At the Crossroads of Computer Science and Cyberphysical Systems
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Study of the potential risks, architecture and energy consumption of data centres and their networks constitutes the primary research domain of Professor Kuljeet Kaur, who recently joined the ranks of the ÉTS Department of Electrical Engineering.
Her father being a military man and expert in IT, Kuljeet Kaur had the good fortune to travel all over India, moving every three or four years during her childhood and her studies, each time learning a new local dialect (there are over 700 in India!). She attributes her interest in and passion for understanding languages, which transformed into a passion for the language of sciences, to her many moves and her father. A keen student, she attended India’s top schools, where she collected honours, experience and expertise. After completing a Bachelor of Computer Science, she had the opportunity to work for two years for a software services company, a turning point in her career.
“My research interests, which lie at the intersection of computer science and cyberphysical systems, include cloud computing, edge computing, smart grids, vehicle-to-grid and the Internet of Things (IoT). I use cryptographic and optimization techniques to study, respectively, the security of information and the effectiveness of resource allocation mechanisms,” she explained.
Her Next Target: Energy Efficiency in Cloud Computing Data Centres
Kuljeet Kaur, professor at ÉTS
Before joining the ÉTS faculty, Kuljeet Kaur, had obtained a postdoctoral fellowship from NSERC and worked with Professor Georges Kaddoum. Our researcher participated in many projects as part of her post-doctoral studies, leading her to explore a wide range of topics including lightweight authentication protocols for the protection of personal data, the management and production of electricity in smart electrical grids, and energy optimization for cloud computing , edge computing and fog computing.
Kuljeet Kaur arrived at ÉTS with the intention of continuing her research on very hyper scale data centres and the development of effective techniques to create sustainable and efficient energy solutions.
“Cloud computing data centres constitute the epicentre of business and today’s economy, enabling seamless data processing, analysis and storage. But many studies have shown that 30% of data centres are largely under-utilized. The complexity of these systems requires a more thorough approach. The architecture of these data centres causes them to waste energy, generating risks for the environment and the electricity sector. We need to find ways to reduce their energy requirements.”, she added.
While resource consolidation and data security form part of Professor Kaur’s domains of interest, she hopes to explore other areas of research such as block chains and machine learning.
Teaching is also a part of Kuljeet Kaur’s DNA. While still in secondary school, she taught mathematics and science to her younger neighbours, and continued to do so throughout her university studies. “Education is an essential instrument to inspire the next generation and contribute to creating a sustainable future,” she affirmed.
Website Co-Chair of the N2Women organization, an ACM/IEEE community of women researchers, she is also Vice Chair of the Young Professionals section of IEEE Montréal.
