Short Biography
Professor Karu
Esselle, IEEE ‘M (1992), SM (1996), F (2016), received BSc degree in electronic
and telecommunication engineering with First Class Honours from the University
of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and MASc and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from
the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is a Professor of Electronic Engineering,
Macquarie University, Sydney, Director of WiMed Research Centre and the Past
Associate Dean – Higher Degree Research (HDR) of the Division of Information
and Communication Sciences. He has also served as a member of the Dean’s
Advisory Council and the Division Executive and as the Head of the Department
several times. In 2018, he has been selected to chair the prestigious
Distinguished Lecturer Program Committee of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation
(AP) Society – the premier global learned society dedicated for antennas and
propagation - which has over 8,000 members worldwide. In 2019 he was
re-selected for the same position. After two stages in the selection process,
Karu was also selected by this Society as one of two candidates in the ballot
for 2019 President of the Society. Only three people from Asia or Pacific apparently
have received this honour (one from Australia and two from Japan) in the
68-year history of this Society. Karu is also one of the three Distinguished
Lecturers (DL) selected by the Society in 2016. He is the only Australian to
chair the AP DL Program ever, the only Australian AP DL in almost two decades,
and second Australian AP DL ever. He has been continuously serving the IEEE AP
Society Administrative Committee in various elected or ex-officio capacities since
2015. Karu is also the chair of the Board of management of Australian Antenna
Measurement Facility, and was the elected Chair of both IEEE New South Wales
(NSW), and IEEE NSW AP/MTT Chapter, in 2016 and 2017. He directs the Centre for
Collaboration in Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering. Karu was elevated to
prestigious IEEE Fellow grade for his contributions to resonance-based
antennas. He is also a Fellow of Engineers Australia.
Karu has authored approximately 600 research publications and his papers
have been cited more than 7,500 times. He is the first Australian antenna
researcher ever to reach Google Scholar h-index of 30 and his i10 index (151 in
2019 March) and h-index (40 in March 2019) is often in the top two among Australian
antenna researchers. Since 2002, his research team has been involved with
research grants, contracts and PhD scholarships worth over 18 million dollars,
including 15 Australian Research Council grants. His research has been supported
by many national and international organisations including Australian Research
Council, Intel, US Air Force, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Australian
Department of Defence, Australian Department of industry, and German and Indian
governments.
Karu has been invited to serve as an international expert/ research
grant assessor by several nationwide research funding bodies overseas including
European Science Foundation, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Hong-Kong,
Georgia, South Africa and Chile. He has been invited by Vice-Chancellors of Australian
and overseas universities to assess applications for promotion to professorial
levels. He has also been invited to assess grant applications submitted to
Australia’s most prestigious schemes such as Australian Federation Fellowships
and Australian Laureate Fellowships. He led the Implantable Wireless Program of
the WiMed Research Centre. In addition to the large number of invited
conference speeches he has given, he has been an invited keynote speaker of
IEEE workshops and conferences.
Karu’s awards include 2017 Excellence in Research Award from the Faculty
of Science and Engineering, 2017 Engineering Excellence Award for Best
Innovation, 2017 Certificate of Recognition from IEEE Region 10, 2016 and 2012 Engineering
Excellence Awards for Best Published Paper from IESL NSW Chapter, 2011
Outstanding Branch Counsellor Award from IEEE headquarters (USA), 2009 Vice
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision and
2004 Innovation Award for best invention disclosure. His mentees have been
awarded many fellowships, awards and prizes for their research achievements. Forty-eight
international experts who examined the theses of his recent PhD graduates
ranked them in the top 5% or 10%.
Karu has provided expert assistance to more than a dozen companies
including Intel, Hewlett Packard Laboratory (USA), Cisco Systems (USA), Audacy
(USA), Cochlear, Optus, ResMed and Katherine-Werke (Germany). He is an Associate
Editor of IEEE Transactions on Antennas Propagation as well as IEEE Access.
Karu Esselle is the Technical
Program Committee Co-Chair of ISAP 2015, APMC 2011 and TENCON 2013 and the
Publicity Chair of ICEAA 2016, IWAT 2014 and APMC 2000. Karu’s research
activities are posted in the web at http://web.science.mq.edu.au/~esselle/. Wikipedia, Google Scholar, Research Gate , Linkedin.
Karu's research outputs are listed here
Education
Employment
- ·
Full Professor, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia (1992 - Present)
- ·
Visiting Professor, University of Western Australia, Australia (2011)
- ·
Visiting Scientist, ICT Centre, CSIRO, Australia (2002 & 2005)
- ·
Visiting Professor, University of Victoria, Canada (1996-97)
- ·
Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Government Research Lab., Canada (1990-92)
- ·
Assistant Lecturer, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (1984-85)
Selected Awards & Honors
- ·
Best Published Paper, Electronics & Telecom. Engg.,IESL (NSW), Australia (2012)
- ·
Outstanding Branch Councellor Award, IEEE Headquarters, USA (2011)
- ·
Vice Chancellor's Award, "Excellence in HDR Supervision", Macquarie Uni., Australia (2009)
- ·
Innovation Award for Best Invention, Macquarie Uni., Australia (2004)
- ·
Senior Researcher Award, Raj Mittra Travel Grant Committee, IEEE AP-S, USA (2002)
- ·
U.R.S.I. Young Scientist Award, Intl. Union of Radio Science, USA (1990)
- ·
Commonwealth Scholarship, Canada(1985-90)
- · Inaugural Sri Lanka - Philippines Friendship Scholarship, Sri Lanka (1980)
- · University of Moratuwa Scholarship, Sri Lanka (1980)
Industrial Affiliations
- ·
Audacy, California, USA
- · Intel, USA and Germany
- · Fleet Space, Australia
- · Consultant, CISCO Systems, USA
- · BSC Innovations, Australia
- ·
Design Expert, Hewlett Packard Laboratory, Palo Alto, USA
- · Consultant, ResMed, Australia
- · Consultant, Choclear, Australia
- · Consultant, CISCO Systems, USA
- · Consultant, Optus Networks, Australia
- · Consultant, Locata, USA
- · Consultant, QX Corporation, Australia
- · Consultant, Katherine-Werke, Germany (through Peter-Maxwell Solicitors)
- · Sillicon Controls, Australia
- · FundEd, Australia
Research Support Organizations
Selected Collaborations
- ·
Intel (Europe & USA)
- ·
US Air Force Research Office
- ·
US Asia Office for Aerospace R&D
- ·
Australian Defense Department (via DST Group)
- ·
Cochlear
- ·
Optus
- ·
CSIRO, Australia
- ·
Data61, Australia
- ·
SYMETA, UK
- ·
Stuttgart University, Germany
- ·
Loughbourgh University, UK
- ·
University of Sienna, Italy
- ·
Communication Research Center, Canada
- ·
Politechnico di Torino, Italy
- ·
Lund University, Sweden
- ·
University of Calgary, Canada
- ·
IIT Kanpur, India
- ·
Chalmers University, Sweden
- ·
University of Delhi, India
- ·
Georgia Tech Research Institute, USA
- ·
Public University of Navarra, Pampolna, Spain
- ·
Shanghai University, China
- ·
i2R, Singapore
- ·
University of Victoria, Canada
- ·
University of Sheffield, UK
- ·
Queen Mary University of London, UK
- ·
Royal Military College of Canada, Canada
- ·
Queens University, Canada
-
- ·
University of Sheffield, UK
- ·
Monash University, Australia
- ·
University of Western Australia
- ·
Curtin University, Australia
- ·
Polytechnic University of Timisoara, Romania
Grants
2022-2019, ARC Discovery Project grant, Thin Antenna Beam Steering Systems with Exceptional Performance, $570,000
2019-2020, Australia-India
Strategic Research Fund: Planar high-gain antennas based on
electromagnetic band gap, Esselle, Biswas, $394,000
2019-2015, ARC
Discovery Project grant, Wideband Strongly-Truncated Composite
Cavity-Resonator Antennas, Esselle, Bird, Matekovits, Hay, Kildal,
$485,100
2019-2018, Australian Department of Defence, Defence Science & Technology Group and Macquarie University, multiple grants, ~ $200,000
2019-2018,
Research collaboration with Stuttgart University, Australia-Germany
Joint Research Cooperation Scheme, Universities Australia and
Government of Germany
2018: Macquarie University WiMed Research Centre, $50,000
2017-2013,
ARC Discovery grant, Dual-band antennas with digitally steerable beams
based on multi-state electromagnetic elements, Esselle, Heimlich, Bird,
Matekovits, Hay, $400,000
2017: Macquarie University Strategic Research Fund, $150,000 (Infrastructure Development)
2017: Macquarie University Research Development Block Grant, $70,000 (Infrastructure Development)
2017: Macquarie University Research Development Block Grant, $95,000 (Infrastructure Development)
2017: Macquarie University WiMed Research Centre, $50,000
2016: ARC LIEF with RMIT, $400,000 (Infrastructure Development)
2016: Macquarie University WiMed Research Centre, $50,000
2016-2014, Australia-India
Strategic Research Fund: Planar high-gain antennas based on
electromagnetic band gap, Esselle, Biswas, $394,000
- 2016-2014, ARC
Linkage: Technology optimisation of integrated circuits with applications
to wireless communication systems in medicine, Heimlich, Avolio
Weste, Parker, Esselle, Harvey, Mahon, Fattorini, Seed, $240,000
- 2016-2014, Intel
Labs University Research Office Grant: Dynamic Cloud Services Spectrum
Sharing Algorithms and Mechanisms for B4G Networks, Dutkiewicz,
Heimlich, Hanly, Esselle, $450,000
- 2015-2013,
ARC Discovery grant, Dual-band antennas with digitally steerable beams
based on multi-state electromagnetic elements, Esselle, Heimlich,
Bird, Matekovits, Hay, $400,000
2013: Macquarie University Research Development Block Grant, $105,000 (Infrastructure Development)
2012: Macquarie University Strategic Research Fund, $239,000 (Infrastructure Development)
- 2012,
US Air Force Research Laboratory grant, Basic research: 2D Electrically
Tuneable EBG Integrated Circuits, Heimlich, Esselle, Matekovits, $100,000
- 2012-2009,
European commission, Framework 7 Marie Curie Fellowship, Analysis of
Low-cost Original Holographic Antenna, Matekovits, Nominated host and
collaborator: Esselle, approx. $500,000
- 2011-2009,
ARC Discovery grant, High-Performance Microwave and Millimetre Wave
Antennas based on multi-layer periodic structures, Esselle & Bird,
$180,000
- 2011,
US Air Force Research Laboratory grant, Basic research: Dynamically
Tuneable EBG Structure Demonstrator, Heimlich, Esselle, Matekovits,
$100,000
- 2011,
MQSIS Infrastructure grant, Enabling Advanced Wireless Research, Parker,
Esselle, et al., $42,000
- 2011,
Enterprise Partnership grant, MBAN for Medical Implantable Devices,
Dutkiewicz, Esselle et al. $20,000
- 2010,
MQSIS Infrastructure grant, Millimetre-Wave (67 GHz) Spectrum Analyser,
Heimlich, Esselle, et al., $100,000
- 2010,
US Air Force Research Laboratory grant, Basic research: Electrically
tunable EBG structure demonstrator for IC-, thick-, or thin-film
processing, Heimlich, Esselle, Matekovits, $30,000
- 2009-2007,
ARC Discovery grant, A three-dimensional ultra-wideband microwave method
based on multiple antennas for early detection of breast cancer,
Sangavarapu, Esselle, Bird, $382,000
- 2009,
ARC LIEF grant, A high performance computing cluster and storage for the
INTERSECT, Lindsay et al. including Esselle, $500,000
- 2008-2006,
Research Innovation Fund grant, Multi-antenna technology capitalising on
interactions between baseband processing and digital and analog circuitry in wireless
communication systems, Davis, Quinn, Parker, Esselle, $221,500
- 2008
MQSIS Infrastructure grant, Electronic hardware accelerator for
electromagnetic analysis and design of wireless communication devices and
components, Esselle et al., $60,000
- 2007-2005,
ARC Discovery grant, Broadband and Multiband Antenna Systems, Esselle
& Bird, $203,000
- 2007,
Australian Academy of Science, Advanced Engineered Electromagnetic
Surfaces, Esselle, $8,400
- 2007,
RIBG Infrastructure grant, Network/Spectrum/Impedance Analyser System,
Parker, Esselle, Davis, Ge, $46,000
- 2006,
ARC Linkage LIEF grant, Nanotechnology facility, Jagadish et al. including
Esselle, $1,000,000
- 2006-2004,
Research Innovation Fund grant, Inverse Scattering, Remote Sensing and
Data Inversion, Smith, Vinogradova, Esselle & Parfitt, $248,000
- 2006,
RIBG Infrastructure grant, Software for High-Frequency System Simulations,
Esselle et al. including Ge, Weily, Nasimuddin, $57,000
- 2005,
Macquarie University MURDG grant, High Gain Microstrip Antenna and
Optically Controlled Passive Microwave Components on Si-Substrate ,
Esselle & Town, $10,700
- 2005,
RIBG Infrastructure grant, High Performance Design and Development
Platform, Parker, Esselle et al. including Ge, Nasimuddin, Weily, $79,600
- 2005-2003,
ARC Linkage (CSIRO) grant, Photonic Crystal Signal Processing and Antenna
Technologies, Esselle, Bird, Sanders & Weily, $192,000
- 2004
ARC LIEF grant, Microwave Antenna Testing Facility for Far-Field and
Spherical Near-Field Measurements,
Esselle (lead CI) et al. including Weily, $392,000 (+$192,000
partner contributions)
- 2004
Cisco Systems (USA) University Research Program, Compact Quad-Band Antennas
for Universal Wireless LAN Client Adapters and Access Points, Esselle,
$110,000
- 2004-2002,
ARC Discovery grant, Hybrid-resonator antennas for wireless communication
networks, Esselle & Bird, $186,000
- 2004-2002,
ARC Discovery grant, Microwave Antennas and Waveguides in Photonic
Crystals, Sanders & Esselle, $172,000