Microwaves Go Fast: Empowering Electronics for a Brighter Future

Microwave wireless communication technologies have greatly evolved over the years and are nowadays experiencing tremendous growth driven by an explosive broadening of their application. With each passing year, the need to effectively strengthen the connectivity between the extraordinary progress of these amazing technologies and the market expansion of their rapidly evolving applications becomes more and more evident, thereby opening up new frontiers and paving the way toward a brighter future. Microwave electronics is an evergreen and ever-flourishing research field with ever-expanding horizons. From my perspective, I believe that three research topics will capture significant interest from the microwave research community in the coming years:

Firstly, microwave transistors are expected to be a focal point as scientists strive to enhance the miniaturization and efficiency of electronic devices in order to support the all-pervading development of green wireless communication systems.

Secondly, microwave sensors for engineering applications are gaining momentum due to the wide range of practical uses they can be put to, ranging from wearable smart sensors for IoT-enabled personalized healthcare to remote sensing for structural health monitoring.

Thirdly, quantum computing has emerged as a cutting-edge field with immense potential for solving complex problems and I anticipate that it will continue to garner substantial attention from researchers.

These are three important strategic topics, and my belief is that the definition and development of each of them in truth requires a multidisciplinary approach to promote our unwavering commitment to the environment, society and the economy, which constitute the three intertwined pillars needed to ensure responsible and sustainable progress toward making the world a better place to live for our future generations.

In this dynamic and exciting scenario, this Section on “Microwave and Wireless Communications” can play a key role in the advancement of the journal Electronics, which is devoted to publishing high-quality articles covering a vibrant and fascinating segment of the electronics world. So far, 2162 articles have been published in the “Microwave and Wireless Communications” Section, which is a clear sign of the great interest this research area has attracted. A total of 451 articles were published in 2023 alone, despite a relatively high rejection rate of 46.44%. Currently, the Section Editorial Board comprises 125 researchers from across the world who are recognized as experts in their respective fields, thus constituting a multidisciplinary team with a wide geographical coverage. In 2023, 16 new editors joined the Section Editorial Board. They are:

• Prof. Dr. Hristos T. Anastassiu (International Hellenic University, Greece)
• Dr. Luigi Celona (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy)
• Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Chen (University of London, UK)
• Dr. Sergio Colangeli (University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy)
• Prof. Dr. Chao-Hai Du (Peking University, China)
• Prof. Dr. Songcheol Hong (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
• Prof. Dr. Yang-Ki Hong (University of Alabama, USA)
• Dr. Jiangtao Huangfu (Zhejiang University, China)
• Dr. Julien Le Kernec (University of Glasgow, UK)
• Dr. Matteo Bruno Lodi (University of Cagliari, Italy)
• Dr. Paulo Montezuma-Carvalho (New University of Lisbon, Portugal)
• Prof. Dr. Paola Pirinoli (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
• Prof. Dr. David A. Sánchez-Hernández (Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain)
• Prof. Dr. Lin Wang (Xiamen University, China)
• Prof. Dr. Shun Zhang (Xidian University, China)
• Dr. Yan Zhang (Beijing Institute of Technology, China)

In closing, my best wishes to the editorial board members, authors, reviewers, readers, and MDPI staff for a wonderful 2024 full of stimulating challenges, learning experiences and rewarding accomplishments!