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Maha Intakhab Alam

Overview of thesis

Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are becoming increasingly prevalent in civilian applications, raising growing concerns about privacy, safety, and restricted airspace violations. Detecting drones reliably is therefore an urgent research need. This project investigates drone detection techniques based on the radio frequency (RF) signals used in their wireless communication supported by the upcoming 6G networks. Special attention is given to challenges such as frequency hopping, which requires effective communication channel tracking. Experimental validation will be conducted using commercially available drone platforms (e.g., DJI Matrice 300 RTK, DJI RoboMaster TT Starter) in conjunction with software-defined radios (SDRs) and spectrum analyzers. The aim is to design and evaluate novel RF-based drone detection schemes that are both accurate and robust under real-world operating conditions.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science in Avionics (Aeronautical) Engineering, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, 2020.

Research

Research Interests

  • RF & Applied Electromagnetics
  • RAM materials and cloaking
  • UAVs
  • Aviation Electronics (Avionics)

Past Research employment history

  • Feb 2023 – Jul 2025 Lab Engineer, Institute of Space Technology(IST), Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • 2020 – 2022, Design Engineer, RIMS Pvt Ltd, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Other work

  • 2020-2021: Design Avionics Engineer, AES Pvt Ltd, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Past Teaching

  • Feb 2023 – Jul 2025 Lab Engineer, Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad, Pakistan.

Scholarships and Awards

  • 2016 – IST Merit Scholarship
  • 2025 – ECU HDR Scholarship

Supervisors


Contact

Maha Intakhab Alam
Master by Research
School of Science
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