Francesca Meneghello

Telecommunications Engineer, PhD


Principal Research Scientist
@ Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems,
Northeastern University, Boston, United States

Francesca Meneghello

Research Experience

  • Principal Research Scientist @ Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems (INSI), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University (United States)
    Dates: August 2025 - today
  • Assistant Professor (RTD-A) @ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova (Italy)
    Dates: March 2023 - July 2025
  • Postdoctoral Visiting Researcher @ WiSeCom lab, Engineering Department, Pompeu Fabra University (Spain)
    Dates: March 2025
  • ERASMUS+ Programme Staff Mobility combined for Teaching and Training @ Secure Mobile Networking (SEEMOO) lab, Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany)
    Dates: July 2024
  • Affiliate Research Scientist @ MENTIS lab, Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, Northeastern University (USA)
    Dates: April-May 2024
  • Fulbright-Schuman Research Fellow @ MENTIS lab, Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, Northeastern University (USA)
    Dates: January-July 2023
    Project title: "BeWise: Beamforming Security in Next-Generation Wireless Networks"
  • Postdoctoral researcher @ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova (Italy)
    Dates: November 2021 - February 2023
    Project title: "Next Generations Wi-Fi Networks - New Frontiers beyond Connectivity"

Education

  • Ph.D. in Information Engineering @ University of Padova (Italy)
    Graduation date: March 8, 2022
    Thesis title: "Wireless Communications and Sensing - Opportunities and Challenges in Environment Aware Networks"
    Supervisor: Prof. Michele Rossi
  • Master of Science in Telecommunications Engineering @ University of Padova (Italy)
    Graduation date: September 10, 2018
    Thesis title: "User Identification from Smartphone Passive Traffic Inspection"
    Supervisor: Prof. Michele Rossi
    Co-supervisor: Dr. Nicola Bui
  • Bachelor degree in Information Engineering @ University of Padova (Italy)
    Graduation date: July 18, 2016
    Thesis title: "Design and Evaluation of an Anechoic Tank for Underwater Acoustic Experiments through Sound-Absorbing Material at 18-34 kHz"
    Supervisor: Prof. Michele Zorzi
    Co-supervisor: Dr. Filippo Campagnaro

Journals

Conferences

Book Chapter

Summer School

Lecturer

  • Data Access and Web - Computer Networks @ Department of Public, International and Community Law, University of Padova
    Degree: Bachelor in Law and Technology
    Academic year: 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025
  • Machine Learning for Human Data @ Department of Mathematics, University of Padova
    Degree: Master in Data Science
    Academic year: 2024-2025
  • Human Data Analytics @ Department of Mathematics, University of Padova
    Degree: Master in Data Science
    Academic year: 2023-2024

Teaching Assistant

  • Human Data Analytics @ Department of Mathematics, University of Padova
    Degree: Master in Science in Data Science
    Academic year: 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023
  • Telecommunications @ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova
    Degree: Bachelor in Information Engineering
    Academic year: 2017-2018, 2018-2019
  • Computer Science @ Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova
    Degree: Bachelor in Information Engineering
    Academic year: 2017-2018

Seminars

  • A Comprehensive Tutorial on Integrated Sensing and Communications: From Theoretical Foundations to Tactical Network Intelligence @ IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM), National Capital Region, USA
    Date: October 2026
  • From Bits to Meanings: Semantic Communications for Next-Generation Wireless Networks @ PhD Summer School of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Brixen, Italy
    Date: July 2026
  • Integrated Sensing and Communications: From Wireless Sensing to Network Intelligence @ IEEE Conference on Network Softwarization (NetSoft), Berlin, Germany
    Date: June 2026
  • Low-Latency Semantic Communications @ Network and Systems Engineering Department, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
    Date: June 2026
  • AI/ML in Wireless Networks: Yes, But... @ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, USA, online
    Date: November 2025
  • How to Use Wireless Networks to Sense the Environment @ Summer School on Advanced Topics in 5G/6G Communications, Cuenca, Spain
    Date: July 2025
  • Semantic Communications Frontiers: Shaping 6G and Beyond @ invited panelist at IEEE ICMLCN, Barcelona, Spain
    Date: May 2025
  • Tech Leadership and Diversity @ invited panelist at the IEEE INFOCOM N2Women/WiCE event, London, UK
    Date: May 2025
  • MIMO in IEEE 802.11ac/ax Networks @ Tutorials on Telecommunications organized by Fondazione RESTART, online
    Date: April 2025
  • How to BREAK MU-MIMO in IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi Networks @ Telefónica, Barcelona, Spain
    Date: March 2025
  • How to Use Wireless Networks to Sense the Environment @ University of Trento, Trento, Italy
    Date: November 2024
  • Toward Integrated Sensing and Communications in Wi-Fi 8 @ IEEE PIMRC Special Session "How Wi-Fi 8 Will Look Like in 2028?", Valencia, Spain
    Date: September 2024
  • IEEE 802.11 Multi-Antenna Systems @ Secure Mobile Networking (SEEMOO) lab, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
    Date: July 2024
  • The role of machine learning in the interplay between communication and sensing in next-generation wireless networks @ IEEE ComSoc's Future Networks Technical Community's AIML Working Group, online
    Date: October 2023
  • Communication and Sensing in Next-generation Wireless Networks @ SUSTAIN Workshop, online
    Date: October 2023
  • Smart cities: data management and IoT infrastructures @ EPIX – Eco-System Partnership for Interclusters and Smart Cities Exchanges, online
    Date: October 2023
  • Smart lighting for smart cities @ BRILLIANT ClusterXchange, ELCA European Lighting Cluster Alliance
    Available on: YouTube
    Date: April 2021

Awards

Editorial Activities

Communication Activities

  • Connections in the Air
    Part of the RESTART Invisible Connections Series. The video is available at this link.
  • MIMO in IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi networks
    Part of the RESTART Tutorials on Telecommunications. The video is available at this link.
  • Author interview: Wi-Fi 25 years and counting
    The video is available at this link.
  • Author interview: Downlink Packet Capture in OFDMA
    The video is available at this link.
  • Che cosa fa un Ingegnere delle Telecomunicazioni?
    Part of the scientific communication projects of the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Padova. The videos are collected in a playlist available at this link.
  • Cosa posso fare con il Wi-Fi? A parte connettermi a Internet!
    Part of the DEI cube scientific communication project of the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Padova. The video is available at this link.
  • N2 Women Event: AI/ML for the Next Generation Wireless Networks
    Panel organized and moderated at IEEE WiMob 2025. Abstract and details here.
  • N2 Women Event: Inclusive Excellence - What does it actually mean?
    Panel at IEEE SMARTCOMP 2023. Abstract and details here.
  • ICTea - scientific divulgation project
    Two formats: 10/20-minute videos describing the information and communication technology world adopting a simple language; 40-minute interviews to researchers in other scientific and humanistic field. Take a look at our videos on YouTube! Other links: La Stampa article, Il Mattino di Padova article.
    Live events with the GEDI News Network group: Autonomous driving (starting at 35'), Next generation infrastructures (starting at 53').
    Other videos: About 5G with ICTea, About the ICTea project.
  • Women in Information Engineering
    Project led by Laura Crosara to demystify the figure of women in engineering. The video is available at this link.