Rate My Professor Lawrence Ong

Associate Professor Lawrence Ong serves in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He obtained his BEng degree with First Class Honours in electrical engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2001, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, UK, in 2004, and a PhD from the National University of Singapore in 2008. Ong began his professional career as a System Engineer at MobileOne Pte Ltd in Singapore from 2001 to 2002. He joined the University of Newcastle in 2008 as a Research Academic in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing, progressing through roles including ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow from 2012 to 2015 and ARC Future Fellow from 2015 to 2019, before assuming his current position as Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Ong's research specializations encompass information theory, wireless communications, coding theory, multiterminal communications, network information theory, secure communications, information security, data privacy, communication networks, and sensing. His work explores new protocols for data transmission in wireless networks using graph theory, information theory, and index coding to address speed and storage challenges, with potential to increase transmission speeds 10-100 fold by leveraging device storage. Notable awards include the ARC Future Fellowship in 2014, ARC DECRA in 2012, Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Publications in 2013, Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence in 2013, Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Performance in 2013, and the Gold Medal from The Institute of Engineers Singapore in 2001. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE. Key publications feature 'AI-Driven Real-Time Adaptive Camouflage System' (2025, with Ghatrehsamani S et al.), 'Information-Theoretic Limits of Integrated Sensing and Communication over Interference Channels' (2024, with Liu Y et al.), 'Very Pliable Index Coding' (2022, with Vellambi BN), 'An optimal coding strategy for the binary multi-way relay channel' (2010, 82 citations), and 'Optimal Index Codes for a Class of Multicast Networks with Receiver Side Information' (2012, 80 citations). Ong's contributions impact telecommunications, streaming networks, and remote healthcare diagnostics.