Wireless innovations Next-generation
Online Workshop (WiNOW)
3-6 November, 2025 // Virtual
Huiling Zhu
University of Kent
Dr Huiling Zhu received the B.S degree from Xidian University, China, and the Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, China. She is currently a Reader in the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. Her research interests are in the area of wireless communications. She was recipient of the European Commission Marie Curie Fellowship from 2014 to 2016 and received the best paper award at IEEE Globecom 2011. She has served as Symposium Co-Chair for IEEE Globecom 2015 and IEEE ICC 2018, and as Track Co-Chair for IEEE VTC2016-Spring and VTC2018-Spring. She currently serves as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.
Talk Title: Integrated Sensing and Communication in Cell-Free Networks
In this talk, we first introduce the fundamental concepts of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems and discuss their prospective roles in future wireless networks, with a particular emphasis on cell-free network architectures. Subsequently, we present our recent research work toward the development of a high-accuracy, cost-efficient, and frame-efficient cell-free ISAC framework that leverages pre-designed orthogonal downlink (DL) pilot sequences.
The proposed approach achieves substantial enhancements in both channel estimation and localization accuracy compared with conventional benchmark schemes. In addition, a comprehensive analysis is conducted to examine the effects of critical system parameters—such as the downlink/uplink (DL/UL) pilot ratio and the pilot-to-frame length proportion—on overall system performance. The insights obtained from this study will be also discussed to provide theoretical and practical guidelines for the design and optimization of next-generation cell-free ISAC signal frameworks.