ELEE Oral Comprehensive Exam for Doctoral Candidacy by Jin Feng Lin

Friday, April 17, 2026 at 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Topic: Deep Learning-Based Multi-Source Angle-of-Arrival Estimation and Spectrum Awareness

Abstract: Angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation enables spatial localization, beamforming, and interference mitigation in wireless communication and sensing systems. Recent machine learning approaches have improved robustness compared to classical subspace-based methods, but most existing work is evaluated under simplified conditions such as single-source scenarios, fixed observation windows, and covariance-domain inputs. In practical environments, multiple simultaneous transmitters, limited data samples, and heterogeneous signal types introduce additional challenges for reliable AoA estimation.

A learning-based framework is developed for multi-source AoA estimation and spectrum awareness using raw IQ inputs. The approach extends AoA estimation to multiple concurrent transmitters and two-dimensional spatial estimation, while incorporating protocol classification and evaluation across different antenna geometries. A decision-making module integrates spatial and signal-level features to detect jamming and estimate the number of active transmitters. Preliminary results demonstrate that learning-based models can scale to multi-source scenarios and maintain competitive performance using IQ-domain representations.

Advisor:  Dr. Ruolin Zhou, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth

Committee Members:

• Dr. Dayalan P. Kasilingam, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMass Dartmouth;
• Dr. Long Jiao, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer & Information Science, UMass Dartmouth;
• Dr. Nathaniel D. Bastian, Assistant Professor, United States Military Academy, Department of Systems Engineering, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, West Point, NY 

Note: All ECE Graduate Students are encouraged to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public. 

*For further information, please contact Dr. Ruolin Zhou via email at rzhou1@umassd.edu.

Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A : Zoom Link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/92675106134 Meeting ID: 926 7510 6134 Passcode: 381813
Ruolin Zhou
5089106922
rzhou1@umassd.edu
https://umassd.zoom.us/j/92675106134