From July 13 to 16, 2026, the 14th IEEE Sensor Array and Multichannel Signal Processing Workshop (IEEE SAM 2026) was successfully held at The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan. Organized by the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) and hosted by Shenzhen University, the workshop is a flagship event under the Sensor Array and Multichannel Technical Committee of the IEEE SPS.
The workshop was co-chaired by Professor Lei Huang from Shenzhen University. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor K. C. Ho from the University of Missouri, USA, and the welcome address was delivered by Professor Martin Haardt of Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany, who extended a warm welcome to experts and scholars from around the world, including China, the United States, Germany, Japan, and Singapore. During the workshop, the General Co-Chairs, Prof. Lei Huang, Prof. K. C. Ho, and Prof. Martin Haardt jointly presented the Best Paper Awards to three recipients in recognition of their innovative achievements in their respective fields.
Figure 1. Prof. K. C. Ho chairing the opening ceremony
Figure 2. Prof. Martin Haardt delivering the welcome address
Figure 3. Best Paper Award presentation
With the central theme of “Sensor Array Processing for Autonomous Vehicles,” the workshop highlighted the pivotal role of signal processing in autonomous systems, with a particular focus on low-altitude multichannel sensing for modern applications. The technical program spanned a broad spectrum of cutting‑edge topics, including adaptive beamforming, MIMO radar, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), compressed sensing and sparse signal processing, direction‑of‑arrival (DOA) estimation, and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in array processing. The workshop attracted hundreds of experts and scholars from around the world and featured approximately 180 high‑quality papers that were accepted and presented.
On the first day, six tutorials were held, covering topics such as extremely large-scale antenna arrays, ambiguity characterization in sparse arrays, deep learning for array processing, and metasurface-assisted sensing, providing attendees with comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge.
Over the following three days, six world-leading scholars were invited to deliver plenary talks: Prof. Emil Björnson (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden), Prof. Borbála Hunyadi (Maastricht University & Delft University of Technology, Netherlands), Dr. Wen Tong (CTO of Wireless Network, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.), Prof. Shunqiao Sun (University of Alabama, USA), Prof. Tom Luo (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen), Prof. Lee Swindlehurst (University of California, Irvine, USA). The plenary talks addressed frontier topics such as near-field beamfocusing, 6G MIMO-ISAC system architecture, radar-centric sensing for physical AI, and data-driven modeling and optimization for 5G network performance, sharing the latest research progress and application outcomes while exploring the future directions of sensor array and multichannel signal processing in depth.
Figure 4. Plenary talk by Prof. Emil Björnson from KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Figure 5. Plenary talk by Prof. Tom Luo from CUHK-Shenzhen
The workshop featured multiple parallel oral and poster sessions covering key topics such as DOA estimation and source localization, MIMO systems and channel estimation, tensor and matrix methods, adaptive beamforming, sensor networks, ISAC, and SAR technology. In the sessions on DOA estimation and source localization, participants shared the latest advances in deep learning-assisted DOA estimation and high-precision positioning with distributed arrays. The MIMO systems and channel estimation sessions centered on cutting-edge topics such as massive MIMO channel modeling and RIS-aided channel estimation, while the tensor and matrix methods sessions focused on innovative applications of mathematical tools including low-rank decomposition and tensor completion in array signal processing. The workshop not only showcased the latest breakthroughs in sensor array and multichannel signal processing, but also offered new perspectives and directions for deeper integration between academic research and industrial applications.
Figure 6. Interactive poster session
Figure 7. Group photo of participating professors
The successful convening of IEEE SAM 2026 has not only injected new momentum into scientific innovation and industrial development in sensor array and multichannel signal processing, but also played a positive role in enhancing Shenzhen University’s international influence and advancing its development into a world-class university.
