Waleed Akbar

Waleed Akbar is a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, where he is helping shape the future of sustainable ocean sensing and communication. His research tackles a pressing challenge in subsea environments: how to enable long-term, scalable data collection without relying on batteries or high-power systems. By advancing underwater backscatter, a technique that reflects existing acoustic signals rather than generating new ones, Waleed is working to unlock battery-free, low-cost subsea networks. As a MathWorks Fellow, he will develop new modulation strategies to further enhance the performance and resilience of these systems in dynamic ocean settings. Waleed relies extensively on MathWorks tools, utilizing MATLAB and its Communication, Signal Processing, Image Processing, and DSP Toolboxes to design and test signal pipelines, analyze real-world data, and build open-source models for system designers. His work stands to transform fields such as ocean monitoring, disaster response, and marine infrastructure by making continuous underwater sensing more accessible, efficient, and sustainable.