Dr Mohammad Rowshan

My Research Supervision

• Hamish Shaw (Ph.D.), Delay-Doppler Communications
• Xinyi Gu (Ph.D.), Channel Coding
• Jingxi Zhang (B.Eng.), Passive Indoor Positioning 

Former students:

• Xinyi Gu (M.Phil.), Channel Coding (graduated)

If you are currently a Bachelor's/Master's student at UNSW and looking for a project/thesis supervisor:

• Please see the topics database on Moodle (click here) for the potential topics that you can work on. Note that you should enroll yourself (as a student) to access the topics, by clicking on "Continue" in front of "Self enrolment (Student)".
• Further information about the enrolment can be found here.
• If you want to see the topics without enrolment, drop me an email and I will share the topics with you as a pdf file.
• You can also propose your topic of interest (related to signal processing, communications, or VLSI design (FPGA-based or ASIC)) and we can discuss it.
• You can choose to work on a project in a group of two (with your friend). 
• You can find useful information about thesis writing here. Also, the thesis template as Word document is available here.
• Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

If you are looking for a MPhil/PhD supervisor:

• For potential MPhil/PhD candidates: Please note that he cannot hire higher degree by research (HDR) students independently as a main/primary supervisor. If your research interest falls in the field of communications engineering (in particular, signal processing for physical layer), it is recommended to contact his manager, Prof. Jinhong Yuan (j.yuan@unsw.edu.au, you can CC him to m.rowshan@unsw.edu.au as well), the head of the telecommunications group in the school and the director of wireless communications lab (WCL). Please make sure you attach your CV and transcripts to the email. You may indicate your research interests and relevant previous experiences in the email as well. If you are a fit for the position, then Mohammad or another person can probably be on your supervisory team as a secondary supervisor along with Prof. Yuan as the primary supervisor.
• The fields that the researchers in WCL are working on cover theories, algorithms, machine learning models, and hardware architectures for the physical layer of communication systems, such as channel estimation, joint sensing/radar and communication, modulation, signal processing/detection, channel coding, etc. 
• Note that there are three rounds for scholarship application corresponding to three academic terms. For more info about the deadlines, see the key dates page.
• Furthermore, please note that getting a scholarship from UNSW as one of the top Australian universities in engineering (see 2023 Times Ranking by subject: Engineering or past years') and the largest electrical engineering school in the country is quite competitive for international applicants (regardless of applying for MPhil or PhD program) and requires high grades, a degree from a good university in your country and/or potentially quality publications (hope it doesn't discourage you from trying). However, if you are a domestic applicant or a citizen of New Zealand, you can probably secure a scholarship much easier. Nevertheless, you'll never know until you try it. So, send an email with your CV, transcripts, and a cover letter describing your qualities, your purpose for doing PhD or MPhil, your topic of interest, etc.
• Some advice: Take the journey of finding a PhD position seriously. Be patient and careful. The following tips might be helpful for you:
  • Do not contact several professors from the same school/department simultaneously by sending an identical email. That is a red flag (regardless of your qualities and merit) if they find out you have already contacted another academic as well. You should assume there is a high chance that they find it out as they are in contact with each other or sometimes they may recommend a potential student to a colleague, etc. No academic wants to waste his/her time on potential candidates whose eyes are everywhere. They also care about the manner of a potential student.
  • Contact an academic whose research area is the closest to your research interests and experiences. Note that academics also prefer to hire someone who knows about the field and probably has some experience, because such students can get on the track quicker than those who need to learn about the field. There is usually one academic in every department whose research area is the closest to yours. Start with that potential supervisor.
  • Have a look at the recent publications of the potential supervisor to get ideas on the supervisor's research topics. This way you can see if your interests are matched and whether you have a chance or not. Note that academics receive many emails from prospective students all the time. You need to stand out among those emails. By writing an email/cover letter specifically targeting the research works of the potential supervisor and showing that you are a fit, you can have a chance.
  • You need to have a good answer for the typical questions such as: why do you want to do MPhil/PhD? why do want to do it with this specific supervisor? why do you want to join this specific university? why do you want to come to Australia or any other country? etc. You need to be clear about all these questions. First, these questions help you to find the right path for your future. Secondly, these questions are usually asked in interviews. 
  • Some academics may not reply to your emails. This means they either haven't found your case strong to stand a chance for a scholarship or they think you are not a fit in terms of your academic background for the research field. So, after a while, you can move on and contact other potential supervisors. In case they come back to you later, it is okay if you have already contacted another potential supervisor. The choice will be yours as you have behaved professionally.

If you are looking for an Exchange Opportunity:

• We may be able to host a few students,
• The current research activities should be in line with our recent publications in our group,
• You should have proved your research capabilities in the past with a good publication record,
• We prefer to host international students from nationally/internationally known universities.
• You may send your application via email to m.rowshan@unsw.edu.au (and/or j.yuan@unsw.edu.au), describing your recent work and why you are interested in visiting our laboratory.

My Teaching

• TELE9753 Advanced Wireless Communications in Term 1 (Feb-May)