Metasurface-enabled synthetic aperture radar installed on UAVs
Hosted by and Enrolled in the Doctoral Program at the University of Huddersfield.
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Description of research
The research aims to advance radar technology by integrating metasurface-enabled synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with ML/DL algorithms on UAVs. Objectives include optimising metasurfaces for efficient electromagnetic wave manipulation, integrating with UAVs or stability and power efficiency, and using ML/DL algorithms to enhance SAR resolution for accurate target detection and classification. The study focuses on adapting systems to dynamic environments, real-time processing, and autonomous operation, emphasizing energy efficiency. Field trials and simulations will validate system performance, contributing to radar technology and UAV applications.
Short bio of DC
Mayibongwe Dube was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and received his BEng and MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2020 and 2023, respectively. Between 2021 and 2025, he worked in both the defence and commercial sectors for the international companies Alaris Antennas and POYNTING Antennas.
During his time at Alaris Antennas, he worked as an Antenna Engineer, contributing to the design of electronic warfare (EW) products with applications in direction finding, jamming, and spectrum monitoring. At POYNTING Antennas, he was involved in and later led the design of novel 5G, Wi-Fi, and LTE antenna products, often incorporating metamaterials and dielectric lenses for performance enhancement.
As part of the ISAC-NEWTON project, his current research focuses on developing a UAV-mounted, metasurface-enabled synthetic aperture radar system, with emphasis on metasurface optimisation, power efficient UAV integration, and ML/DL based enhancement of SAR resolution and target recognition in dynamic environments. His broader research interests include metasurfaces, radar systems, electronic warfare, gap-waveguide devices, 3D-printed electromagnetic devices, and ultrawideband microwave and antenna systems.
Simplified Summary
This page is about PhD student Mayibongwe Dube. He studies at the University of Huddersfield.