Welcoming Hadi Alkharsan to ONG

Welcome, Hadi. What are you most looking forward to as a new member of the team?  

Firstly, I would like to say that I am very grateful for being here and I am very excited to be part of the ONG team. There are quite a few aspects in terms of what I am looking forward to, however, I would say that the research I will be doing within this field is very exciting and I cannot wait to delve into this. I am really looking forward to the experimental work and what comes with that. I am also enthusiastic about working with and learning from such a great team, who have proven to be experts both individualy and collectively. 

What will you be working on?  

My research is entitled ‘Optical switching and networking to enable large-scale distributed deep neural networks’ therefore I will be exploring novel methods and implementations to enhance large-scale distributed networks. I will be investigating machine learning techniques and algorithms to optimise optical switching and networking techniques for high performance computing applications.  

What were you doing before? 

I started my journey at Queen Mary University of London, graduating with a first-class Honours in Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications (BEng). I then pursued a Telecommunications MSc at UCL, where I was awarded the Fleming Scholarship, and graduated with a Distinction. Upon completion, I then worked for just under two years at British Telecommunications (BT) as a Network Designer and Tester within the Global MPLS and Mobile IP networks. From there, I joined the  University of Cambridge and UCL Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems, completing my MRes. I then took a year off, where I worked as a network design contractor, travelled and explored…and also ended up getting engaged! 

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve experienced in your career so far?

In 2019, I went through a very difficult time for me and my family where we lost a very close family member. This shock had a very big impact on us, and trying to work on my MRes as well as get through the difficult time was very challenging. Thankfully, I received a tremendous amount of support from the CDT to help me get through that time.

And your proudest achievement?

Personally, this has got to be getting engaged (and soon married!). Professionally, my proudest achievement has to be at BT, where I witnessed my own work on the installation of new routers and routing methods for the Global MPLS networks being implemented. It was phenomenal to see all the years of hard work at university in action within the real world.

 What do you like to do outside of work?

I tutor and mentor young children in primary and secondary schools. I find it extremely rewarding to give back what I have learnt and experienced within my journey to better the journey of others. I also love to travel and explore new cultures.

You’re starting your PhD programme during a global pandemic. Any tips for getting started and staying productive during such unusual times?  

Keep reminding yourself of what you want to achieve. The global pandemic has had a major effect on how I would normally begin my PhD, however, we adapt. I am still very enthusiastic and excited for my research and being part of the ONG team. My top tip would be to keep track of your own work to ensure progress, and to keep in contact with your supervisor and team members regularly. The guidance and support you receive makes all the difference.

Links

Dr Georgios Zervas
Optical Networks Group
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
The University of Cambridge and UCL Centre for Doctoral Training