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An Electrical Engineering undergraduate’s summer research journey from LUMS to Istanbul.
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For Noor Ijaz, a month at Özyeğin University in Istanbul began with a research project and ended with a working prototype, new research interests, and considerably more questions.
Noor participated in the inaugural edition of Özyeğin University’s Undergraduate Summer Research Program, becoming the first student from LUMS to take part. Within her research track, she was one of four students selected from an applicant pool representing 31 universities. Based at the Center of Excellence in Optical and Wireless Communication Technologies (OKATEM) and the Communication Theory and Technologies (CT&T) Lab, Noor worked under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Çağatay Edemen on a project titled “Unreal Engine-Based Digital Twin Modeling for Wireless Communication Channel Characterization.”
Finding a Direction
The project explored how realistic virtual environments developed in Unreal Engine 5 could be used to study wireless communication systems. Noor began by exploring different research scenarios, reviewing work on digital twins and ray-tracing-based channel modelling, and familiarizing herself with NVIDIA Sionna and Sionna RT.
Conversations with Master’s researchers in the labs helped shape her next steps. Her research eventually moved towards optical wireless communication and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), with a scenario that combined two areas she is particularly interested in: wireless communications and robotics.
The idea was to model a mobile robot moving through an indoor environment while maintaining optical connectivity with ceiling-mounted access points.
Making it Work
Noor implemented the first version of a real-time optical receiver within the existing Unreal Engine 5 channel-modelling codebase.
The receiver evaluates line of sight between the mobile receiver and each ceiling access point, estimates received optical power using the established direct-path optical gain model and selects the strongest available link as the robot moves. Basic hysteresis was added to prevent unnecessary switching between access points, along with CSV logging for later analysis.
The implementation was structured for validation against the existing batch ray-tracing output at a fixed receiver position before progressing to a moving robot. The same framework can support further work on access-point handover, blockage detection, and optical connectivity.
Alongside the simulation work, Noor was introduced to Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) and participated in an experiment related to optical coherence. She also had the opportunity to explore the OKATEM and CT&T Lab facilities and learn about the research being carried out there.
A Summer Beyond One Project
The programme brought Noor into regular contact with professors, researchers, and students from different universities and countries. Research meetings and lab discussions offered a broader view of work in wireless communications, optics, digital twins, and related fields.
Across the wider summer research cohort, she was one of eight Pakistani students selected to participate. Being the first student from LUMS to join the programme made the experience particularly meaningful.
There was also Istanbul itself — a month of living in a different country, meeting people from diverse backgrounds, and experiencing Turkish culture alongside the research.
By the end of the programme, Noor had strengthened her understanding of digital twins, optical wireless communication, ISAC, and experimental optics. More importantly, she had experienced the less tidy, more interesting side of research: exploring an idea, changing direction, building something, testing it, and figuring out what to ask next.
