Biography
Dr. Elias A. Alwan is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida International University. He previously served as the Eminent Scholar Chaired Professor from November 2020 to May 2022, a role that recognized his leadership in advanced wireless systems and interdisciplinary innovation.
Dr. Alwan’s research explores the intersection of intelligent antenna design, reconfigurable RF systems, and embedded machine learning for adaptive wireless communication. His work spans ultra-wideband (UWB) and millimeter-wave technologies, RF beamforming, simultaneous transmit-and-receive (STAR) architectures, and secure high-throughput MIMO systems. He emphasizes the design, fabrication, and measurement of high-performance RF platforms that leverage AI-driven sensing to optimize spectral efficiency and signal integrity. He has led and contributed to numerous federally and industry-supported research initiatives, advancing next-generation solutions for wireless connectivity, intelligent sensing, and communication resilience. Dr. Alwan actively mentors graduate and undergraduate researchers and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across academia and industry.
As Associate Chair, Dr. Alwan oversees key departmental operations including academic scheduling, budgeting, curriculum development, institutional effectiveness reporting, and strategic planning.
Awards & Honors
- Top Scholar Award, Junior Faculty with Significant Grants (STEM), FIU, May, 2023
- Eminent Scholar Chaired Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: November 28, 2020, May 11, 2022
- College of Engineering and Computing Faculty Research Award, April 21, 2020
- IEEE Technical leadership award for serving as the technical program chair at the 2019 International Workshop on Antenna Technology (iWAT), March 5th, 2019
Education
- Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2014
- ME, Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2009
- BE, Computer and Communication Engineering, Notre Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon, 2007