Mobile Intelligence Lab

Paul Patras leads the Mobile Intelligence Lab. He is a Reader (Associate Professor) and Chancellor's Fellow in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Institute for Computing Systems Architecture (ICSA). He holds a Ph.D. in Telematics Engineering from University Carlos III of Madrid and is the first alumnus of the IMDEA Networks Institute. He held visiting research positions at the University of Brescia, Northeastern University, Technical University Darmstadt, and Rice University. His research bridges the gap between fundamental mathematical models and real-world applications of networked systems, focusing on problems related to artificial intelligence in mobile networks, performance optimisation, security and privacy, prototyping and test beds.

Alec Diallo is a postdoctoral research associated. His research crosses the boundaries between artificial intelligence, neural network explainability, computer networking, security and privacy.

Weihe Li is a first-year PhD student in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. He received a M.E. in Computer Science and Technology from the Central South University China. His research focuses on developing new techniques for accurate detection of specific types of traffic flows in high-speed networks.

Haoyu Liu is currently a machine learning researcher at Net AI and an affiliated member of the Mobile Intelligence Lab. He graduated with a PhD in Informatics from the University of Edinburgh in 2023 and is interested in developing machine learning tools for mobile traffic analytics, IoT and network security, and user privacy.

Rui Li is currently a researcher at Samsung AI Cambridge, UK and an affiliated member of the Mobile Intelligence Lab. She graduated with a PhD in Informatics from the University of Edinburgh in 2019, and her thesis was advised by Dr Paul Patras. Rui is interested in domain customisations of machine learning in mobile networks and wireless communications.

In-depth city-scale mobile network traffic analysis is essential for a range of network engineering, such as network slicing and anticipatory resources provisioning. Unraveling in real time the geographic distribution of data consumption and predicting future demands in real-time remains challenging, due to substantial measurements, storage and post-processing overheads. This project tackles these challenges by developing dedicated deep learning techniques that extract abstract features characteristic to mobile traffic, in order to serve intelligent resource management tools in future networks.

The number of Internet-connected devices is expected to reach 1 trillion by 2035 and a large fraction of these devices will become an integral part of households. This can improve the productivity and quality of life of their users, but also exposes them to new cyber security and privacy risks. This project focuses on designing intelligent algorithms that can detect and counteract cyber threats originating from or targeting Internet of Things (IoT) devices in user homes, without requiring manual intervention. We are also investigating novel mechanisms that can allow users to operate safely with potentially compromised gadgets, while ensuring such devices will not damage the networking infrastructure or the operation of other equipment.