Integrated Sensing & Communication

The Dual-Function Waveform Challenge

A waveform optimized for communication—high spectral efficiency, complex modulation, irregular timing—is not optimized for sensing, which requires high range resolution, clean autocorrelation sidelobe structure, and predictable timing references. ISAC demands waveforms that serve both objectives simultaneously. Our research maps the Pareto frontier of this communication-sensing tradeoff and develops adaptive waveform selection algorithms that shift the operating point based on real-time demands.

Joint Signal Processing

Traditional radar and communication receivers are designed independently, with separate DSP chains. ISAC demands a joint receiver that estimates channel state (for communication decoding) and target parameters (range, velocity, angle) from the same received waveform. We develop neural receiver architectures that perform both functions with shared computation, reducing the hardware overhead that a paired radar-communication system would require.

Environment Mapping & Beam Prediction

ISAC opens a new capability: the base station as a persistent environmental sensor. Accumulated ISAC sensing returns, processed over time, build a dynamic map of the service area—object locations, movement patterns, blockage geometry. We explore how such maps feed back into beam management, enabling proactive link adaptation and handover prediction before a link actually degrades.