) Ambassador, Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, UK
• 2025: Senior Member OPTICA, formerly Optical Society of America - OSA (Class of 2025), Awarded by the Board of Directors, Optica, USA
• 2025: IEEE APS Young Professional Ambassador (Class of 2025), Awarded by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society.
• 2025: Senior Fellowship of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Awarded by Advance HE, UK.
• 2025: IEEE ETOP Change Champion Paper Awards (02), Awarded by IEEE Education Committee in recognition of two change champion works, presented at IEEE ETOP 2025, promoting diversity and outreach in engineering educatiion.
• 2025–Present: Adjunct Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology University, Lahore
• 2024–Present: Affiliate Researcher, James Watt Schoool of Engineering, University of Glasgow, UK
• 2024: RSC Materials Horizons Emerging Investigator, Awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
• 2023: UK Global Talent, Awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, for ”exceptional promise” in the field of applied electromagnetics and EM metamaterials.
• 2022–Present: Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scholars, Consecutively listed among the top 2% most-cited scholars worldwide over three years, reflecting impactful contributions to academic research.
• 2024: IET MAP Top Downloaded Paper, Awarded for the paper titled “A Photopaper-Based Low-Cost, Wideband Wearable Antenna for WBAN Applications”, published in IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation.
• 2023: Nanoscale Horizons Most Popular Article, Recognized for the paper titled “Spin-Isolated Ultraviolet-Visible Dynamic Metaholographic Displays with Liquid Crystal Modulators”, featured as a cover article in Nanoscale Horizons.
• 2022: Vice Chancellor’s Appreciation, Awarded with certificate of appreciation by the worthy Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University for exemplary contributions to teaching, research and institutional services over the past five years.
• 2022: Nanoscale Most Popular Article, Acknowledged for the paper titled “Nanostructured Chromium
  to Realize Thermally Stable Solar Thermophotovoltaic Systems”, published in Nanoscale.
• 2021: URSI Young Scientist Award, Received from the International Union of Radio Science for significant contributions to electromagnetic engineering and innovative research approaches.
• 2021: IEEE AP-S Best Chapter Award (Chapter Secretary, Islamabad)
• 2021: Punjab Innovation Research Challenge Award, Recognized for the project “Development of Portable, Low-Cost Microwave Head Imaging System for Early Diagnosis of Brain Stroke.” Funded by Punjab Higher Commisssion, Pakistan.

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Advance HE, UK
  Awarded in recognition of achievement of the Descriptor 3 of Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023), demonstrating sustained impact on teaching and learning through academic leadership, curriculum development and peer mentoring.
• PhD in Electronic Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  Specialization in Applied Computational Electromagnetics and Metamaterials