Diego Masotti

IEEE member: since 2001

BIBLIOMETRICS

Google Scholar: h-Index: 24, citations: >2350

Scopus: h-Index: 21, citations: > 1650 

BIOGRAPHY

Diego Masotti is member of the Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Energia Elettrica e dell'Informazione at the University of Bologna, Bologna since 1998, where now he serves as an Associate Professor. His research activities have been dedicated to the development of CAD algorithms based on the Harmonic Balance technique for the noise analysis and for the signal analysis and design of active nonlinear microwave/RF circuits under multi-tone and digitally modulated excitations. Accurate nonlinear MEMS switch models have been developed by Dr. Masotti, too. Afterwards, these activities have been rigorously combined to full-wave analysis for the efficient circuit-level design of nonlinear radiating systems, up to entire wireless links. He has carried out designs of MEMS-reconfigurable antennas, MIMO and UWB systems and of highly innovative multi-band rectennas, specialized for wearable applications. Currently he is involved in multiple research activities related to far-field wireless power transmission (WPT) and RF energy harvesting (EH), in particular in the exploitation of time-modulated arrays for smart transfer of power to randomly placed sensors. Recently, his research interests include also near-field WPT technologies, for several power needs, operating frequencies, mainly devoted to portable devices charging. He is also among the inventors of an international patent for multi-resonant radiating solutions.

Dr. Masotti serves in the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Antennas and Propagation, and will serve the Editorial Board of the Cambridge Wireless Power Transfer Journal starting from January 1, 2017. He is a member of the Paper Review Board of many of the most important journals on microwave topics: the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, IEEE Communication Letters, IET-Circuit Devices & Systems, IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS, International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies, Wireless Power Transfer, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, IET Microwaves Antennas & Propagation, Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, MDPI - Electronics since 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2015, 2015, 2015, 2016 respectively.

He authored more than 40 scientific publications on peer reviewed international journals and more than 80 scientific publications on proceedings of international conferences (listed below), and two book chapters.

He has been member of the Steering Committee of the IEEE European Microwave Week 2014 (held in Rome), and TPC member of the IEEE EUMW (2014, 2018, 2019), NEMO (2015), WPTC (2016, 2019) symposia. He is member of the Paper Review Board of the main conferences on microwaves.

POSITIONS

2016-today: Member of the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Ph.D. Board

2016: Member of the Commission for the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Ph.D. candidates selection (32^nd cycle)

2015: Elected representative of the University of Bologna inside the M.E.C.S.A. Microwave Engineering Center for Space Applications

2009: Member of the Commission for the Final exam Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies Ph.D. students (21^st cycle)

2001-2004: Member of the Board of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering

1998: Research Associate at the University of Bologna
1997: Ph.D. degree in electric engineering from the University of Bologna

1996-1998: Responsible of Electromagnetic compatibility laboratory in private company Beghelli s.r.l., Monteveglio, Bologna

1990: Post-graduated research scholarship at Guglielmo Marconi Foundation

1990: Degree in Electronic Engineering (cum Laude and Academic Honour) from the University of Bologna

TEACHING

He has developed:

- one undergraduate course: Antennas (the first course on antennas taught at the University of Bologna) from 2000 to 2003)

- two graduate courses (RF circuits design, from 2004 to 2011, Electromagnetic technologies for link design , from 2011 to 2016).

Currently he is responsible of:

- the course of Antennas for Wireless Systems in the Master degree of Telecommunication Engineering

- the course Sistemi e Circuiti Ottici e a Radiofrequenza in the Bachelor degree of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.

He has been the supervisor of more than 60 Master theses and tutor/co-tutor of more than 10 PhD students. Actually he is tutor of two PhD students.

CONFERENCES ATTENDANCE

Dr. Masotti has been actively attending the main international conferences related to the microwave field since the early ‘90s. Typically, every year, he participates at least in two of the following appointments: IEEE International Microwave Symposium, IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, European Microwave Week, European Conference on Antennas and Propagation. Recently, Dr. Masotti has included the Wireless Power Transfer Conference in the list of yearly appointments. At all these conferences, Dr. Masotti presents one or more papers on his research activity (sometimes upon invitation) and often is invited as a speaker in Workshops/Seminars within the Conference.

INVITED TALKS HELD BY DR. MASOTTI

- 2006 "Circuit-Level Simulation of Nonlinear RF / Microwave Systems", at the Mediterranean Microwave Symposium

- 2009 "Global stability analysis of nonlinear microwave circuits based on numerical implementation of bifurcation theory", IEEE IMS Workshop: Stability of nonlinear microwave circuits and Systems: Concepts, Analysis, and Design

- 2010 "Nonlinear / electromagnetic co-simulation of microwave / millimeter-wave radio systems", International Workshop on Advances in Modeling and Optimization of High Frequency Structures

- 2012 "Compact Solution for a Multi-Band Wearable rectenna", 2nd International Workshop on Wireless Energy Transport and Harvesting

- 2012 "Multi-domain design of wearable energy harvesting generators from ambient RF sources," IEEE IMS Workshop: Wireless Energy Transfer and Scavenging Techniques

- 2013 “Mapping complex physical environments in “smart spaces” by RFIDs and RADAR technologies” IEEE IMS Workshop: RF-on-demand for the internet of thing

- 2013 “CAD Tools and Techniques for Co-Design of Multi-Source Energy Autonomous Systems”, IEEE EuMC Workshop: Energy harvesting, circuit and system advances for battery-less Radio Frequency Identification systems,

- 2014 “Nonlinear/electromagnetic co-simulation of linear time-modulated arrays”, IEEE EuMC Workshop: Time as the 4th Dimension for Emerging Microwave Communication and Sensing Array Systems

- 2014 “Antenna Design for Far-Field WPT”, IEEE EuMC Workshop: Wireless Power Transmission – Near and Far Field Approaches

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

His research is devoted to cases of real engineering interest in the important advanced technology area of microwave integrated circuits with special emphasis on wireless radiating systems.

In chronological order his main research topics and most significant results can be summarized in the following list:

1) 1990 - 1998: Development of original algorithms for stability and noise analysis of microwave nonlinear circuits (both forced and autonomous). The originality of the algorithms developed by Dr. Masotti allows him to be a consultant of the software house Ansoft (USA).

2) 1999 - 2005: Numerical techniques for the simulation of large nonlinear systems with the Harmonic Balance technique. A noteworthy obtained result has been the development of an original technique of "domain decomposition" that allows to drastically reduce the memory storage and the CPU time of Harmonic-Balance-based simulators, by performing the decomposition of a large system into nonlinear interconnected subsystems.

3) 2001 - 2007: Development of behavioral models of high complexity subsystems and systems. He has fully developed an original behavioral model of nonlinear microwave subsystems/systems, overcoming the traditional limitations of its predecessors (i.e. the hypothesis of unidirectional signal flow and the difficulty of managing dispersive effects), keeping the mathematical simplicity and excellent computational performance that make behavioral models very attractive

4) 2004 - 2011: Modelling of Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) switches. The developed models of both capacitive and resistive MEMS switches were the first models to be used within a circuit simulator. The accuracy of the developed models has been validated by measurements, thanks to a cooperation with Fondazione Bruno Kessler (TN, Italy).

5) 2005 - current: Numerical techniques for the circuital/electromagnetic co-simulation of nonlinear microwave circuits/systems: this approach allowed for the first time the circuit-level simulation of entire microwave links, and it has been applied to SISO and MIMO links, links involving RFID tags/readers and RF energy harvesting subsystems, by performing system analysis in both digitally modulated radio frequency and UWB regimes. This approach has allowed the rigorous simulation of a promising family of nonlinear radiating systems, the time-modulated arrays (TMA), able of almost real-time reconfiguration.

6) 2006 – current: Wireless power transmission (WPT) and RF energy harvesting (EH), adopting both far-field and near-field technologies, for several power needs, operating frequencies and application scenarios, namely powering of energy autonomous sensor nodes and charging of portable devices. Specifically:

• European Space Agency Project - ESA AO 1-8471/15/NL/LvH “Localisation of Objects in Space through RF Tags (LOST)” (May 2016-May 2017)

• Italian Regional Project POR-FESR “HABITAT: Home Assistance Basata su Internet of Things per l’Autonomia di Tutti (Home Assistance Based on Internet of Things for the Autonomy of Everyone)” (2016-2018)

• Italian Regional Project POR-FESR “SINERGIE: Integrated Solutions for the Next Generation of Automatic Packaging Machines” (2016-2018)

• Italian Regional Project POR-FESR led by Infomobility S.r.l.“Ideazione e sviluppo di una innovativa antenna a radiofrequenza per la gestione dei varchi” (2016-2018)

• COST Action IC1301 WiPE : Wireless Power Transmission for Sustainable Electronics (2013-2017)

• FP7 JTI ARTEMIS- Arrowhead (2013-2016)

• PRIN (GRETA) Green tags and sensors with utrawideband identification and localization capabilities (2012-2015)

• PNRM Piano Nazionale della Ricerca Militare N° 2010.94 “Compositi piezo-magnetici ingegnerizzati per antenne miniaturizzate indossabili (2012-2013).

• FP7 JTI ARTEMIS-SOFIA (Smart Objects For Intelligent Applications) (2009-2011)

• RESERFIDA “Remote sensing with radiofrequency interferometry of different antennas” Progetto strategico di ateneo (2007-2008).

• Network of excellence TARGET “Top Amplifier Research Groups in a European Team” (2004-2007)

• FIRB Innovative methods for modelling and design of radio-frequency devices and advanced subsystems for multimedia communcation (2003-2005)

• PRIN Nonlinear/electromagnetic co-simulation techniques of MEMS-reconfigurable receivers (2005-2006)

• PRIN Large-signal nonlinear modelling of MEMS switches and their usage in radio-frequency front-end simulation (2003-2004).

• PRIN Injection-locked active antenna arrays at millimeter frequencies (2000-2001)

CONGRESS/EVENT ORGANIZATIONS & EDITORIAL BOARDS

- Co-organizer of the International Spring School on “Electromagnetics and emerging technologies for pervasive applications: Internet of Things, Health and Safety”, within the frame of COST Action – IC1301 WiPE (Wireless Power Transmission for Sustainable Electronics), April 2016, Pontecchio Marconi (Bologna), Italy, with Prof. Alessandra Costanzo (University of Bologna).

- EuCAP 2017 Convened session organizer “Smart Beamforming for Far-field Wireless Power Transfer”, Paris (France), with Prof. Pedro Pinho (Instituto de Telecomunicações, Aveiro).

- NEMO 2015 Special session organizer “Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Systems”, Ottawa (Canada), with Prof. Alessandra Costanzo (University of Bologna).

- Workshop organizer at EuMW 2014, Rome (Italy) “Time as the 4th Dimension for Emerging Microwave Communication and Sensing Array Systems”, with Prof. P. Rocca Univ. Trento (Italy) and Prof. R.L. Haupt, Colorado School of Mines (CO).

- From January 1, 2017: Executive editor of the Cambridge Wireless Power Transfer Journal.

- 2016: member of the Technical Program Review Committee of IEEE Wireless Power Transfer Conference 2016

- 2015: member of the Technical Program Review Committee of IEEE MTT-S International Conference on Numerical Electromagnetic and Multiphysics Modeling and Optimization (NEMO) 2015

- November 2014 – current: Executive editor of the International Journal of Antennas and Propagation.

- 2014: member of the Steering Committee della EuMA European Microwave Week 2014

- 2014: member of the Technical Program Review Committee della EuMA European Microwave Week 2014

- Review board of: IEEE Trans. on MTT, AP, BIO, IEEE MWCL, IEEE Electronic Lett., IEEE AWPL, IET MAP.