Leading researcher in optical networking joins Bristol
Press release issued:
An internationally leading researcher in the field of optical networking has moved her High Performance Networks research group to the University of Bristol.
Dimitra Simeonidou, Professor of High Performance Networks in the
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and her team of 20 researchers are based in new state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in the Faculty of Engineering’s Merchant Venturers Building.
Professor Simeonidou said: “Bristol has a unique combination of advanced fabrication facilities and communication systems laboratories. A huge attraction was the capability to interact with colleagues to produce specialised devices and therefore to have a lot more control on the types of systems we are researching. The team also fits really well with colleagues in the Centre for Communications Research and High Performance Computing.”
The University’s leadership in telecommunications research, the eagerness and commitment to further develop the field, and excellent facilities was a further reason for Professor Simeonidou to join Bristol.
Professor Simeonidou’s research focuses in the fields of optical networks, grid and cloud computing and future Internet. She is currently involved in 15 EPSRC and EU-funded projects. Five are new EU-funded projects and work started on them last month.
Professor Simeonidou added: “Bristol has a huge reputation for telecommunications and computing research and that will benefit our work on Optical and High Performance Networks. We’ve been here only a couple of months and we have already published three highly prestigious ECOC post-deadline papers on network technologies bridging communications and computing infrastructures."
Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “The Faculty is delighted Professor Simeonidou and her team have joined the University. Professor Simeonidou’s expertise in the field of optical networking will ensure Bristol continues to be at the forefront of its world-leading teaching and research.”
Further information
About Professor Dimitra Simeonidou
Professor Dimitra Simeonidou graduated from Essex with a PhD and worked in industry before returning to academia in 1998 as a lecturer. She later became Professor of Optical Communications and Head of Essex's internationally renowned group of High Performance Networks. Professor Simeonidou’s High Performance Networks research group and laboratory facilities she set up at the University of Essex moved to the University of Bristol in September 2012.
About the Merchant Venturers School of Engineering
The Merchant Venturers School of Engineering delivers world-class research and outstanding teaching via its three departments: Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Engineering Mathematics. Our excellent teaching is continuously informed by our research, allowing us to keep all the programmes we offer up-to-date and relevant for industry.
Our academics are leading authorities in their fields and are well-informed in knowing what programmes are needed to make Bristol engineering graduates highly sought after. For example, we were the first to introduce an MSc in High-Performance Computing in response to organisations undertaking research involving large amounts of data processing or complex calculations. Our HPC graduates will be fundamental to employers in this increasingly important area.
Since 2006 we have attracted millions of pounds in research awards, helping us equip our state-of-the-art facilities with the latest technologies and keeping us at the fore-front of teaching and research.
Our research areas include: • Communications • Electronic and photonic materials • Intelligent systems
