Contact Dr Saba Al-Rubaye

Areas of expertise

  • Aeronautical Systems
  • Autonomous Systems
  • Communications Systems
  • Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
  • Industrial Automation
  • Systems Engineering
  • Vehicle Health Management

Background


Dr. Saba Al-Rubaye, a Canadian professional, currently serves as the Head of the Advanced Connectivity & System Integration research group in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University. Additionally, she is leading the research and development at DARTeC, where she is contributing to the advancement of 6G technology and its potential applications in future communication networks. With over 20 years of experience in both industry and academia, Dr. Al-Rubaye has a proven track record in initiating innovative solutions across various domains, including design, testing, consultation, leadership, and program development. She has actively participated in numerous projects sponsored by prestigious organizations such as Innovation UK, Research England, EPSRC, the Department for Transport, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the USA Government. An essential contribution made by Dr. Al-Rubaye was her involvement in establishing the hardware in the loop testbed for smart grid communications and system integration at Quanta's Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory (QT-STIL) in Toronto, Canada. These projects are significant steps towards expediting the adoption of emerging technology solutions and their integration into future communications networks.

Dr. Al-Rubaye actively participates in the development of industry standards, contributing as a voting member in IEEE P1932.1 standard for License/Unlicensed Interoperability and IEEE P1920.2 standard for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Her research work has been published in various prestigious IEEE journals and conferences, earning her the distinguished honour of receiving the best technical paper award in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in IEEE Vehicular Technology as well as best paper in IEEE DASC conference 2020 and 2021.

Furthermore, Dr. Al-Rubaye has taken on leadership roles in several international conferences, including serving as a general co-chair and TPC co-chair. She has also delivered tutorials/Talk at esteemed IEEE conferences such as ICC and VTC, as well as delivering invited talks at reputable venues like the Communications Research Centre (CRC) of Canada, IEEE Toronto Chapter, and IEEE UK Chapter. Dr. Saba Al-Rubaye is a distinguished professional Chartered Engineer (CEng), MIET, and a Life Senior member of IEEE. Additionally, she holds a commercial certificate as an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Pilot in the UK.

Research opportunities

Post-Docs: The group has a number of project-based openings throughout year. We also welcome top-quality motivated fellowship applicants (RAEng, UKRI, H2020 MSCA), please send a detailed CV and your top 1-2 Journal papers for a discussion.

New Post- Please apply (Aerospace Communication Systems)

Group Alumni (Staff & PhD)

  • Dr Mumin Ozpolat-  UAV Networking 
  • Dr Vahid Towhidlou- UAV Communications 
  • Dr Abdulmohsan Aloseel- Embedded system security
  • Dr Nasr Abosata -Distributed Sensors for Industrial Applications 

Research/Project

Dr Saba Al-Rubaye research group focusing on modelling, simulation, and testing, and all the aspects which addresses the new generation of emerging technology and integration capabilities within the dynamics of Aviation, Autonomy and Connectivity including:

  • 5G/6G Communications
  • Drone Communications and Networking
  • Embedded System Security 
  • Digital Aviation-Artificial Intelligent & ML
  • System of System Integration
  • Positioning and Localization
  • Electrification & Electric Vehicle 
  • Urban Air Mobility & Zero Emission 

6G Next Generation: Communication of the future

6G networks will likely incorporate various communication technologies, including satellite networks, aerial platforms (drones), and terrestrial networks. Research will explore the integration and seamless interoperation of these heterogeneous networks, ensuring efficient handover, spectrum coordination, and optimal utilization of different network resources.

Workshop

Dr Saba Al-Rubaye was chairing and organising a new workshop for 6G Networks at IEEE ICC 2020

Conference

Dr Saba Al-Rubaye is delighted to be part of DARTeC conference organization team and one of the Speakers for Future Connectivity Challenge Digital Aviation Conference

Current activities

Project- Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystems- Phase III

Co-Investigator & Technical lead - Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges

Total Project Funded -  £9.5 million

Partners- Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow, Skyports, NATS, Bristol Airport, Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University

Shaping The Future of Advanced Air Mobility in the South West of England- For more info

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Project- Advanced Air Mobility-  Phase II

(PREPARE FOR COMMERCIAL EVTOL AIRCRAFT SERVICES)

Co-InvestigatorTechnical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges

Total Project Funded £2.5m

Partners- Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Skyports, NATS, Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University, Neuron

An industry consortium aiming to demonstrate air taxi service in the South West region of England in response to the UK government’s Future of Flight Challenge.  This project will “significantly accelerate the introduction of AAM in the UK”.

Shaping The Future of Advanced Air Mobility in The South-west of England- For more info

 Test Field Trial at Cranfield Airport – Video

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Project Rise

Principal Investigator & Technical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges

Total Project Funded £ 500,000

Partners- Dronecloud, Sky-drones, Cranfield University and Skyports

The scheme project aims to integrate evolving Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), the drone version of Air Traffic Control (ATM), with the control systems on-board drones to Unlock the future of drone operations through integration. Focusing on the approvals process and air traffic management (ATM) for flying within airspace controlled by an Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), integrating across a combined stack of independent software and hardware. 

More info about  Project Rise Website

Filed test trials at Cranfield Airport- Video

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Project - Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System

Principal Investigator & Technical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Innovation UK- Future Flight Challenges

Total Project Funded £ 500,000

Partners- ANGOKA, Cranfield University and Connected Places Catapult

 The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authentication System (UASAS) project brings together Cranfield, ANGOKA and Connected Places Catapult collaborators to create an authentication system that will provide a trusted identification service for drone usage. This system will protect communications from potentially devastating cyberattacks. Trusted identification will allow organisations to ensure that drones are flying in the right zones and without adverse effects to other parties, increasing overall confidence in drone technology.

Enabling Secure Authentication for Unmanned Aircraft Systems- Event Video

Cranfield Airport- UASASTest Field Demonstration - Video

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Project Smart Airport

Principal Investigator and Technical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Department for Transport ( DfT )

Total Project Funded £ 135,000

Partners- NCC-Group & Cranfield University

The main aim of this project is to build end to end ecosystem for Smart Airports based on the use of digital twin and intelligent systems such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors and devices configured for specific purposes in different areas in order to control, manage and plan their operations in a centralised digital environment.

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Project Digital Aviation Connectivity & Security

Principal Investigator and technical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Department for Transport ( DfT )

Total Project Funded £ 135,000

Partners- Thales & Cranfield University

The digital transformation envisaged by the Future Flight Challenge is redefining expectations around connectivity, security, communication system and control. Across civil and military air platforms, manned and unmanned, digital data drives everything – and the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of every mission depends on it.

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Inmarsat – Connectivity

Co-Investigator and technical lead- Dr Saba Al-Rubye

Sponsor- Inmarsat

Total Project Funded £ 100,000

Partners_ Inmarsat & Cranfield University

The aim is to create roadmap for future aviation connectivity 

Cranfield- Inmarsat Roadmap --- Digital Aviation Roadmap

Clients

  • Thales 
  • Atkins
  • Inmarsat
  • Honeywell
  • Ankoga
  • DroneCloud
  • Sky-Drone
  • Skyports
  • NCC-Group
  • Satellite Applications Catapult 
  • EPSRC
  • Innovation UK 
  • Department for Transportation (DfT) 

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

Books