UKI-FNI Technical Advisory Board

Professor  Mike Short CBE, has held an extensive international career in Telecoms and Satcoms. Today , he Chairs the UK Telecomms Labs and UK Telecomms Innovation Network advisory boards , alongside a portfolio of industrial and academic activities.

After 30 years in telecommunications with Telefonica Group and its predecessors, Mike worked for the Dept of Business and Trade (formerly DIT ) as the department’s first Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) in December 2017. This included leading the science and engineering profession in the department and ensured its policy is informed by the best science, engineering and technical advice. He advised on the technical aspects of exports and future trade deals as DIT looked to create new arrangements following Brexit, coordination with other CSA`s on matters of national importance (such as Covid ) , and worked with the UK’s research, development and academic communities to boost scientific and engineering exports. This included work on AI , Quantum, and Board membership of Innovate UK

Mike has over 40 years’ experience in electronics and telecommunications and served as Vice President of Telefonica, the parent company of the O2 mobile phone network, for 17 years to December 2016. In this post, he managed the launch of 2G (GSM) and 3G mobile technologies in the UK, and led research and development for Telefonica Europe. This included the development and collaborations in areas such as smart cities, digital healthcare, cybersecurity and driverless vehicles

His career also included the promotion of international technical standards in mobile technology, and he is also a former Chairman of the Global GSM Association, the UK Mobile Data Association, and president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

He is currently a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Surrey and UCL (endowed by the Royal academy of Engineering) , chairs a Doctoral Training Centre (between Surrey and Queens University Belfast) and is a Board member for UKRI International advisory group .  He was honoured with a CBE in 2012 for his services to the mobile industry.

Dr Andrea Kells is Director, Research Ecosystem at Arm. She has responsibility for overseeing Arm’s global portfolio of academic and industrial research collaborations, and the relationships that underpin them. She also engages with relevant funding agencies and policy-makers in order to promote Arm’s strategic research objectives, and to support academic research in aligned areas. For many years she has been interested in how academic research can be successfully translated into commercial products, and what the barriers and constraints might be. Prior to joining Arm, she worked in the University of Cambridge for 10 years, managing large scale industrial collaborations in the biological and physical sciences. She also spent 5 years with a public sector consultancy, leading international evaluations of Government and agency funding for university-industry partnerships.

Jeremy Watson is Emeritus Professor of Engineering Systems in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, based in the Department of Science Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP). Until August 2021 he was also Chief Scientist and Engineer at the Building Research Establishment (BRE).Between 2009 and 2012, Jeremy was Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Communities & Local Government (now MHCLG). He was Arup’s Global Research Director between 2006 and 2013, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s 2013 Birthday honours for services to Engineering.

Jeremy was PI and Director of the eight-year (2016 – 24) ~£50m PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for Cybersecurity of IoT Systems – a collaboration of 24 universities – and co-creator of the UKRI SDTaP programme (Securing Digital Technologies at the Periphery of the Internet), which includes EPSRC PETRAS and Innovate UK Demonstrator initiatives.

An electronics engineer by training, Jeremy has experience as a practitioner and director of pure and applied research and development in industry (BOC and Arup), the public sector and academia. He has held research, technical management and director roles in industry and universities plus voluntary service with DTI and BIS. Jeremy is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow and past Trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering. At the RAEng, Jeremy was founding chair of the National Engineering Policy Centre Committee. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Technology, and was President of the IET between October 2016 and October 2017.

Jeremy is a member of the UK Committee on Research Integrity (UKCORI), leading on AI, and recently served on the NPL Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) with specific interests in digital metrology and quantum technologies. He was a founding Board member of the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK), and was Chair of the Institute for Sustainability and of Building SMART UK. He also chaired the NERC Innovation Advisory Board, and served on Council of the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Luke Ibbetson has been with Vodafone since 1996 and currently leads the Vodafone Group Research and Development organisation, responsible for all aspects of future research including trials of emerging / disruptive technologies, new industry partnerships and the creation of future revenue engines through advanced technology. Luke is an active participant in Industry Initiatives including 5GAA (Board member), Chairman of the NGMN 5G Board Committee, Advisory Board for UK TechWorks, and Board member for several venture backed new technology companies in which Vodafone has invested. Luke is a proud pioneer of Narrow Band IoT technology and currently shaping Vodafone’s thinking on 6G. Luke is a passionate supporter of innovative thinking, helping to create new opportunities for technology to change lives and society for the better.

Abbey Alidoosti is the co-founder and CEO of AWTG Ltd. He established the company in 2006 to provide advanced professional services to the telecommunications industry. Today, AWTG provides end-to-end solutions and innovation services to industries that employ digital technologies.

As CEO, Abbey sets the vision and operational strategy for the company, delivering consistent and profitable growth. The company has maintained its leadership position at the forefront of technology and innovation and is well respected by network operators, system vendors, industry and governments alike for its ability to deliver on time and on budget while exceeding expectations.

With over 25 years of industry experience, Abbey is at the forefront of emerging technologies such as 5G, 6G, Open RAN, AI, Digital Twin, IT democratisation, and the future of mobility. The breadth and depth of his experience means he can be called upon to provide advice and mentorship to various start-ups and incubators. He is trusted by national regulators and has acted as an expert witness in technical arbitration matters.

Muhammad Miah serves as the Senior Policy Advisor for International R&D Strategy and the Asia-Pacific Lead, orchestrating critical initiatives to fortify the UK’s standing as a science and technology superpower.

In this pivotal role, Muhammad spearheads the development and execution of an international R&D strategy, focusing on future telecoms and telecoms diversification.
Collaborating closely with Innovate UK and DSIT colleagues, Muhammad plays a key role in shaping the UK’s approach to global telecoms innovation.
With a keen focus on stakeholder engagement, Muhammad adeptly coordinates with other governments and the FCDO overseas network, leading complex R&D missions to Japan, India, the US, and the EU.

His leadership in DSIT’s engagement across the Asia-Pacific region is instrumental in advancing the UK’s objectives in future telecoms technologies, building strategic partnerships, and fostering policy dialogues with nations like Japan, India, and RoK.

Muhammad’s ability to navigate diverse stakeholder landscapes, anticipate challenges, and drive strategic initiatives is central to the role.
He is responsible for significant projects, including orchestrating R&D missions and international collaborations, which underscore the UK’s commitment to research and innovation on a global stage.

Through Muhammad’s efforts, the UK is setting a benchmark in international cooperation and policy development in telecoms, reinforcing its position as a leader in technological advancement and international research collaboration.

Dr Shiny Mathew is a Senior Portfolio Manager at EPSRC, currently working within the Future Communications Team. She brings a broad range of experience from previously working across multiple EPSRC themes, including Information and Communication Technologies, Physical Sciences, and Digital Economy. Her experience includes working closely with other UKRI councils such as Innovate UK, BBSRC, MRC, and AHRC, helping to advance interdisciplinary research and innovation. Before joining EPSRC, Shiny completed her PhD in Chemistry at the Joint Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Characterisation of Materials—a collaboration between UCL and Imperial College London.

Rajesh Kumar Pathak is Director General of the Bharat 6G Alliance, an industry-led, not-for-profit initiative driving innovation and development of 6G and related technologies for India and the world. A strategic telecom leader and innovation policy architect with over three decades of distinguished service in the Government of India, he has been at the forefront of shaping and executing the nation’s 5G and 6G visions.

Mr. Pathak has played a pivotal role in building global alliances and launching landmark programmes in telecom R&D, standardisation, and manufacturing. He is the founding force behind the Bharat 6G Alliance, TSDSI, and TEPC, and was instrumental in shaping India’s indigenous 5Gi standard. Renowned for fostering public–private collaboration, championing Make in India, and promoting startups, he continues to guide India’s telecom future with a forward-looking, reform-driven approach—advancing innovation, global standardisation, patent and IPR reforms to strengthen India’s position in the global technology landscape.

Mahesh Marina is a Professor in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, where he leads the Networked Systems Research Group, and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he was a Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute (the UK’s national institute for data science and AI) for five years (2018-23) and has served as the Director of the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture within Informatics@Edinburgh for four years (2018-22). Earlier, he has held visiting roles at ETH Zurich and at Ofcom (the UK’s telecoms regulator). Prior to joining Edinburgh, he had a two-year postdoctoral stint at the UCLA Computer Science Department after earning his PhD in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is an IEEE Fellow and an ACM Distinguished Member.

Prof. Antony Franklin is a Professor and the current Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH). He leads the Networked Wireless Systems (NeWS) research group, focusing on advanced wireless networking technologies. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2010.

Prof. Franklin has over two decades of experience in wireless technologies, with expertise spanning Wireless Mesh Networks, Wireless Sensor Networks, Cognitive Radio Networks, and Mobile Networks including LTE, 5G, and beyond. His current research interests include next-generation mobile network architectures and protocols, such as Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN), Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), Multi-Radio Aggregation, Internet of Things (IoT), and Software-Defined Networking/Network Function Virtualization (SDN/NFV).

Before joining IITH, he held positions in South Korea as a Senior Engineer at DMC R&D Center, Samsung Electronics (2012–2015) and as a Research Engineer at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) (2010–2012). Prof. Franklin has authored over 120 research publications in reputed international journals and conferences and holds 14 U.S. patents. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Member of ACM.

Adrish Banerjee received his Bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA. He is currently the Next Generation Broadcasting Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is a recipient of the Microsoft Research India Young Faculty Award, the Institute of Engineers India Young Engineer Award, and the IETE Prof. K. Sreenivasan Memorial Award. His research interests include coding theory, wireless communications, machine learning applications to communications, and molecular communications.

Prof Rajesh Sundaresan is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering and an associate faculty in the Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-Physical Systems, at the Indian Institute of Science. Prior to joining the Indian Institute of Science, he worked at Qualcomm Inc. on the design and development of wireless modems. He has held visiting positions at Qualcomm Inc., the Coordinated Sciences Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Toulouse Mathematical Institute, Strand Life Sciences, and the Indian Statistical Institute’s Bengaluru Centre. At the Indian Institute of Science, he is currently the Dean of the Division of Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Sciences. His research interests include decision theory, communication, computation, and control over networks, cyber-social systems, and, more recently, data-driven decision frameworks for public health responses.

Ms. Pamela Kumar has just taken up the role of Chief Strategic Advisor, Telecom & Data, FSID, IISc, India, her current focus is on Open-Source solutions for Mobile Communication Networks and Data Privacy as well as facilitation of bilateral research collaborations. For the last 6 years as DG, TSDSI, she was involved in mobilizing the Indian ecosystem to emerge as a strong contributor at ITU, 3GPP and other Global SDOs. This has resulted in India specific requirements and innovations such as NaVIC, Low Mobility Large Cell for Rural Broadband in 5G, Direct to Mobile for broadcast-broadband convergence and cloud computing interoperability being incorporated into Global standards.

An alumnus of PEC Chandigarh, Rutgers University and IIM Bangalore, she has held many honorary leadership roles – Independent Director on several Governing Boards, Chair, Vice Chair in various Consortiums (IEEE, 3GPP, oneM2M, CII, CCICI, FICCI etc.), Bharti Chair Visiting Professor at UIET Panjab University and visiting faculty at IIMB. Starting in 1985, she spent first 10 years of her career at AT&T Bell Labs and CDOT. Then she held Senior Executive roles at HP, IBM, TI, CDOT, Alliance Semiconductors and Network Machines. Her experience spreads across Semiconductors and Systems product development for Telecom and Data Centers – creating new businesses of around 2.5 billion USD and leading R&D labs with up to 1000 engineers. She has filed 8 patents, 3 of which have been granted and delivered key notes and invited talks at 100+ global and national events.

Being passionate about the role of technology in enabling social and economic development, she is committed to working with academia, governments and industry stakeholders to create a supportive environment for the development and deployment of innovative technologies. She is also a strong advocate of the adoption of open-source technologies in the telecom sector.