Kennesaw State professor awarded NSF grant to research promising network technology
KENNESAW, Ga.
(Sep 8, 2021) — Kennesaw State University computer science professor Tu Nguyen has been awarded a
National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to address the massive service demand placed
on cellular networks.
The $174,971 NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Research
Initiation Initiative (CRII) award, also known as a “mini-CAREER” award, is a highly
competitive grant specifically for early-career faculty members. Nguyen’s accepted
proposal is titled: “Towards Robust RAN Slicing: Theories, Algorithms and Applications.” With the rapid growth of new services and internet applications, Radio Access Network
(RAN) slicing has become one of the most promising architectural technologies for
the forthcoming 5G era.
According to Nguyen, RAN slicing allows physical infrastructure resources to be shared
across many virtual networks. Each network is built on top of the underlying physical
RAN and provides a set of services. This technology is key to unlocking new opportunities
for the next generation of network systems.
“This project will bring positive impacts to not only internet users and service providers
but also society at large,” said Nguyen, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. “For example, if you are at home, you may be watching YouTube, someone else may
be watching Netflix and you may have children using video chat. There are many different
types of applications running at the same time and this technology promises to deliver
high-quality services for a wide variety of applications.”
Nguyen, who joined KSU’s College of Computing and Software Engineering in July 2021, plans to use the funding to explore new schemes and algorithms to address
fundamental challenges in RAN slicing and will do so with a research team of graduate
and undergraduate students. This proposed research will lay the foundation for his
team’s overarching goal which is to develop fundamental mathematical tools, algorithms,
and principles to design smart, secure and self-organizing systems with applications
to network systems.
“I want to expand student participation in my research projects,” Nguyen added. His
team is currently working on additional projects involving cyber-physical manufacturing
systems and quantum networks. Nguyen hopes this grant will serve as a springboard
for future research and funding at KSU.
– Abbey O’Brien Barrows
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
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