PhD Advisor at University of Bedfordshire (May. 2007 - Aug. 2010)
"David demonstrated exceptional research abilities, with profound impacts on academia, industry, and standardization."
"His paper has over 1300 citations and remains a foundational reference, reflecting his dedication and expertise."
"David’s proactive attitude and leadership were evident, mentoring other PhD students and contributing to their success."
"He played a key role in building one of the strongest teams, inspiring innovations like Ranplan Wireless."
"David’s technical depth, mentoring skills, and collaborative mindset make him an ideal supervisor and collaborator."
Prof. Jie Zhang - Chair in Wireless Systems at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield
Post-doc Advisor at King's College London (Aug. 2010 - Dec. 2011)
"My collaboration with David started when he joined my EPSRC First Grant project as a postdoctoral research associate at King’s College London in 2010 and has continued to the present day. The greatest strength of David lies in his strong sense of responsibility and leadership as an independent researcher. He is dedicated to staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in his field and continuously refining his research skills. I am particularly impressed by his "can-do" attitude - his positive mindset and proactive problem-solving approach - without which many of our achievements during the EPSRC project, including the book “Heterogeneous cellular networks: theory, simulation and deployment” published by Cambridge University Press in 2013, wouldn’t be possible. David has established himself as a highly regarded researcher. He has, in relatively short order, amassed an impressive publication track-record that stands comparison with any of his peers across the sector. In the meanwhile, he has provided considerate support, guidance, and mentorship to junior researchers and graduate students, both within his team and beyond. I am confident that David will continue to nurture a collaborative and supportive environment for young researchers, and I look forward to our ongoing partnership."
Prof. Xiaoli Chu - Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffiled
Supervisor at DOCOMO Innovations (May 2011 - Sep. 2011)
"I mentored David at DOCOMO Innovations, Palo Alto, CA, between May-September, 2011, where he was a visiting postdoctoral researcher in leave from Kings College London. He worked on mobility and interference management for small cell networks. He was one of the most focused, productive, and easy-to-collaborate-with researchers that I have ever worked. He would come up with innovative approaches and new angles to tackle a challenging research problem, simulate and/or analyze the approach in practical conditions (he had a very good handle on ray tracing simulations and 3GPP specifications at that time which were difficult to come by), and always come up with interesting and insightful results. We had several highly cited papers published from the work he carried out during his visit, but the one that I liked the most was "On the expanded region of picocells in heterogeneous networks" which got published at IEEE JSTSP in 2012 which shows both the depth and breadth of David's technical skills right after finishing his PhD. I learned a lot myself from David, both technically and attitude-wise, and I would not hesitate to do a PhD with him in grad school."
Prof. Ismail Guvenc - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University
PhD student at Nokia Bell Labs (2013-2016)
"David’s support and openness empowered me to explore and develop my ideas."
"David’s passion for research and dedication to cultivating independent thinking deeply inspired me."
"Discussions with David challenged my perspective, fostering a more well-rounded approach to innovation."
"The lessons I learned from David continue to shape my career and have been crucial to my professional growth."
Dr. Amir H Jafari - Senior AI Engineer, Microsoft
Colleague at Nokia Bell Labs (2016-2020) and Huawei Technologies (2020-2021)
"The time I spent working with David can be summarized in one word: Excellence."
"David searches for excellence in every aspect of his work and inspires those around him to achieve the same high standards."
"Working with David was intense, demanding high quality, a willingness to step out of comfort zones, and a commitment to constant learning."
"David embodies the qualities of a true mentor: providing space to grow, building trust, and seamlessly transitioning from mentor to collaborator and friend."
"Collaborating with David is nothing short of a life-changing and rewarding experience."
Dr. Adrian Garcia Rodriguez - Master Researcher and Team Leader, Ericsson Research
Colleague at Nokia Bell Labs (2016-2019)
"David’s vision and extensive experience were invaluable when we set an ambitious plan to design a system-level simulator during my first months at Bell Labs, guiding both me and the team to success."
"Beyond his technical expertise, David mentored me in drafting patent applications, a skill that led me to file about a dozen patents during our time working together."
"His pivotal role in helping me prepare my first IEEE conference tutorial opened doors to over 100 keynotes and lectures worldwide."
"Our discussions often sparked ideas for patents and publications, showcasing his ability to inspire and collaborate beyond the workplace."
"David’s mentorship and insights have been central to my personal and professional growth, and our ongoing collaboration continues to be a source of inspiration."
Dr. Giovanni Geraci - Senior Researcher, Telefonica Research /Associate Professor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
PhD student at Nokia Bell Labs (2019-2020) and Colleague at Huawei Technologies (2020-2023)
“Most questions can be answered by referring back to Shannon’s capacity theorem—something that proved incredibly accurate over time.”
“David’s advice to ‘own and understand every aspect of my work’ taught me an invaluable lesson.”
“Our intense discussions transformed my initial frustration into testable ideas.”
“Applying machine learning to model power consumption led to a globally deployed algorithm—one of my greatest results.”
“David taught me not only technical skills but also how to present my work and handle challenges.”
Dr. Nicola Piovesan - Senior Engineer, Huawei Technologies
