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. 

• 6G and 5G Networks: Non-Terrestrial Networks, Small cell densification, ultra-reliable and low-latency systems, energy efficiency for communication networks, private 5G networks.
• Generative AI and AI/Machine Learning: Advanced data analytics, predictive maintenance, automation in engineering and healthcare, Large Language Models (LLMs) for industry automation.
• Internet of Things (IoT) and Applications: Remote condition monitoring, environmental monitoring, water and energy management, healthcare and wellbeing, climate change applications.

Recent External Research Funding 

Recent Knowledge Exchange Partnerships 

Research Team:

KTP Associates /Post Doctoral Fellow

• Dr Gabriel Okolo (2025-) KTP Associate
• Brandon Forrest (2024-) KTP Associate
• Fahad Ayaz (2025-) Post Doctoral Fellow 
• Dr Sanaullah Manzoor (2022-2024) Post Doctoral Fellow 
• Stephen Honnan (2022-2023) KTP Associate
• Dr Adeel Rafiq (2022-2024) Network Engineer 
• Dr. Muhammad Moid Khalid Khan (2021-2024) Electronic Engineer
• Dr. Jawwad Latif (2020-2023) Data Scientist 
• Resheph Gohil (2018-2020) Data Scientist

PhD Students (Current): (Director of Studies - first supervisor)

• Adam Ashford (2024-2028)
• Ahren Hart (2022-2026)
• James Black (2022-2025)
• Paul Asare (2022-2025)
• Ogochukwu Ejike (2020-2025)
• Cezar Anicai (2021-2024)
• Nurudeen Salau (2020-2023)
• Yingbo Zhu (2020-2023)

PhD Students (Graduated Supervised / co Supervised):

• Shahriair Al-Ahmed (2018-2022)
• Ifiok Anthony Umoren (2017-2022)
• Yusufu Gambo (2018-2022)
• Dong Wang (2016-2019)
• Carlos Hoyos Barceló (2015-2019)
• Thepparit Sinthamrongruk (2015-2019)
• Wuchen Tang (2012-2015)
• Hafiz Atta Ul Mustafa (2012-2015)
• Hina Tabassum (2010-2014)
• Nariman Rahimian (2012-2015)

MSc Students:

• Edward Boakye (2023)
• Blessing Ajaye (2023)
• Hayfa Almansoori (2023)
• Tolulope Peter Makinde (2023)
• Sana Ullah Manzoor (2023)
• Usman Bhatti (2023)
• Kingsley Nnadi (2023)
• Vivian Ogechukwu Iloghalu (2023)
• Shahzaib Raza (2023)
• Kyle Hickie (2023)
• Kenneth MacKenzie (2022)
• Pavan Kumar Mujumdar (2021-2022)
• Jack Law (2021-2022)
• Venkata Naveen Kumar Divvela (2020-2021)
• James Black (2020-2021)
• Rory Nisbet (2019-2020)
• Kaun Zhang (2019-2020)
• Sorin Neagoe (2019-2020)
• Sony Thomas (2019-2020)
• Victor Ekaette (2019-2020)
• Michael Okonkwo (2019-2020)
• Maddasar Shahid (2019-2020)
• Muhammad Waqas (2019-2020)
• Craig Middleton (2019-2020)
• Yingbo Zhu (2018-2019)
• Obabiolorunkosi Malaolu (2018-2019)
• Constance Farrell (2018-2019)
• Nicky Carr (2018-2019)
• Matthew Swinburne (2018-2019)
• Tanveer Ahmed (2017-2018)
• Syeda Sanober Jaffery (2017-2018)
• Heather Brown (2017-2018)
• Adil Arif (2017-2018)
• Nilupulee Anuradha Gunathilake (2017-2018)
• Madlena Padova (2016-2017)
• Aqib Shehzad (2016-2017)

Hons Students:

• Ibrahim Elnoor (2023)
• Stephen Houston (2023)
• Cameron Dickson (2023)
• Imtiaz Khan (2023)
• Mohammed Alidinar (2021-2022)
• James Lochhead (2021-2022)
• Casey Hunter (2021-2022)
• Adrien Chabaud (2020-2021)
• Cailean Mcleash (2020-2021) 
• Brian Downie (2020-2021)
• Mohamud Ibrahim (2019-2020)
• Darren Duff (2019-2020)
• John Inglis (2019-2020)
• Andrew Cooper (2018-2019)
• Robert Mackiewicz (2018-2019)
• Greg Francis (2018-2019)
• Donald Carroll (2018-2019)
• Edgars Griga (2017-2018)
• Craig Torlay (2017-2018)
• David Conolly (2016-2017)
• Shannon Cuddihy (2016-2017)

External visitors:

• Ryan Miller (Isobel Mair School, Newton Mearns) 2025
• Widad Belaoura (National Polytechnic School, Algeria) (2024 & 2018)
• Takeshi Hirai (Osaka University, Japan) 2023
• Matthew Campbell (Castlehead High School) 2020
• Ben Anderson (Castlehead High School) 2020
• Matthew Campbell (Castlehead High School, Paisley) (2020)
• Andrea Voisin-grall (Aix-Marseille University, France) (2019)
• Romain Menguy (Aix-Marseille University, France) (2018)
• Muhammad Zainul Abideen (Eastwood High School, Newton Mearns, Glasgow) (2017)

I would like to collaborate with national and international companies with in following domain (but not limited):

• Information communication and technology 
• Cellular and mobile operators and vendors
• Device/sensor manufacturers
• Smart city (transportation, energy, buildings, healthcare)

I would like to collaborate and build prolific ties with the following types of national and international organization: 

• Ministries and Govt. bodies 
• Local Councils and social welfare bodies 
• National/international research labs/centrer
• Standardization and development organizations

• Smartphone Application development 
• Commercialisation and development
• Servitisation 
• Industry 4.0
• Smart teaching and learning approaches 

• COMP11061 Internet of Things and Applications (PG)
• COMP11062 Mobile Networks and Smartphone Applications (PG)
• COMP11060 Emerging Topics in Smart Networks (PG)
• COMP09022 Data Communications and Networks (UG)