INVITED SPEAKER SEMINAR - Intertwining Wireless Communications with Quantum Computing: The Evolution Toward Beyond 6G

Date: Monday, September 29, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. 

Location: EV 1.162

Abstract

With the 3GPP Advanced-5G Release 18 and the ongoing efforts for Release 19 paving the way toward 6G, we are witnessing transformative paradigm shifts. These include the seamless integration of people, machines, and the environment through intelligence; the convergence of space-air-ground-sea networks; the harmonization of diverse frequency bands with varying propagation characteristics; and the fusion of communication, computing, sensing, positioning, and intelligence.

While further development is still needed for 5G-Advanced and 6G, researchers worldwide are already exploring groundbreaking technologies and novel services for beyond 6G. This talk will begin with an overview of potential use cases and enabling technologies for next-generation networks. It will then introduce key elements of quantum computing and explore its applications within this evolving ecosystem. Finally, it will highlight future research directions poised to drive innovation in next-generation network evolution.

Biography

Dr. Octavia A. Dobre is a Professor and Canada Research Chair Tier-1 at Memorial University, Canada. Her research focuses on next-generation wireless networks, optical communications, and underwater communications. She has authored over 600 publications in these areas and has received ten Best Paper Awards, including the prestigious IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Heinrich Hertz Award.

Dr. Dobre currently serves as Vice-President of Publications for IEEE ComSoc. She was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Letters, and IEEE ComSoc Director of Journals.

A former Fulbright Scholar and IEEE Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Dobre is an elected member of the Academia Europaea and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and a Fellow of the IEEE, the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society of Canada. She is also a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher.