For the upcoming academic year I would like to propose the following topics/areas for obtaining a master’s degree:
- Optimizing IEEE 802.11 Networks with Machine Learning – There are at least two tools (ns3-gym, ns3-ai) which allow applying machine learning algorithms to ns-3. You can also look at a previous work I supervised (paper, GitHub repo), in which reinforcement learning was used to dynamically set 802.11’s contention window value. The exact topic in this area is still to be agreed upon.
- Evaluating NR-U Channel Access Methods for Frame-based Equipment – Write a new or extend an existing simulator of channel access for New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) using the Python SimPy library. NR-U base stations should operate under the frame-based equipment (FBE) variant of listen-before talk (LBT) defined in ETSI EN 301 893. This research paper has information on FBE and possible channel access methods (references 115–119).
- Analyzing NR-U Channel Access in ns-3 – Using the 5G LENA simulator (a module for ns-3), implement and evaluate channel access methods for NR-U. The channel access types (gap and reservation signal) are explained, e.g., in Section III of Revisiting LAA or in Section 3 and Figure 2 of Downlink channel access performance of NR-U. Next, conduct a performance analysis in ns-3 (similar to Section 6 of Downlink…).
- A Monte Carlo Simulator for ns-3 – Write an extension/overlay/framework/library for ns-3 allowing to run Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of a network. An MC simulator iterates over rounds (stages); an example application in the networking domain would be as follows. Consider a node receiving a video stream. At the end of each stage it checks if the stream’s QoS parameters are met and makes a decision (say, continue or disconnect for a random number of stages). Dividing the time into stages (the MC component) enables game theoretic research, while ns-3 provides credible performance results. I wrote an MC simulator for ns-3 for this research paper and I can share the code, but it’s more of a hack than a proper implementation. The end goal of this thesis should be an app submitted to ns-3’s app store.
I put forward these topics for the consideration of students who plan to complete their master’s degrees by defending their diploma theses in 2023.
If you are interested in writing a thesis under my supervision, please send an e-mail to szott@agh.edu.pl with the subject “Praca magisterska 2023”. Please write a few words about yourself and your motivation. Relevant information (such as past grades from related courses) is appreciated.