Qiaolun Zhang, Assistant Professor at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano, has received the 2026 GTTI PhD Award for his outstanding doctoral thesis in the field of Communication Technologies. The award was presented during the GTTI Annual Meeting 2026, held in Catania, Italy, from 7 to 9 September 2026.
The GTTI (Gruppo Telecomunicazioni e Tecnologie dell’Informazione) annually recognizes outstanding PhD theses in communication technologies, including signal processing, digital communications, and networking.
Zhang received the award for his PhD thesis, “Green, Resilient, and Secure Next-Generation Optical Networks,” completed under the supervision of Prof. Massimo Tornatore.
His research focuses on developing solutions to make future optical networks more energy-efficient, reliable, and secure. The thesis explores new technologies and strategies to reduce energy consumption, protect networks against failures, and strengthen communication security through quantum technologies. The work ultimately contributes to the development of more sustainable and resilient communication infrastructures capable of meeting the growing demands of future digital networks.