Professor Muhammad Ali Imran is Head of the James Watt School of Engineering and Professor of Communication Systems at the University of Glasgow. An internationally recognised engineer and researcher, he is a Fellow of the IEEE, Royal Society of Edinburgh and Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a Chartered Engineer. His research focuses on future telecommunications, AI-enabled communications, resilient digital infrastructure, wireless sensing and sustainable connectivity.
Professor Imran has played a leading role in advancing the UK's telecommunications research and innovation landscape. He established the Communications, Sensing and Imaging (CSI) Hub at Glasgow and has led major UKRI, EPSRC and DSIT programmes spanning 5G, 6G, Open RAN and AI-native networks. He was Principal Investigator for the Scotland 5G Centre Urban Testbed and has helped translate research into international standards, industrial deployment, commercial licensing and technology spinouts.
Alongside his research leadership, Professor Imran has held senior academic leadership roles including Dean of Graduate Studies, Dean of Transnational Engineering Education and Head of the Autonomous Systems and Connectivity Division before becoming Head of the James Watt School of Engineering. He also led one of the University's largest international engineering education partnerships, delivering UK engineering programmes globally.
Professor Imran has contributed extensively to science, engineering and innovation policy through the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN), UK5G and the Scotland 5G Centre. He has joined DSIT College of Experts and SSAC. He is committed to strengthening Scotland's research and innovation ecosystem by bringing together academia, industry and government to accelerate engineering solutions that enhance productivity, economic growth, resilient national digital infrastructure and wider societal benefit.
Professor Imran joined the SSAC on 1 October 2026.
