I started my activity as a Ph.D student working on the impact of user mobility in different networks (cellular, IP, WiFi) until I decided to change my perspective and think of mobility as a solution rather than as a problem. Therefore, my research activities switched to a different kind of networks, where devices are smart and able to make decisions and move accordingly. Since 2008, I started collaborating with researcher from Control and Automation as well as with roboticists and Artificial Intelligence scientists in order to gather together competencies from different disciplines towards the exciting field of Network Control theory.
More specifically, my research activities are the following:
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UAV, Robot and Sensor Networks
I design, test and implement coordination/communication protocols as well as motion control for mobile and static devices that cooperate to accomplish a common task. The focus of my work is on the mathematical modelling of the problem and the design of distributed solutions to it. I use optimization tools and methodologies for the modelling part and heuristics and meta-heuristics for the solution design.
On this activity, I co-supervised the Ph.D. work of: Milan Erdelj, Rosario Surace, Carmelo Costanzo
Publications on this subject: MSWIM3, DCOSS2, WCNC2, APM, AHN, STS, ComCom, JWCN, WCNC1, MASS, AHNOW, DCOSS1, MSWIM2, ICNC2, ICNC1, MSWIM1, Chapt2, Chapt1.
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Swarm communications
I am really intrigued by swarm intelligence and emergent behaviours. In this research activity, I try to establish the role of communication in group of mobile devices in order to define a new communication paradigm for multi-robot systems. The main effort is to model the individual simple communication behaviours to reach an intelligence group behaviour. The main inspiration for this activity comes from the study of the behaviour of group of animals, and the implementation of the communication paradigm is performed within the multi robot platforms existing at the Heudiasyc Lab.
On this activity, I currently supervise the work of Lotfi Zaouche.
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Multimedia Wireless Networks
I am interested in the deployment and redeployment of self-controlled devices for the optimization of multimedia flows. Therefore, I try to extract the geometrical properties of the field where the devices are deployed in order to model the QoS parameters for optimizing the transmission/reception of multimedia data.
On this activity, I co-supervised the Ph.D. work of: Karen Miranda
Publications on this subject: IJDSN, PerCom,APM, PIMRC, ComLet2, ComLet1.
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Vehicular Area Networks
The specific problem I have been working on is the limitation of the broadcast storm problem by the design of an effective cluster selection mechanism in a dynamic environment.
Publications on this subject: JNCA, WONS, iCOST.
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Integration of heterogeneous networking systems
By using the mobility of devices as a shared feature of different wireless communication systems, I have been working on their integration by taking into consideration shared and individual resource management and intersystem admission control.
Publications on this subject: AHN, TVT, IST, ICT2, PIMRC2, VTC2, WCNC, VTC1, PIMRC1, ICT1.
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Security in the Internet of Things
I am also trying to open my research scope to include security topics. Specifically, in 2012, I started working on a systemic and cognitive definition of security for the Internet of Things.
On this activity, I currently supervise the Ph.D. work of: Arbia Riahi, Nourhene Maalel.
Publications on this subject: IJDSN, PerCom,ICNC, IoTIP2, IoTIP1.
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Transport layer for mesh networks
As one of my past activities I proposed a transport layer protocol and congestion control mechanism for wireless mesh networks. The proposed protocol aimed at spreading the congestion over a chain of nodes in order to let the whole network recover its full functionalities as soon as possible.
