Daniel Ka Chun So is a Professor of Communication Engineering in the Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering at the University of Manchester, where he joined in 2003 as a Lecturer. He received the PhD degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong in 2003. He obtained the BEng degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering (First Class Honor) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1996. From 1997 to 1998, he joined the Orion Systems NZ (now Orion Health) as software engineer, and was later promoted to senior software engineer.

His research interests includes green communications, Beyond 5G/6G networks, non-orthogonal multiple access, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, machine learning, federated learning, content centric network, heterogeneous networks, content-centric network, massive MIMO, D2D communications, channel equalization and estimation techniques.  

Prof So is the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Lead. He served as the Discipline Head of Education of EEE in 2019-24, Deputy Head of Department in 2023-24, the Director of Postgraduate Taught in 2009-19, and the Course Director for MSc in Communication Engineering from 2009-2014.  He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of IET, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

External Professional Activities

• Editor, IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking (2026 - present)
• Senior Editor, IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (2020 - 2024)
• Editor, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (2017 - 2024)
• Editor, IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (1/2016 - 9/2020)
• Lead Guest Editor, IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking (2021)
• Chair, IEEE Special Interest Group on Green Cellular Networks (2020 - 2024)
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2026 "Spectrum Management, Spectrum Sharing and Green Communication"
• Symposium co-chair, IEEE ICC 2025, "Green Communications Systems & Networks Symposium"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Fall 2023 "Signal Transmission and Reception"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2022 "Green Communications and Networks"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2021 "Green Communications and Networks"
• Symposium Chair, IEEE Globecom 2020 "Green Communications Systems & Networks"
• Symposium Chair, IEEE ICC 2019 "Green Communications Systems & Networks"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2018 "Green Communications and Networks"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2017 "Multiple Antenna Systems and Services"
• Track Co-Chair, IEEE VTC Spring 2016 "LTE/LTE-A, 5G, and Wireless HetNets"
• College Member, EPSRC College
• Programme External Examiner for University of Exeter (2020 - 2024)
• Programme External Examiner for Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (2016-2020)
• External Course Advisor for UC Lancashire
• External PhD Examiner for a number of UK (incl. Oxford, Imperial, UCL, Kings, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Warwick, Kent, Sheffield, Southampton) and overseas universities (incl. Melbourne, Helsinki, HKUST, City University HK, IIT)
• Regular Technical Programme Committee members of various prestigious international conferences, including ICC, Globecom, VTC, & WCNC.  

• Chartered Engineer and Member of IET
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy
• Senior Member of IEEE

PhD (HKUST), BEng (Auckland), CEng

Prof D K C So has broad research interest in the field of wireless communications.  

Green Communication

• Energy efficient wireless communications
• Energy reduction for next generation cellular network
• Energy efficiency and spectral efficiency tradeoff
• Resource efficiency optimisation

Beyond 5G/6G Networks

• Pinching Antennas Systems
• Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)
• Heterogeneous networks and Dense small cell network
• UAV communication network
• Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)
• Machine learning for wireless communication
• Federated learning and Hierarchical federated learning
• Cell free massive MIMO
• Massive MIMO
• Wireless caching

Current PhD Research Students (as main supervisor)

• Wenyu Song, Energy efficiency optimisation for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)- aided communication, start 2024
• Hongyi Luo, Machine Learning for Energy Efficiency Optimization in 6G Systems, start 2024
• Aditya Powari, NOMA for Energy Efficient Mobile Edge Computing, start 2025

Past Research Students

• Yijing Ren, PhD (2025) Resource Optimization for Energy-Efficient Hierarchical Federated Learning, Assistant Professor at Qingdao Univesity of Science and Technology, China 
• Changxiang Wu, PhD (2025) User Scheduling and Resource Allocation in Wireless Federated Learning Networks, Assistant Professor at Qingdao Univesity of Science and Technology, China 
• Dativa Tizikara, PhD (2025) Scalable User Association in Cell-Free Massive MIMO with Matching Theory and Reinforcement Learning, Lecturer in Makerere University, Uganda
• Kevin Shen, PhD (2022) Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access with Wireless Caching, Ofcom
• Norfauzi Dani, PhD (2021) Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access in Content Centric Network, Assistant Professor in Universiti Teknologi Brunei
• Turki Alharbi, PhD (2021) Power Allocation for Full-Duplex Cooperative Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access System, Assistant Professor in Taif University, Saudi Arabia
• Yanley Jimenez Licea, PhD (2021) Resource Allocation for Uplink Code  Domain Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access, Siemens UK
• Fakrulradzi Idris, PhD (2018), Resource Allocation for Energy Efficient Device to Device Communications, Senior Lecturer in Technical University of Malaysia
• Ziad Al-Abbasi, PhD (2017), Resource Allocation for Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access System, Lecturer in Middle Technical University, Iraq
• Edwin Mugume, PhD (2016), Green heterogeneous cellular networks, Assistant Professor in Carnegie Mellon University Africa 
• Fahimeh Jasbi, PhD (2014), Resource allocation for cognitive radio network, Cadence Design Systems, USA
• Warit Prawatmuang, PhD (2013), Cooperative spectrum sensing for cognitive radio, Qualcom Cambridge, UK
• Imran Rashid, PhD (2011), Multihop MIMO communications, Professor in National University of Science and Technology, Pakistan
• Sarmad Sohaib, PhD (2010), Energy efficient cooperative wireless communications. Associate Professor in University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Antonis Phasouliotis, PhD (2010), Multicarrier CDMA systems with MIMO technology, Synergy Rail, UK
• Di Lu, PhD (2009), Antenna selection for MIMO spatial multiplexing system. Nokia Shanghai Bell, China
• Umar Khalid, MPhil (2009), Resource allocation for multiband SC-FDMA. Assistant Professor in National University of Science and Technology, Pakistan

Prospective students

Currently I do not have any studentship available. Prospective students interested in my field of research, and have their own funding or intend to apply for scholarships are welcomed to contact me.