Zakir Hussain Shaik 📡

Zakir Hussain Shaik

Senior Research Specialist | Wireless Communications

Nokia Research and Innovations

Professional Summary

I am a Senior Research Specialist at Nokia Research and Innovations in France, working on beyond-5G/6G wireless communications technologies. I successfully defended my PhD in Communication Systems from Linköping University, Sweden, on November 29, 2024, with the thesis titled “Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO”. My doctoral research was supervised by Prof. Erik G. Larsson and Prof. Emil Björnson.

My research expertise spans cell-free massive MIMO, distributed signal processing, physical layer innovations, and optimization techniques for next-generation wireless networks. I’m passionate about advancing wireless communications technology and enjoy sharing my knowledge through this blog.

To know more about my work: LinkedIn, Google Scholar. Whatever I am today is because of my lovely parents and younger brother. Follow my blog: Ride-the-Future.

Education

PhD in Communication Systems

Linköping University, Sweden

MS by Research in ECE

IIIT Hyderabad, India

Bachelor of Technology in ECE

JNTU Kakinada, India

Interests

Beyond-5G/6G Wireless Communications Cell-Free Massive MIMO Distributed Signal Processing Physical Layer Research Convex Optimization
📚 My Research
My work focuses on making future wireless networks smarter and more efficient. I develop distributed signal processing algorithms for cell-free massive MIMO—a technology that enables seamless connectivity by coordinating many access points to serve users without traditional cell boundaries. Think of it as teamwork for antennas, delivering better coverage and higher data rates for the connected world.

Experience

  1. Senior Research Specialist

    Nokia Research and Innovations
    Industry research in wireless communications, focusing on beyond-5G/6G technologies, cell-free massive MIMO, and physical layer innovations.

  2. PhD Researcher in Communications Systems

    Linköping University
    Developed signal processing algorithms for cell-free massive MIMO networks. Defended PhD thesis: “Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO”. Supervised by Prof. Erik G. Larsson and Prof. Emil Björnson.

  3. MS by Research in Electronics and Communication Engineering

    SPCRC @ IIIT Hyderabad
    MS by Research in Communications and Signal Processing.

  4. Assistant Systems Engineer

    Tata Consultancy Services
    ECAD support for printed circuit boards (PCB) design, component engineering, and RoHS engineering.

  5. Intern

    Gayatri Vidya Parishad Scientific and Industrial Research Centre (GVP-SIRC)
    Design real time signal demodulator in LabVIEW and MATLAB. Extracting required signal features and analyzing.

Education

  1. PhD in Communication Systems

    Linköping University, Sweden
    Thesis: “Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO” Successfully defended on November 29, 2024. Supervised by Prof. Erik G. Larsson and Prof. Emil Björnson.

  2. MS by Research in ECE

    IIIT Hyderabad, India
    Research in Communications and Signal Processing.

  3. Bachelor of Technology in ECE

    JNTU Kakinada, India
    Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Awards/Accomplishments
Nominated for Top 5 Journal/Conference Papers for Swe-CTW
Swedish Communication Technologies Workshop (Swe-CTW) ∙ September 2023
Short-listed papers for the IEEE Sweden VT-COM-IT joint chapter best student paper award across multiple years: 2023 (Journal), 2022 (Journal), 2021 (Conference)
Won Best Poster Award at PhD Workshop @ ISY 2022
Linköping University ∙ August 2022
PhD Workshop @ ISY 2022. Examining committee said: A very clear poster presentation describing a new and interesting approach in the field of wireless communications
On The Spot Award
Tata Consultancy Services ∙ April 2016
In appreciation to the outstanding contribution made to the organization
Secured 3rd Rank in ICSE 10th Class (Statewide)
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) ∙ May 2008
Secured 3rd rank statewide in ICSE 10th class, 2008 (Secondary Education) in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India
Featured Publications
Cell-Free Massive MIMO

Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO

PhD thesis on distributed signal processing for cell-free massive MIMO systems.

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Cell-Free Massive MIMO

MMSE-optimal sequential processing for cell-free massive MIMO with radio stripes

Optimal MMSE sequential processing for cell-free massive MIMO with radio stripes.

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Recent Publications (click Here)
Zakir Hussain Shaik, Sai Subramanyam Thoota, Emil Björnson, Erik G. Larsson (2025). Over-the-Air Fronthaul Signaling for Uplink Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems. IEEE TWC.
IEEE Xplore
Zakir Hussain Shaik (2024). Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO. LiU E-Press.
LiU DiVA Portal ISBN
Zakir Hussain Shaik, Rimalapudi Sarvendranath, Erik G. Larsson (2024). Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Underlay Spectrum Sharing in Cell-Free Massive MIMO. IEEE Access.
IEEE Xplore
Zakir Hussain Shaik, Erik G. Larsson (2024). Decentralized Algorithms for Out-of-System Interference Suppression in Distributed MIMO. IEEE WCL.
IEEE Xplore
Zakir Hussain Shaik, Erik G. Larsson (2023). Distributed Signal Processing for Out-of-System Interference Suppression in Cell-Free Massive MIMO. ICASSP 2023.
IEEE Xplore
See all
📣 Latest Updates

November 2025 - Back to blogging after 1.5 years! New articles technology, tutorial and general aspects a little more frequently. Stay tuned, click: Ride-the-Future! ✍️

December 2024 - Started new position as Senior Research Specialist at Nokia Research and Innovations in France, working on beyond-5G/6G wireless technologies.

November 2024 - Successfully defended my PhD thesis “Distributed Signal Processing for Cell-Free Massive MIMO” at Linköping University! 🎓