Research output per year
Research output per year
Professor, Senior Member IEEE, PhD (Electronic & Electrical Engineering), FHEA
High Street, Henry Building South
PA1 2BE Paisley
United Kingdom
Accepting PhD Students
PhD projects
Interested in PhD studies in Digital Connectivity and Innovation?<br/>We welcome self-funded applicants to join the UWS Digital Connectivity and Innovation Centre (DCIC). Email me with your CV and research interests to discuss next steps.
Willing to speak to media
Research activity per year
Muhammad Zeeshan Shakir is a Professor of Digital Technologies and AI at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and Director of the Digital Connectivity & Innovation Centre (DCIC). With over two decades of international academic and industry experience, his work focuses on wireless communications, AI-enabled systems, digital health, and smart infrastructure. He has secured over £7 million in research funding from British Council, Qatar National Research Fund, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Scottish Government, and the European Commission (Erasmus+) and over £2 million in knowledge exchange partnerships from Innovate UK, leading major regional and international research and innovation projects. Previously, he has worked as PI/Co-PI on several commercial and research projects funded at Texas A&M University, Qatar, Carleton University, Canada and KAUST, Saudi Arabia.
Professor Shakir has supervised over 50 PhD students and Post Doctoral Research Fellows across institutions in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and authored 10 books.
His contributions to research and innovation have been recognised through numerous prestigious awards, including the Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award, Centre for Engineering, Education and Development, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi Award for Education, Scottish Muslim Association, Fred W. Ellersick Award from the IEEE Communications Society, the Innovate UK Award of Excellence, the Herald Higher Education Project of the Year Award, and the STEM Inspiring Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE). A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Senior Member of IEEE, and member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Scotland, he is widely regarded as a leader in the field of digital connectivity.
Professor Shakir holds several prominent external appointments. He is Executive Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC 2026), Chair of the Ayrshire Digital Economy Ecosystem (ADEE) Strategic Board, and a Board Member of the Ayrshire 5G Innovation Region. He also serves as Chair of the IEEE Public Safety Technology Smart Algorithm and Informatics Committee, and Chair of the IEEE Communications Society Backhaul Networking Emerging Technology Committee. A sought-after keynote speaker and policy advisor, Professor Shakir continues to shape the future of digital infrastructure, innovation, and AI across the UK and globally.
Dr. Shakir received B.E degree in Electrical engineering from one of the top universities in Pakistan, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, in 2002 and the MSc degree in Communications, Control and Digital Signal Processing and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom, in 2006 and 2010, respectively.
Duration |
Projects |
Role |
Funding |
Agency/Funder |
2025-2028 |
KTP Project: Kooltech – AI automation and predictive maintenance |
PI |
£322,233 |
Innovate UK |
2025-2028 |
KTP Project: Booth Welsh – AI automation for control engineering |
PI |
£320,863 |
Innovate UK |
2022-2025 |
KTP Project: The VR Hive |
Co-I |
£236,198 |
Innovate UK |
2021-2024 |
KTP Project: Phoenix Instinct – AI and IoT enabled smart wheelchair |
PI |
£286,979 |
Innovate UK |
2021-2023 |
KTP Project: Kube Nets Ltd – AI enabled automation for networks |
PI |
£190,942 |
Innovate UK |
2020-2021 |
The design and manufacture of a novel liquid milk piglet feeding system |
Co-I |
€24,000 |
Co-Innovate & INTERREG VA |
2020-2023 |
KTP Project: Fido Tech – AI enabled water leakage |
PI |
£262,083 |
Innovate UK |
2018-2020 |
KTP Project: Modo – AI enabled data centre |
Co-PI |
£185,332 |
Innovate UK |
KTP Associates /Post Doctoral Fellow
PhD Students (Current): (Director of Studies - first supervisor)
PhD Students (Graduated Supervised / co Supervised):
MSc Students:
Hons Students:
External visitors:
I would like to collaborate with national and international companies with in following domain (but not limited):
I would like to collaborate and build prolific ties with the following types of national and international organization:
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Chair Stakeholder Board: Ayrshire Digital Economy Ecosystem – ADEE, pan-Ayrshire strategic board for Regional Economic Strategy, Ayrshire. , North Ayrshire Council
1 Jan 2025 → …
Executive Chair: IEEE International Conference on Communications, IEEE ICC 2026, Glasgow, Scotland, May 2026., IEEE Communications Society
1 Jan 2023 → …
External Examiner Post Graduate Taught Program Embedded Wireless Systems, University of York
20 Sept 2022 → 31 Dec 2024
Member The Royal Scociety of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland, Royal Society of Edinburgh
11 Jul 2022 → …
Chair , Technical Committee on Smart Algorithms and Informatics IEEE Public Safety Technology (PST) Initiative
10 Mar 2022 → 31 Dec 2024
External Expert, COST Association
18 Dec 2020 → 31 Mar 2021
Member Scottish Parliament Framework Agreement Covid-19 Pandemic, Scottish Parliament
12 Jun 2020 → 31 Dec 2024
Editorial Board Member IEEE ComSoc Technology News, IEEE Communications Society
1 Jan 2019 → …
Full Member EPSRC Peer Review College, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
15 Nov 2018 → …
Chair IEEE ComSoc Emerging Technologies Initiative: Backhaul/fronthaul networking & communications), IEEE Communications Society
1 Sept 2015 → …
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Shakir, M. Z. (Recipient), 1 Nov 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Shakir, M. Z. (Recipient), 7 Dec 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Shakir, M. Z. (Recipient), 1 Apr 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Shakir, M. Z. (Recipient), 1 Aug 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Shakir, M. Z. (Member)
Activity: Membership › Membership of board
Shakir, M. Z. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Shakir, M. Z. (Chair)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
Kaushik, A. (Speaker) & Shakir, M. Z. (Speaker)
Activity: Other › Types of Business and Community - CPD delivery/organisation of courses for externals (in kind)
Kaushik, A. (Speaker), Shakir, M. Z. (Speaker), Shin, W. (Speaker) & Liu, R. K. (Speaker)
Activity: Other › Types of Business and Community - CPD delivery/organisation of courses for externals (in kind)
7/09/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
25/08/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Shakir, M. Z. & Ahmed, T.
17/09/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research