Collaborative Research: CSR: Small: CADaaS: Deterministic Communication and Predictive Computation for Connected Autonomous Driving as a Service
Funding Source: NSF CNS 2426481
Total Budget: $289,374
Role: Lead Principal Investigator, in collaborative project with Dr. Weisong Shi at the University of Delaware
Duration: Mar. 2025 – Feb. 2028
Abstract: This project aims to democratize autonomous driving technologies to every connected vehicle via designing a new connected autonomous driving as a service (CADaaS). The fundamental idea is to enable adaptive vehicle-edge collaboration for collaboratively performing any latest autonomous driving stacks, including perception, prediction, and planning.
EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Online Hierarchical Learning for Network Autonomy in Open Radio Access Networks
Funding Source: NSF OIA 2428427
Total Budget: $285,694
Role: Sole Principal Investigator
Duration: Jan. 2025 – Dec. 2026
Abstract: This fellowship project outlines a first-of-its-kind safe zero-touch network management system by designing a new safe online hierarchical learning framework for O-RAN mobile networks. Leveraging the city-scale network infrastructure at the host institution, Iowa State University, the project will focus on three research objectives.
NeTS: Small: AutoSlicing: Safe Online Autonomous Network Orchestration Towards Pervasive Slicing-as-a-Service
Funding Source: NSF CNS 2333164
Total Budget: $531,134
Role: Sole Principal Investigator
Duration: Sept. 2024 – Aug. 2027
Abstract: This project outlines a first-in-its-kind autonomous network orchestration framework towards pervasive slicing-as-a-service. It addresses the continual domain shifting issue by automatically bridging simulation-to-reality gap via offline augmenting simulators and safely adapting time-varying dynamics via online learning in real-world networks. It will be evaluated in UNL site-scale and PAWR city-scale platforms.
Roadside-to-Vehicle Crash Avoidance Warning System for Commercial Motor Vehicles on Rural Roads
Funding Source: US DoT FMCSA
Total Budget: $1,342,761
Role: Co-Principal Investigator (with PI Nathan Huynh and multiple Co-PIs)
Duration: Sept. 2024 – Sept. 2026
Abstract: The goal of this project is to advance the safety protocols for commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) by integrating cutting-edge road hazard condition detection technologies in real-time. By using this new approach, we aim to minimize the likelihood of crashes in strategic locations on rural roadways.
CropTwin: Automatic Digital Twin for Crop Growth Modeling towards Smart Irrigation Management
Funding Source: USDA NIFA AFRI
Total Budget: $300,000
Role: Principal Investigator (with Co-PIs)
Duration: Sept. 2024 – Aug. 2026
Abstract: The goal is to design, develop, and deploy new digital twin systems in regard to crop growth modeling for smart irrigation management. We propose the CropTwin system with three core research tasks, including cost-efficient IoT systems, automatic digital twining, and smart irrigation solutions. We deploy and evaluate CropTwin in the real-world research farm at UNL, throughout a full soybean growth session.
CC* Integration-Large: Husker-Net: Open Nebraska End-to-End Wireless Edge Networks
Funding Source: NSF OAC 2321699
Total Budget: $891,000
Role: Principal Investigator
Duration: Oct. 2023 – Sept. 2025
Abstract: This project outlines a novel open end-to-end cellular edge network (Husker-Net) by designing, deploying, and operating private 5G network over a light-licensed CBRS spectrum in multiple UNL campuses. Husker-Net is featured with ultra-low operating cost with open-source modules, flexible deployment with both wired and wireless backhaul (e.g., LEO in mid of Nebraska), and zero-touch management with automatic model-free algorithms.
CNS Core Medium: Field-Nets: Field-to-Edge Connectivity for Joint Communication and Sensing in Next-Generation Intelligent Agricultural Networks
Funding Source: NSF CNS 2212050
Total Budget: $1,000,000
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Duration: Oct. 2022 – Sept. 2025
Abstract: In this project, an interdisciplinary team of experts in millimeter-wave communications, metamaterial and metasurface-inspired antenna array design, dynamic spectrum access, and radio access networks in collaboration with experts in agricultural robotics and sensor-based plant phenotyping aim to provide connectivity to rural farm fields and increase national competence to bring new technologies to rural America rapidly.