Pan Cao
University of Hertfordshire, UK
Pan Cao is currently a Reader in Sensing and Communications at University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, U.K. He received the B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees from Xidian University, Xi'an, China, in 2008 and 2011, respectively, and the Dr.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany, in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate with the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K., and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Dr. Cao is the Principal Investigator for several prominent initiatives, including the EPSRC-funded 6G-DISCO and 6G-NetMAGIC projects, as well as an Innovate UK KTP project focused on advanced millimetre-wave 4D radar system design. He is also the challenge lead for resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) within the EPSRC TITAN Hub Phase 2 (2026–2030). His current research interests include integrated sensing, imaging, and communications, wireless localisation, radar signal processing, and resilient PNT systems for next-generation networks and autonomous systems.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is widely used in cellular mobile communications and has been recognised as a foundational waveform for 6G by 3GPP. While traditionally optimized for high-speed data transmission, the inherent grid structure of OFDM offers unique advantages for dual-functional systems. This talk will address how to utilize the standard OFDM waveform to achieve advanced sensing functions, such as ranging, velocity estimation, imaging and tracking of dynamic targets, bridging the gap between next-generation connectivity and environment awareness.