Game Theory for Smart, Secure, and Self-Organizing Networked Systems

Walid Saad

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department

University of Miami

Abstract:

Next-generation networked systems are characterized by three key features: heterogeneity, in terms of technology and services, dynamics, in terms of rapidly varying environments and uncertainty, and size, in terms of number of users, nodes, and services. The need for smart and secure network designs has become a central research issue in a variety of applications and scenarios. One example is the emerging deployment of wireless heterogeneous networks in which a myriad of devices must be able to interact, co-exist, meet stringent QoS requirements, and adapt to their environment. Toward deploying intelligent, distributed, and flexible networked systems, advanced analytical frameworks that enable self-optimization and self-configuration are needed. In this talk, we focus on the field of game theory and related disciplines as central tools for enabling self-organizing networks. We introduce different types of games, present the fundamental components, and describe their applications in three emerging fields: (i)-The design and analysis of heterogeneous small cell networks, (ii)-  wireless physical layer security, and (iii)- the smart grid. The talk concludes by shedding some light on future and related research.

Biography:

Walid Saad received his B.E. degree in Computer and Communications Engineering from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Engineering, in 2004, his M.E. in Computer and Communications Engineering from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2007, and his Ph.D degree from the University of Oslo in 2010.  Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Miami.  Prior to joining UM, he has held several research positions at institutions such as Princeton University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

His research interests include wireless and small cell networks, game theory, cognitive radio, wireless security, and smart grids. He has over 60 international conference and journal publications in these areas. He was the author/co-author of the papers that received the Best Paper Award at the 7th International Symposium on Modeling and Optimization in Mobile, Ad Hoc and Wireless Networks (WiOpt), in June 2009, at the 5th International Conference on Internet Monitoring and Protection (ICIMP) in May 2010, and at IEEE WCNC in 2012.