Ulukus, Sennur
Distinguished University Professor
Anthony Ephremides Chair in Information Sciences and Systems
Distinguished Scholar-Teacher
Founding Co-Director, Professional Masters in Machine Learning
The Institute for Systems Research
Biography
Sennur Ulukus is the Anthony Ephremides Professor in Information Sciences and Systems in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland at College Park, where she also holds a joint appointment with the Institute for Systems Research (ISR). Prior to joining UMD, she was a Senior Technical Staff Member at AT&T Labs-Research. She received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Wireless Information Network Laboratory (WINLAB), Rutgers University, and the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University. Her research interests are in information theory, wireless communications, machine learning, signal processing and networks; with recent focus on private information retrieval, age of information, machine learning for wireless, distributed coded computing, group testing, physical layer security, energy harvesting communications, and wireless energy and information transfer.
Dr. Ulukus is a fellow of the IEEE, and a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher of the University of Maryland. She received the 2003 IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Award in Wireless Communications, the 2019 IEEE Communications Society Best Tutorial Paper Award, the 2020 IEEE Communications Society Women in Communications Engineering (WICE) Outstanding Achievement Award, the 2020 IEEE Communications Society Technical Committee on Green Communications and Computing (TCGCC) Distinguished Technical Achievement Recognition Award, a 2005 NSF CAREER Award, the 2011 ISR Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award, and the 2012 ECE George Corcoran Outstanding Teaching Award. She was a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Information Theory Society for 2018-2019.
She is an Area Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (2019-present) and a Senior Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking (2020-present). She was an Area Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking (2016-2020), an Editor for the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications-Series on Green Communications and Networking (2015-2016), an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory (2007-2010), and an Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Communications (2003-2007). She was a Guest Editor for the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (2008, 2015 and 2021), Journal of Communications and Networks (2012), and the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory (2011). She is the TPC chair of 2021 IEEE Globecom, and was a TPC co-chair of 2019 IEEE ITW, 2017 IEEE ISIT, 2016 IEEE Globecom, 2014 IEEE PIMRC, and 2011 IEEE CTW.
Education
- B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University
- M.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University
- Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rutgers University
Honors and awards
- IEEE Communications Society Women in Communications Engineering (WICE) Outstanding Achievement Award (2020)
- IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Technical Committee on Green Communications and Computing (TCGCC) Distinguished Technical Achievement Recognition Award (2020)
- IEEE Communications Society Best Tutorial Paper Award (2019)
- Anthony Ephremides Endowed Professorship in Information Sciences and Systems (2018)
- IEEE Information Theory Society Distinguished Lecturer (2018-2019)
- Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher (2017)
- Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, University of Maryland (2016)
- IEEE Fellow "for contributions to characterizing performance limits of wireless networks" (2016)
- ECE George Corcoran Outstanding Teaching Award (2012)
- ISR Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award (2011)
- NSF CAREER Award (2005)
- IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Award in Wireless Communications (2003)
Professional memberships
- IEEE
Information theory, wireless communications, machine learning, signal processing, networks.
Recent focus:
- Semantic communications
- Age of information
- Multi-task and personalized federated learning
- Private read-update-write for federated submodel learning
- Private information retrieval
- Machine learning for wireless
- Blockchains
- Group testing
- Distributed coded computing
- Physical layer security
- Energy harvesting communications
- Wireless energy and information transfer
$1.9M NSF FuSe2 award - Cheng Gong’s 7th NSF research grant in the past two years
An Interdisciplinary, Multi-institution Team to Advance Next-generation MicroelectronicsECE Introduces Minor in Quantum Science and Engineering
Further Establishes UMD as the Capital of QuantumMaryland Engineering to Highlight Educational Advances at the 2024 ASEE Annual Conference
Maryland Engineering will showcase how we are translating strengths in quantum, pioneering artificial intelligence education, democratizing engineering for all, and reimagining higher education research.UMD's 40th Annual Convocation Honors Engineering Staff, Faculty
The University of Maryland's 40th annual Convocation will honor 33 faculty and staff—including four from the A. James Clark School of Engineering—for their contributions to education, research, and the campus community.Hu, Ulukus, DeVoe Recognized with UMD Distinguished Honors
Three Maryland Engineering professors—Liangbing Hu, Sennur Ulukus, and Don DeVoe—are among the 16 University of Maryland faculty members recognized this year as Distinguished University Professors and Distinguished Scholar-Teachers.Ulukus and Vithana Honored by IEEE Communication Society
Receive Best Paper Award at IEEE ICC 2023Cheng Gong’s Super-Performance Energy-Efficient Devices (SPEED) featured in Nature Electronics
“Small-voltage multiferroic control of two-dimensional magnetic insulators”Celebrating Women's History Month
Women continue to shape history, including at the Clark School of Engineering. This month we celebrate those landmarks and the work necessary to forge them, and how it’s incumbent upon our larger community to assist in this work.Ulukus Appointed to NextG Alliance Research Council
Council Focus placed on future of 6G TechnologySennur Ulukus Announced as New ECE Chair
Tenure as Chair began November 7, 2022FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington visits UMD 5G Secure Test Bed
Simington participated in a CTIA meeting on 5G security and test bed tour hosted by ISR.Dean's Circle Spotlight: A Blueprint for Human-Oriented Innovation
Anthony Ephremides, the founder of the field of ad-hoc wireless networks, is one of Maryland Engineering's most philanthropic faculty members.Alumna Jing Yang wins two IEEE Communications Society awards
The Penn State faculty member was a student of Sennur Ulukus.Alumnus Ravi Tandon earns tenure at University of Arizona
Former student of Sennur Ulukus has won NSF CAREER Award, Keysight Early Career Professor Award.Engineering Graduate Students Win UMD 3MT Competition
Three Clark School graduate students were among the university's 2020 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners.ECE and CS Team up to Launch Master of Professional Studies in Machine Learning
The program will offer students the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge technical course work in machine learning and develop their problem solving skills in the art and science of processing and extracting information from data.Sennur Ulukus receives NSF grant to address important data-related medical device issue
When implanted medical devices transmit and process data, they can generate heat detrimental to body tissues.Clark School Researchers Recognized Among "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds"
Three Clark School faculty members have been named to Clarivate Analytics' 2017 Highly Cited Researchers list.Alumnus Ravi Tandon receives NSF CAREER Award
Tandon is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona.Ulukus Named 2016-2017 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher by University of Maryland
The Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Program honors members of UMD faculty who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievements along with equally outstanding accomplishments as teachers.Sennur Ulukus named IEEE Fellow
Citation reads, "for contributions to characterizing performance limits of wireless networks."2014 Dean's Student Research Awards Announced
Graduate students recognized for high quality engineering researchUlukus Wins $1.1M Wireless Security Grant
National Science Foundation supports research for "provable and unconditional" wireless security.Ulukus Awarded National Science Foundation Grant
Research focuses on rechargeable wireless communication networks that harvest energy from the environment.UM Receives NSA Designation
OIT IT director and ECE/ME/ISR faculty honored for work in information assurance research.Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Fellow, 2016