EURECOM Researchers in Communication Systems recognized for excellence at “Journée EDITE 2025”
We are proud to announce that EURECOM’s Communication systems department achieved two distinctions during the “Journée EDITE 2025”. Dr. Ali Khalesi, our postdoctoral researcher who also completed his PhD at EURECOM, was awarded the 2nd place in the EDITE 2025 Thesis Prize, for his exceptional doctoral thesis, titled “Multi-user linearly-decomposable distributed computing” and supervised by Prof. Petros Elia. Additionally, our PhD student Symeon Vaidanis, supervised by Prof. Marios Kountouris, was selected to present his current work by a poster presentation, highlighting the innovative research being conducted at EURECOM.
EURECOM continues to excel in academic and research excellence, as demonstrated by the notable achievements of our researchers at the recent Journée EDITE 2025, held on 11 March 2025 in Paris and organized by the doctoral school EDITE. The event provided a platform for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to showcase their cutting-edge research.
To celebrate their achievements, we spoke with Dr. Ali Khalesi and Symeon Vaidanis about their research, experiences, and aspirations.
Q. Ali, can you briefly describe your awarded PhD thesis topic and its significance?
AK. My research focuses on distributed computing and networked systems, where I develop mathematical tools in combinatorics, coding theory, statistics, and algebra to design novel and optimized algorithms that enhance communication and computation efficiency, fault tolerance, and precision in large-scale systems. Beyond designing such algorithms, my work also aims to uncover the fundamental relationships between these parameters, providing deeper theoretical insights into trade-offs and limitations in distributed computing. My research has direct applications in high-performance computing, distributed learning, and large language models (LLMs).
Q. How has your experience at EURECOM contributed to your success?
AK. During my PhD at EURECOM, I had the opportunity to work in an intellectually stimulating environment that provided me with cutting-edge research resources, a strong academic network, and exposure to coding theory. The experience helped me develop an organized mathematical mindset, articulate my thoughts clearly, and stimulate my creativity. I have always been passionate about mathematics, particularly discrete mathematics and statistics, and EURECOM provided the ideal setting to nurture and expand my research in these fields.
One of the key strengths of EURECOM is its ability to synthesize fundamental research and industrial applications. The institution has two powerful research arms: one focused on theoretical advancements and the other on industrial impact. EURECOM has successfully bridged the gap between these two aspects, ensuring that the research conducted not only offers novel theoretical contributions but also provides practical solutions that benefit industries in communications, security, and data science.
My long-term goal is to become a professor, and EURECOM, with its strong international reputation, has significantly elevated my chances of achieving this. Another important advantage of EURECOM is its commitment to diversity, as it actively hires international students from all around the world without political or social biases. This approach highlights that EURECOM is not only focused on research and science but is also built upon liberal and democratic values, making it highly attractive to many international researchers and institutions.
When considering well-being, health, and income, I believe that EURECOM is comparable to the best universities in the world, including those in the US. As an Iranian student, I, along with many of my peers, faced significant challenges in securing visas for universities worldwide, especially in the USA. When I applied to EURECOM, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many institutions, despite being interested in my background and research proposals, lacked the necessary funding to support PhD students. However, at EURECOM, Prof. Elia’s ERC grant provided me with a seamless hiring process, and I was able to obtain my visa without any difficulties. This is one of the major advantages of EURECOM, benefiting from its location in France, as it makes it easier for Iranian students to pursue their academic careers without unnecessary bureaucratic and political barriers.
Q. Symeon, as a current PhD student at EURECOM, could you explain to us your research topic?
SV. In the era of beyond-5G and 6G networks, the need to address multi-objective optimization and handle multi-modal information necessitates extending and evolving the classic Shannon approach to communication and information theory. In this context, a semantic and goal-oriented framework has emerged as a state-of-the-art methodology for analyzing and designing communication networks. A key challenge in the semantic analysis of telecommunication systems lies in the subjective evaluation of data and the interpretation of event occurrences. To address these challenges, we introduce the concept of risk, which is closely linked to semantic importance. Specifically, risk plays a crucial role in both the subjective assessment of data and the nonlinear transformation of rational probabilities in event perception. These two aspects form the cornerstone of Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT), the primary theoretical framework of my doctoral research. My work focuses on both the theoretical foundations of CPT and its applications in resource allocation for telecommunication systems.
Q. So far, how has EURECOM influenced your academic journey?
SV. My experience as a PhD student at EURECOM has been incredibly positive and intellectually stimulating so far. EURECOM provides an ideal academic environment, offering all the necessary resources and amenities to support my focus and productivity. The institution’s international character enables me to engage with students from diverse backgrounds, fostering an exchange of not only academic ideas but also cultural perspectives. This dynamic interaction is invaluable, as it broadens my horizons, enhances my problem-solving abilities, and strengthens my soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, and teamwork. Collaborating with peers from different disciplines and cultures allows me to approach research challenges from multiple perspectives, ultimately enriching my academic journey. Beyond academics, the supportive research community at EURECOM encourages innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, making it an inspiring place to grow both professionally and personally. I am truly grateful for the opportunities and experiences that this environment continues to offer.
Links
2. Risk-aware resource allocation for semantic communications: A cumulative prospect theory approach, S. Vaidanis et al., EDITE Prize 2025
