Swarun Kumar



RESEARCH PROJECTS

My research interests are in the area of computer networks with a special focus on wireless networks and mobile systems. Recent years have witnessed an explosive growth in wireless connectivity, enabling a host of new applications and services. My research designs and builds new wireless technologies that provide faster connectivity to our existing devices, connect previously unconnected objects to the Internet and provide novel services as a result. My research has made three broad contributions:

Connecting the Internet of Things

Imagine if every object that surrounds you is wirelessly connected. My research explores: what would such a network look like? Specifically, we need systems that scale to a large number of connected devices, are self-configurable and secure. Most importantly, their battery needs to last for years, or perhaps they must operate with no battery at all. My research explores both these alternatives:

Next-Generation Wireless Connectivity

What would be the wireless technologies that connects smartphones and wireless devices of the future to Internet to be ten-fold faster than possible today? How would such a system scale with many wireless devices sharing the same spectrum? My research explores next-generation wireless technologies to mitigate interference in wireless LANs and better configure cellular networks of today, as well as emerging technologies of the future such as mm-wave. My work spans both Wi-Fi and cellular networks beyond 5-G.

Novel Wireless Services

My research explores novel services that are enabled by next-generation wireless speeds and connectivity to objects around us. Specifically, we study if wireless communication radios can be re-used as a sensing mechanism. For instance, can wireless radios help us track our location, even if we are indoors, where GPS fails? Can wireless signals help us track our own body and sense the environment around us? My research also studies the security and privacy implications of such future wireless networks and services.