about.qmd

---
title: "Group"
image: ICON.png
about:
  template: trestles
  links:
    - icon: linkedin
      text: LinkedIn
      href: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelligent-connectivity-and-networks-group/
    - icon: github
      text: Github
      href: https://github.com/ICONgroupCWC/

---
## Mehdi Bennis
Mehdi Bennis (Fellow, IEEE) is a Professor with Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu, Finland, and Head of the Intelligent Connectivity and Networks/Systems Group (ICON). His research interests are in radio resource management, game theory and distributed AI in 5G/6G networks. He has published more than 300 research papers in international conferences, journals and book chapters. He has been the recipient of several prestigious awards including the 2015 Fred W. Ellersick Prize from IEEE Communications Society, the 2016 Best Tutorial Prize from IEEE Communications Society, the 2017 EURASIP Best paper Award for Journal of Wireless Communications and Networks, the all-University of Oulu award for research, the 2019 IEEE ComSoc Radio Communications Committee Early Achievement Award and the 2020–2023 Clarviate Highly Cited Researcher by the Web of Science.

## Sumudu Samarakoon
Sumudu Samarakoon (Member, IEEE) received the B.Sc. degree (Hons.) in electronic and telecommunication engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 2009, the M.Eng. degree from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, in 2011, and the Ph.D. degree in communication engineering from the University of Oulu, Finland, in 2017. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu, and a member of the Intelligent Connectivity and Networks/Systems (ICON) Group. His main research interests include heterogeneous networks, small cells, radio resource management, reinforcement learning, and game theory. He received the Best Paper Award from the European Wireless Conference and Excellence Awards for innovators and the Outstanding Doctoral Student in the Radio Technology Unit, CWC, University of Oulu, in 2016.