Muhmmad Shah Alam
Electrical engineer and academic (born 1966)
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Muhmmad Shah Alam is an electrical engineer, academic and educator whose research has focused on radio-frequency (RF) and microwave engineering, RF CMOS modelling, low-noise amplifier design, substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technologies, millimetre-wave interconnects and wireless communication systems. He is a professor of electrical engineering at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,[1][2] where his work on wide-band millimetre-wave transition technology won a gold medal at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva.[3][4] He was formerly affiliated with the Department of Electronics Engineering at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU),[5] where he led research into RF front-end design for wireless technology beyond 5G.[6][7]
Muhmmad Shah Alam | |
|---|---|
| محمد شاہ عالم | |
Alam in 2025 | |
| Born | 1 December 1966 |
| Alma mater | Aligarh Muslim University Queen's University Belfast |
| Known for | RF CMOS modelling, millimetre-wave interconnects, substrate integrated waveguide technologies, RF frequency scaling |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering, electronics engineering, radio-frequency engineering, microwave engineering |
| Institutions | Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Aligarh Muslim University Queen's University Belfast Technische Universität Dresden |
His work has included RF front-end design for future wireless systems, millimetre-wave transmission-line transitions, SIW antenna and interconnect technologies, and empirical studies of transistor frequency scaling.[8]
Early life and education
Alam was born in Ghosi, in present-day Mau district, Uttar Pradesh, India, on 1 December 1966.[9] He received BSc Engineering and MSc Engineering degrees in electronics and communication engineering from Aligarh Muslim University, and later completed doctoral research in RF modelling at Queen's University Belfast.[9][10]
His early research at Queen's University Belfast and AMU dealt with RF CMOS modelling, substrate effects in RF integrated circuits, and parameter extraction methods for microwave and wireless applications.[11][12][13]
Career
Alam was associated for many years with the Department of Electronics Engineering at AMU's Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology. A 2026 Hindi-language report in Hindustan described him as an AMU alumnus and as formerly associated with ZHCET's Department of Electronics Engineering.[5]
AMU's Department of Electronics Engineering lists Alam as the Indian principal investigator for a 2014 Indo-German research project funded by the Indian National Science Academy and the German Research Foundation. The project, titled "Performance Comparison of state-of-art CMOS and SiGe LNA for Multi-band Wireless", involved collaboration with Prof. Michael Schroter at Technische Universität Dresden.[14]
In 2020, Indian education and news outlets reported that a team led by Alam at AMU developed an on-chip RF front-end design for wireless technology beyond 5G. The reports stated that the front-end blocks were designed for millimetre-wave and sub-terahertz bands, including the 70–80 GHz and 220–325 GHz ranges.[6][7]
Alam later joined Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) in Riyadh as a professor in the College of Engineering's Department of Electrical Engineering.[15] His research there covered millimetre-wave transmission-line technologies, substrate integrated waveguide systems, and interconnect solutions for next-generation wireless communications.[16][5] In April 2025, his team won a gold medal at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva for a wide-band millimetre-wave transition design.[3][2] His team along with other Saudi teams took 167 awards and medals in total.[4][1] Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University's president Ahmed bin Salem Al-Amri subsequently honoured the team at a university ceremony.[17]
Research
RF CMOS and device modelling
Alam's early research focused on RF modelling of CMOS devices and related parameter extraction methods. His 2004 article with G. A. Armstrong in Solid-State Electronics presented methods for extrinsic parameter extraction and RF modelling of CMOS devices.[11] His 2006 paper in International Journal of Numerical Modelling addressed substrate modelling in RF CMOS circuits and reported improved modelling of output reflection behaviour in the 1–10 GHz range and in a low-noise amplifier application.[9][18]
He also worked on neural-network approaches to device modelling. A 2009 paper with Abhinav Kranti and Alastair Armstrong in International Journal of Numerical Modelling proposed a neural-network approach for nanoscale FinFET modelling and circuit simulation.[19]
Wireless front ends and low-noise amplifiers
Alam's research has included low-noise amplifier design and RF front-end systems for wireless communication. His work has covered CMOS LNA modelling and design, millimetre-wave front ends, and device-level modelling for RF circuit applications.[20][21][22]
In 2020, reports on Alam's AMU team described an RF front-end design intended for future 5G and 6G wireless services and based on low-cost CMOS-compatible SiGe BiCMOS technology.[6][7]
SIW, antennas and millimetre-wave interconnects
Alam has co-authored work on SIW MIMO and phased-array antennas for 5G systems. A 2022 review article in IEEE Access discussed design challenges and possible solutions for 5G SIW MIMO and phased-array antennas.[23][16]
Later antenna literature has cited this review in discussions of 5G MIMO antenna design and SIW-based antenna systems.[24][25][26]
In 2023, Alam co-authored an IEEE Access article on a wideband transition design technique from rectangular waveguide to SIW technologies.[27][28] In 2024, he co-authored a review of interconnect options for SIW technologies.[29]
RF frequency scaling
In 2025, Alam and Asif Alam published "KHz to THz: Unified Trends in RF Frequency Scaling" in IEEE Access. The article proposed RF Frequency Scaling as an empirical framework for describing the historical improvement of record RF transistor frequency performance. The work used maximum oscillation frequency as a scaling metric for RF technologies.[8][30][31]
Honours and professional memberships
Published author biographies describe Alam as a Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).[32][33]
In April 2025, IMSIU reported that it received medals at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, including a gold medal for the invention "Apparatus, Methods and Design System for Wide-Band Millimeter Wave Transition", attributed by the university to Dr. Muhammad Shah Alam, Asif Alam, and Dr. Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Muhanna of the College of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering.[3] The 50th edition of the exhibition was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 9 to 13 April 2025.[34] The Saudi Press Agency reported that his team and other teams won the Grand Prix, six international awards and 124 medals at the 2025 exhibition, while Arab News reported that his team among other teams from Saudi academic institutions won awards.[1][2]
In May 2025, IMSIU reported that university president Ahmed bin Salem Al-Amri honored university inventors who had won awards at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions and the International Invention Fair in the Middle East. The university's report again stated that Alam and Al-Muhanna received the Geneva gold medal for an innovative design for wide-band millimetre-wave transition.[17]
The Hindi newspaper Hindustan separately reported in January 2026 that Alam led a research team that developed a transmission-line technology for 6G wireless communication and that the work received a gold medal at the 50th Geneva exhibition.[5] The Saudi Press Agency separately reported that Saudi innovations won 167 awards and medals overall at the 2025 Geneva exhibition.[4]
Patents and inventions
Alam is named as an inventor on United States patents assigned to Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. These include Apparatus, methods and design system for wide-band millimeter wave RWG to air-filled SIW transition, granted as US Patent 12,166,262, and Millimeter wave connection device for rectangular/substrate integrated waveguides, granted as US Patent 12,278,414.[35][36][37][38]
Selected publications
- Alam, M. S.; Armstrong, G. A. (2004). "Extrinsic parameter extraction and RF modelling of CMOS". Solid-State Electronics. 48 (5): 669–674. doi:10.1016/j.sse.2003.09.012.[11]
- Alam, M. S.; Armstrong, G. A. (2006). "Accurate substrate modelling of RF CMOS". International Journal of Numerical Modelling: Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields. 19 (3): 257–269. doi:10.1002/jnm.610.[9]
- Alam, M. S.; Kranti, A.; Armstrong, G. A. (2009). "An efficient neural network approach for nanoscale FinFET modelling and circuit simulation". International Journal of Numerical Modelling: Electronic Networks, Devices and Fields. 22 (5): 379–393. doi:10.1002/jnm.715.[19]
- Gangwar, A. K.; Alam, M. S. (2021). "Filtering antennas: A technical review". International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering. 31 (10): e22797. doi:10.1002/mmce.22797.[39]
- Ali, S. A.; Wajid, M.; Usman, M.; Alam, M. S. (2021). "A high-order EMSIW MIMO antenna for space-constrained 5G smartphone". Sensors. 21 (24): 8350. doi:10.3390/s21248350.[40]
- Ali, S. A.; Wajid, M.; Kumar, A.; Alam, M. S. (2022). "Design Challenges and Possible Solutions for 5G SIW MIMO and Phased Array Antennas: A Review". IEEE Access. 10: 88567–88594. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3197226.[23]
- Alam, A.; Alam, M. S.; AlMuhanna, K.; Zhang, H.; Shamim, A.; Shamsan, Z. A. (2023). "A Wideband Transition Design Technique From RWG to SIW Technologies". IEEE Access. 11: 109539–109552. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3321319.[27]
- Alam, A.; Alam, M. S.; AlMuhanna, K.; Shamim, A. (2024). "A Critical Review of Interconnect Options for SIW Technologies". IEEE Access. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3450111.[29]
- Alam, A.; Alam, M. S. (2026). "KHz to THz: Unified Trends in RF Frequency Scaling". IEEE Access. 14: 751–762. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3646610.[8]