Aghasi’s Team Wins a Student Paper Award at IEEE Radio Wireless Symposium 

Feb. 9, 2026 - Electrical engineering and computer science graduate student Md Hedayatullah Maktoomi received second place for his research paper in the 2026 IEEE MTT-S Student Paper Competition. The award was announced at the IEEE Radio Wireless Symposium (RWS) in January 2026 in Hollywood. The IEEE RWS Student Paper Award recognizes research only in which the first author is a student. The IEEE Radio Wireless Week is one of three main conferences of the IEEE MTT-S (Microwave Theory and Technology Society).

In the research paper, Maktoomi discusses how the growing demand for high-speed internet requires electronic systems that must process copious amounts of data. To eliminate the expensive circuits that operate at higher frequencies, Maktoomi designed a new type of amplifier circuit that can generate stronger high-frequency signals across a large bandwidth needed for modern communication and sensing systems, allowing a higher power level than traditional designs while keeping the system Wideband affordable.

“Receiving one of only two Student Paper Awards across the entire event validates the technical impact of the work and the many years of effort behind it,” Maktoomi said. “This recognition is an important milestone in my academic and professional development.”

Maktoomi was the first author, followed by UC Irvine electrical engineering graduate student Xuyang Liu and Assistant Professor Hamidreza Aghasi.

The amplifier architecture, circuit techniques and experimental results in the paper correlated directly to Maktoomi’s  thesis research. He plans to graduate in fall 2026 and pursue a position in radio frequency integrated circuit design within the semiconductor industry.

– Cassandra Nava