[MS] Research Opportunity: Point Cloud-Based Ray Tracer Optimization for 5G Networks Digital Twins

The following announcement is from [Bassel Abou Ali Modad – aboualim@usc.edu]. Please contact them directly if you have any questions.

Research Opportunity: Point Cloud-Based Ray Tracer Optimization for 5G Networks Digital Twins

• Advisor: Prof. Andreas Molisch
• PhD student: Bassel Abou Ali Modad

At the WiDeS lab, we are working on an interdisciplinary project involving computational electromagnetics, point clouds, wireless communications and ray tracing. The project is about developing emulators of wireless networks called “digital twins” with the main focus being on emulating the signal propagation from transmitter to receiver, i.e., the wireless channel. Such digital twins require optimization and calibration, in addition to accurate simulation of the physics of the signal in the environment. We have developed a novel way to accelerate such channel simulations and want to explore the limits of our proposed approach in terms of performance trade-offs, as well as calibrate and optimize our emulator.

You will work with a senior PhD student in a collaborative environment. The work will be focused on two parts:

First, you will help with some C++ code writing to simulate and test wireless signal propagation as well as optimize the code for fast run time. Second, you will run simulations on point clouds with different scenarios and environments to push the simulator to the breaking point and document the results and trade-offs.

Experience with advanced C++ concepts is required, e.g., data structures, parallel computing with CUDA. It is preferable to have some knowledge of wireless communications and/or electromagnetics, but it is not a strict requirement.

Requirements:

• Major in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science
• Graduation date: Fall 2026 or beyond
• Extensive experience in C++ and large code bases
• Ability to write clean, efficient and well documented code
• Highly skilled in debugging complex code bases
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and allocate the necessary time to meet deadlines
• Preferable skills: experience with point cloud processing, knowledge of wireless communications/computational electromagnetics, experience with CUDA parallel computing and code optimization

If you are interested, please send a Resume and a cover letter detailing your experience and skills for this particular project to Bassel Abou Ali Modad (aboualim@usc.edu) with the subject line [RayTracer]. Deadline: 1/23/2026

Published on January 20th, 2026Last updated on January 20th, 2026