Dr. Peng Hu, P.Eng.

Area

Emerging Aerospace Systems: Space-Air-Ground Integrated Systems, Satellites & Constellations, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), Protocols/Architecture/Management, Resilience & Sustainability, 6G NTN, IoT, Quantum Networks

Applied AI/Machine Learning: Autonomous Networking, Embedded AI, Edge AI/Computing, Anomaly Detection

Systems & Applications for Real-World Challenges: Digital Divide, Digital Health, Smart Agriculture/Aquaculture, Environmental Monitoring, Industry 5.0, etc.

Dr. Peng Hu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of the Advanced Network and Embedded Systems Lab (AEL). He also holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, and is a member of the Waterloo Data and AI Institute. Dr. Hu has extensive research and development experience, having previously worked as a Research Officer at the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and as an Embedded Software Engineer at CMC Microsystems.

He currently serves on the IEEE Canada Board of Directors (as Chair of the IEEE Winnipeg Section), as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, as Secretary of the Satellite and Space Communications Technical Committee of the IEEE Communications Society, and as Co-Chair of the Technology and Applications Working Group of the IEEE LEO Satellites & Systems initiative. Dr. Hu leads interdisciplinary research in the New Space Era and advanced aerospace systems, encompassing AI/ML-enabled networks and systems, space sustainability, space–air–ground integrated systems, non-terrestrial networks, and the mission-critical Internet of Things (IoT). His work focuses on emerging challenges at the intersection of multiple disciplines and has been supported by NSERC, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), National Research Council Canada (NRC), Research Manitoba, the Ontario Centre of Innovation (formerly OCE), and other public funding agencies, through collaborations with leading academic and industry partners.

He was a Research Fellow of the Open Lunar Foundation in 2025 and one of 15 fellows selected for the 2022 Internet Society Mid-Career Fellowship Program. He has received multiple research awards from NRC and other institutions. Dr. Hu has served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as a review committee member for Canada’s national innovation and challenge programs, and as a reviewer for leading journals and conferences. He has been a voting member of the IEEE Sensors Council Standards Committee, a technology advisor/member of prominent IoT industry consortia, and has contributed to numerous international conference committees, including IEEE GLOBECOM, IEEE ICC, IEEE PIMRC, IEEE WiSEE, IEEE AINA, IEEE SysCon, IEEE Future Networks World Forum (FNWF), and ACM COMPASS.

Dr. Hu is currently seeking graduate students. Interested students are encouraged to contact him directly with:

1. A CV (including educational background, research/industry experience, and publications if applicable);
2. A cover letter (stating your research interests and experience), and;
3. Copies of transcripts.

Please understand that only students who can be a good fit with the research program will be contacted.