Leading a state-of-the-art tech design project as a PDEng trainee in Electrical Engineering
“After getting my MSc in Electrical Engineering,” Rabia Zainab Syeda recalls, “I wanted to stay connected to academia while getting more practical experience in industry.” The track Information and Communication Technology of the PDEng Design of Electrical Engineering Systems (DEES-ICT) caught her attention as the best of both worlds. It included a design project with Omniradar, developing better sensors for cars.
Developing weather-proof sensors for self-driving cars
Rabia: “Cars today need lots of sensors to be their eyes and ears. And self-driving cars will need even more. However, most of these sensors cannot handle harsh environmental conditions. With Omniradar, I worked on creating millimeter-wave radar (60GHz) sensors, which have better performance in bad weather.”
As a system architect, Rabia was responsible for the whole design process. Working with many recent technological advances in semiconductor technologies, highly integrated transceivers and integrated mm-wave antennas, Rabia designed and developed a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radar technology demonstrator with an array of single-chip radar nodes. The demonstrator includes transmitter and receiver, antennas on chip and a PC interface, and can help create breakthroughs in MIMO algorithms and systems.
A perfect mix of working and learning
For Rabia, who was already working as a lecturer in her home country when she joined the PDEng program, DEES-ICT definitely met her expectations. Rabia: “I learned a great deal of professional, technical and design skills which help me to this date. It was even more extensive than I expected, and I learned so much more than I thought I would. And since it is a paid position, you can focus fully on the program.”
Rabia is now working on her PhD, continuing her PDEng design project. She would definitely advise other students to apply for the PDEng DEES-ICT. “PDEng programs are unique; they allow you to experience industry and university life at the same time. And the professional skills you learn will give you a huge advantage throughout your career.”
