KAUST CTL researchers shine in IEEE ICC 4MT competition!
About
Salah Abdeljabar, Zhengying Lou, and Abdullah Abu Zaid, all PhD candidates in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL) research group at KAUST secured top honors in the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) Four Minute Thesis (4MT) Competition. The competition, organized by the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), challenges PhD students to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just four minutes.
Salah Abdeljabar won second place for his project titled "Super-LoRa: Enhancing LoRa Throughput via Payload Superposition,"while Zhengying Lou and Abdullah Abu Zaid both earned third place for their projects "HAPS for Cost-Efficient Connectivity"and "Urban Air Mobility Communications: Aerial-Terrestrial Heterogeneous Networks," respectively.
The competition, held in Montreal, Canada, on June 9, 2025, emphasized clear communication, engagement, and the ability to convey complex research in an accessible manner. The winners were announced the following day at the IEEE ComSoc Board of Governors (BoG) meeting and were recognized by the president of IEEE ComSoc, Prof. Robert Schober.
A Rigorous and Competitive Selection Process
The IEEE ICC 4MT Competition featured a multi-stage evaluation process, rigorously assessing participants on comprehension, content clarity, engagement, and presentation skills. Competitors were challenged to condense complex research into a compelling four-minute presentation accessible to a non-specialist audience.
This year’s competition attracted 40 PhD candidates from leading global institutions. In Round 1, participants submitted pre-recorded presentations, which were evaluated anonymously by an expert panel. Only the top 15 entries were invited to Round 2, where finalists delivered their presentations live at IEEE ICC 2025 in Montreal, Canada. Given the competitive field, the strong showing by KAUST researchers, securing both 2nd place and two 3rd place, highlights their great ability to communicate cutting-edge research effectively.
Pushing the Boundaries of Communication Technology
The awarded presentations from KAUST covered a range of emerging research topics. Salah Abdeljabar’s Super-LoRa project explored innovative technique to increase LoRa modulation throughput by introducing payload superposition, enabling multiple data streams to be transmitted more efficiently over constrained links. Zhengying Lou’s work focused on cost-effective global connectivity using High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), offering sustainable alternatives to conventional infrastructure. Abdullah Abu Zaid proposed a novel heterogeneous aerial-terrestrial network (HetNet)framework to support Urban Air Mobility (UAM), with implications for next-generation communication systems serving drones, air taxis, and other aerial platforms.
A Platform for Recognizing Research Excellence
Participation in the 4MT competition not only highlighted the technical depth and communication skills of the CTL researchers but also offered a unique platform to engage with a global audience and build collaborative bridges with fellow scholars. The success of Salah Abdeljabar, Zhengying Lou, and Abdullah Abu Zaid further reflects the CTL group’s ongoing commitment to innovation, outreach, and research excellence.
Their achievements also align with the broader vision of the KAUST UNESCO Chair initiative, focusing on “Connecting the Unconnected,” which aims to develop communication technologies for underserved, and remote environments, ensuring inclusive access to information, education, and opportunity across the globe.