The University of Virginia's Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is expanding its research hub for wireless spectrum sharing as a partner inSpectrumX, a new National Center for Spectrum Innovation. The center, led by University of Notre Dame professor of electrical engineeringNick Laneman, has been awarded $25 million in funding from the National Science Foundation as part of itsSpectrum Innovation Initiative. “We are proud to have joined with Notre Dame to form SpectrumX and look forward to solving policy and technology challenges created by the worldwide growth of wireless systems and applications,†saidRobert M. Weikle II, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who is leading the UVA team. “Together, we will chart a path toward a vibrant future wireless environment that will serve both commercial applications and scientific research.†Wireless systems including 5G and beyond support numerous applications — from personal communications and navigation to radar and sensing. Such a dramatic need for expanded access to the radio spectrum has resulted in congestion and increased pressure on government regulators to allocate new commercial spectra at higher frequencies beyond 100 gigahertz. Recognizing the significant technical challenges of disparate interests seeking to share the same spectrum, the UVA team contributes its long-established expertise in design, metrology, sensors, devices and system hardware solutions toward advancing international scientific research on microwave and terahertz frequencies and beyond. “This vast and untapped frequency region represents an unprecedented opportunity for commercial applications,†Weikle said. “The challenge is finding solutions that allow us to protect scientific needs, such as radio astronomy, that require use of the radio-through-terahertz spectrum while enabling coexistence with other users as emerging commercial applications begin to enter that space.â€