Belfast researcher’s work on hurricane comms in Newton Prize final

A researcher at Queen’s University Belfast has been shortlisted for the 2017 Newton Prize for his work designing a wireless communications system for use when natural disasters, such as an earthquake, tsunami or hurricane, strike.

Vietnam storm

Dr Trung Duong, who is originally from Vietnam and based at the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology at Queen’s, heads up a research team addressing the problems of maintaining communications under hostile conditions.

Dr Duong’s team has designed an integrated heterogeneous wireless system (IHWS), which is robust in disaster scenarios, coping with issues such as physical destruction of telecommunication networks, lack of power supply and network congestion.

The system also provides early warning of natural disasters by detecting water level, vibration and wind. In cities, the IWHS can detect increases in dust, temperature, noise and carbon dioxide levels.

Dr Trung Duong (centre)

Dr Duong, writes:

“The system which we have created has many potential applications in disaster, climate change and carbon dioxide level monitoring and management, as well as in the provision of e-health services.”

The £1m Newton Prize, which will be announced at celebratory award ceremonies in November and the Minister for Universities, Science and Research Jo Johnson, is awarded for research that supports the economic development and social welfare of developing countries.