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University of Victoria

Walaeldin Abdalla named first UVic recipient of DND/NSERC Supplemental Award

April 02, 2026

In 2026, Walaeldin Abdalla, a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Victoria, became the first UVic recipient of the DND/NSERC Supplemental Award. The award supplements his NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship–Doctoral, received in 2025.

Launched in 2023, the DND/NSERC Supplemental Award is a collaborative initiative between the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Department of National Defence (DND). The program supports advanced research and training in natural sciences and engineering aligned with Canada’s national defence priorities, strengthening technological innovation, secure communications and resilient infrastructure.

Abdalla moved to Canada in 2023, bringing more than 17 years of international industry and academic experience. Under the supervision of Dr. T. Aaron Gulliver, his doctoral research integrates artificial intelligence with advanced metamaterials to develop energy-efficient wireless and Internet of Things systems for future 6G networks.

“As we move toward 6G networks, we must fundamentally rethink how wireless systems are designed,” says Abdalla. “By combining artificial intelligence with advanced metamaterials, we can discover entirely new geometries and engineered material structures that were simply not achievable using traditional software tools and conventional trial-and-error approaches.”

“AI allows us to explore vast electromagnetic design spaces, uncover hidden performance relationships and automatically optimize structures in ways that exceed human intuition,” says Abdalla. “This means we can create smarter, more energy-efficient and more secure communication systems that support both sustainability and national technological advancement.”

His research aims to reduce energy consumption, minimize reliance on traditional power sources and enable more resilient, intelligent infrastructure. By leveraging AI-driven metamaterial innovation, his work contributes to the development of sustainable next-generation communication networks and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).