Electrical engineering · Analogue electronics
A career connecting the mathematics of nonlinear behaviour with the design of practical electronic circuits.
Retired Distinguished University Professor
01 / Biography
Abuelmaatti began his career in Cairo, worked as a senior electrical engineer in Helwan, and completed his doctorate at Bradford. His academic career took him through Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, with nearly three decades at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) before he retired in 2020.
BSc in Electrical Engineering, Cairo University, 1963. Teaching Assistant, Military Technical College, 1963–1967. Senior Electrical Engineer, Iron and Steel Company, 1967–1973.
Teaching Assistant at the University of Riyadh, 1973–1976. PhD in Electrical Engineering at Bradford in 1979, followed by postdoctoral research. Assistant Professor at the University of Khartoum and King Saud University, 1980–1982.
Assistant Professor from 1982 and Associate Professor from 1987.
Associate Professor from 1991 and Professor from 1995. Awarded a DSc in Electrical Engineering by the University of Bradford in 1999.
Held the distinguished appointment at KFUPM from April 2008 until August 2020. Visiting roles included the University of Manchester (2009–2011), KAUST (2011) and Manchester Metropolitan University (2019–2020), following a visiting academic appointment in Manchester in 2004–2005.
He was associate editor of Circuits, Systems, and Signal Processing from 2015 to February 2020 and of the International Journal of Electronics from 2015 to October 2020. He served on the editorial board of the Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2009 to March 2021 and joined the board of Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing in 2016.
He edited two microelectronics theme issues for the Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, in 1994 and as lead technical editor in 2007. His reviewing included Electronics Letters, Microelectronics Journal, the IEE and IET Circuits, Devices & Systems series, and both parts of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems.
His wider service included selection committees for Bahrain’s Crown Prince Excellence in Research Award in 1998 and the King Faisal International Prize for Science in 2000, and external academic promotion evaluations at Sultan Qaboos University in 2020–2021.
02 / Research
Two questions recur across his work. What distortion does a real device introduce, and how can circuit designers use or control that behaviour to perform a useful function?
Mathematical descriptions of harmonics, intermodulation and phase distortion help explain how amplifiers, detectors and optical devices respond to multiple input signals. The 1984 travelling-wave-tube amplifier model is an early example.
Read the TWT amplifier paper ↗Universal, current-mode and mixed-mode filters explore how one architecture can produce several responses with a small number of components. Later shadow filters adjust response through an external feedback path.
Read the mixed-mode OTA-C filter paper ↗ Shadow-filter paper ↗His oscillator studies address economical realisation, electronically controlled frequency and multiple phase outputs. The 1998 design with Muhammad Ali Al-Qahtani produces evenly spaced output-current phases using translinear current conveyors.
Read the multiphase oscillator paper ↗Function-synthesis circuits implement mathematical relationships directly in voltages or currents. The 1999 translinear architecture combines Taylor-series terms to approximate nonlinear functions, a line of work that later extended to programmable CMOS inventions.
Read the function-synthesis paper ↗With Zainulabideen Jamal Khalifa, he explored circuits that reproduce memory-dependent device behaviour. The studies cover digital modulation, a continuous-level emulator in a multivibrator and a floating emulator for frequency-to-voltage conversion.
Digital modulation paper ↗ Floating emulator paper ↗Oscillator-based interfaces translate resistance or capacitance into measurable frequency or period changes. Applied work also includes nonlinear instrument measurement, tunable impedances and sensing in a campus smart-parking system.
Sensor interface paper ↗ Smart-parking paper ↗Recorded on . In that snapshot, the 1998 multiphase oscillator had 190 citations, the 2015 continuous-level memristor emulator had 140, and the 2005 mixed-mode OTA-C filter had 127.
See current figures on Google Scholar ↗Method attribution
A 2020 Perito Moreno Glacier study cites his 1993 Fourier fitting paper alongside the expression used to model seasonal changes. His 1997 varactor analysis also draws on the earlier fitting method. Glacier study ↗
Research citation
A US Navy research paper cites his analysis of nanotube and single-electron amplifiers in its discussion of redirecting interfering energy to other frequency bands. Original device analysis ↗
Design comparison
Later work compares the hardware and hysteresis of his memristor emulators. A 2023 low-voltage shadow-filter paper discusses tuning limits in earlier CFOA designs. Emulator comparison ↗ Filter study ↗
03 / Bibliography
Explore the 552 journal and 203 conference entries in the career bibliography. Search by title, author, venue, topic or DOI. Where available, links open the DOI or publisher record.
755 entries
View the complete bibliography on one page
04 / Education and mentorship
His teaching materials ask students to explain the physical meaning of equations, test their designs, troubleshoot failures and account for differences between a calculation, a simulation and a measurement.
A former student’s account
In his King Faisal Foundation account, Dr Ayman Shabra credits Abuelmaatti with introducing him to electronics research as an undergraduate and influencing his approach to engineering. Shabra later earned graduate degrees at MIT and worked in the semiconductor industry.
Read Shabra’s account ↗He advocated starting with manageable design tasks, asking students to build and troubleshoot their circuits, and discussing why their measurements differ from predictions. In assessment he proposed rewarding the reasoning behind a design and allowing for more than one sound solution.
He chaired work on new Electronics I laboratory experiments and on a multidisciplinary instrumentation programme. His programme development work included electronics and instrumentation at the Hail and Hafr Al-Batin community colleges, an evening diploma in electronic equipment maintenance, and naval sciences for the King Fahd Naval Academy.
His cooperative-education study examined feedback from employers, alumni, staff and students. It proposed better preparation before placements and closer contact during them. In a 2005 seminar in Dammam, he used a simple lever experiment to show how pupils could test a prediction and explain their observations.
His postgraduate record includes supervision, examining and committee roles. He co-authored a paper using SPICE to teach reliability and availability, and later argued for including emerging nanoelectronic devices in engineering curricula.
IEEE education paper ↗He taught Electronics I and II, Linear Integrated Circuits and Senior Design Project in his final academic year, 2019–2020.
These projects span his joint supervision of Bradford MPhil students, thesis and dissertation committees, doctoral supervision in Dammam and external examining across the Gulf.
| Year | Candidate | Thesis or dissertation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Adi Kurniawan, M.Sc. | Current Mode Analog CMOS Rational-Powered Function Generator | Committee Chair |
| 2016 | Reem S. M. Al-Disi, M.Sc. | Theoretical and Experimental Investigation on Designing Filter-Less Bio-Potential Amplifiers by Exploiting the Bandwidth Limitation of Internally Compensated Op-Amps | External Examiner |
| 2015 | Naief Al-Mutairi, M.Sc. | A New Extension for the Shadow Filter Theory | Committee Chair |
| 2014 | Ibrahim Al-Sabban, M.Sc. | Design and Simulation of Current Mode CMOS Comparator in Subthreshold | Committee Member |
| 2014 | Saad R. Al-Abbas, M.Sc. | Current-Controlled Current-Conveyor Based Analog Nonlinear Function Synthesizer | Committee Chair |
| 2014 | Zainalaabedin J. Khalifa, M.Sc. | A New Memristor Implementation and Its Applications in Analog Circuits | Committee Chair |
| 2014 | Eyas Al-Suhaibani, M.Sc. | Design and Simulation of CMOS Analog Multiplier and Divider Using MOS in Weak Inversion | Committee Member |
| 2013 | Shaker Ahmed Mahemood, M.Sc. | Design and Simulation of a Current-Mode Folding Amplifier and its Application in Analog-to-Digital Converter | Committee Member |
| 2012 | Karama M. Al-Tamimi, M.Sc. | Design and Simulation of Low Voltage and Low Power Current Mode Analog Computational Unit Using MOSFETs in Weak Inversion | Committee Member |
| 2005 | Nawal M. Al Yahia, Ph.D. | Design of an Analog Signal Processor using CMOS Transistors | Supervisor |
| 2005 | Sayed Ibrahim Sayed Saleh Ismaili, M.Sc. | Efficiency of Component’s Region-Constrained Placement as a Fast Approach to Reduce Dynamic Power Consumption | External Examiner |
| 2005 | Abdullah Bakri Shwehneh, M.Sc. | Development of Reconfigurable Nonlinear Circuits for Neural Networks | Committee Chair |
| 2005 | Ganiyu Babnatunde Hussain, M.Sc. | Design and Implementation of All-Digital CDMA Code Tracking Loops | Committee Member |
| 2004 | Osama Oglah Fares, Ph.D. | Configurable Analog Building Blocks for Field Programmable Analog Arrays | Committee Chair |
| 2004 | M.K.H. Al-Ghamdi, M.Sc. | CMOS Bandpass Filters for Bluetooth Low-IF Receiver | Committee Member |
| 2004 | M. A.Y. Al-Ameri, M.Sc. | Estimation of Reliability for Systems Under Partial Information on Causes of Failure | External Examiner |
| 2000 | S.H. Majid, M.Sc. | Minority carrier injection in epitaxial Schottky barrier diodes | Committee Member |
| 1998 | N.A. Tassaduq, M.Sc. | Translinear current controlled current conveyor and its applications | Committee Chair |
| 1997 | H.A. Al-Zaher, M.Sc. | The four-terminal floating nullor (FTFN) and its applications | Committee Chair |
| 1997 | M.A. Al-Qahtani, M.Sc. | Current conveyor-based universal filters and oscillators | Committee Chair |
| 1996 | S.M. Abed, M.Sc. | Programmable gain current mirrors: Design and applications | Committee Chair |
| 1995 | A.A. Farouqi, M.Sc. | Design, Modeling, and VLSI implementation of a RISC data flow array processor | Committee Member |
| 1995 | S.M. Al-Shahrani, M.Sc. | Active filters and oscillators using the current feedback operational amplifier | Committee Chair |
| 1995 | H.A. Al-Daghrier, M.Sc. | Current conveyor-based filters and oscillators | Committee Chair |
| 1994 | F. Shafi, M.Sc. | Prediction of harmonic and intermodulation performance of frequency dependent nonlinear circuits and systems | Committee Chair |
| 1994 | R.A. Tiwana, M.Sc. | Identification of intermodulation and harmonics in amplifiers using a microcontroller | Committee Chair |
| 1994 | S.A. Al-Kuwari, M.Sc. | DBS vs terrestrial transmission for TV coverage in GCC countries: Comparative study | External Examiner |
| 1994 | Muhammad Haroon Khan, M.Sc. | Digitally Programmable Tuned Circuits | Committee Chair |
| 1994 | Asad Naveed, M.Sc. | Performance Evaluation of Mobile Communication Systems | Committee Member |
| 1993 | Bassam M.A. Hashem, M.Sc. | Studying the Performance of Various Mobile Communication Systems under a Variety of Fading Conditions | Committee Member |
| 1993 | Nawal M. Al Yahia, M.Sc. | A Large Signal Analysis of Germanium Tunnel Diode Oscillators | External Examiner |
| 1991 | Khaled M.R. Alruwaihi, M.Sc. | Realization of a Transceiver Circuit Based on a Newly Developed Coding Scheme | Committee Member |
| 1990 | Abood Hamad Alsawafy, M.Phil. | Packet Switched Radio Networks | Joint Supervisor |
| 1988 | Yaqoob Ahmad Musa Saleh, M.Phil. | Adaptive Linearization of Amplifier Nonlinearity using Microprocessors | Joint Supervisor |
| 1987 | Khaled Djaou, M.Phil. | Design of an Expert System for the Teaching of Electronic Circuits | Joint Supervisor |
He supervised 46 senior project entries across four institutions. Earlier work included function generators at Khartoum, amplifier distortion at King Saud University, and computation trainers, oscillators and current-mode filters at the University of Bahrain.
Later teams worked on instrumentation, ultrasonic ranging and digital scramblers, followed by a pothole detector in 2015–2016, remote control of home appliances in 2017–2018, a smart elevator in 2018–2019 and wireless charging with smart identification for electric cars in 2019–2020.
He also taught professional courses in computer-aided design tools for electrical engineers (1993–1994), electrical engineering for engineers from other disciplines (1994–1995), and programmable logic controllers (1995–1996).
05 / Engineering influence
His work reached applications through amplifier modelling, funded collaborations and circuits tested in the laboratory. Later patents in optical communications, memory and measurement also cite his papers and inventions.
Explicit use of a model
France Télécom’s amplifier-simulation patent develops an implementation from Abuelmaatti’s frequency-dependent nonlinear quadrature model for travelling-wave-tube amplifiers. It extends the model to account for envelope-memory effects in multicarrier operation.
Read US6216100B1 ↗Funded collaboration
He was a co-investigator on ARTES 5.2 PA Linearisation with ESA ESTEC, COM DEV Europe and the University of Manchester. The project’s 2010 technical report is listed in the archive under contract 22972/09/NL/US.
Technical reports ↓Implemented research
The 2019 campus study combines user preferences with a vacancy database. Its evaluation reports 100% accuracy for the ultrasonic setup and 98% for the camera setup in the stated application.
Published study ↗Measured circuit
The jointly invented grounded impedance multiplier describes a high-pass-filter implementation with simulation and an experimental frequency-response comparison.
Read US11329631B1 ↗| Project | Programme or partner | Role |
|---|---|---|
| CMOS analogue signal processor | King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) | Principal investigator |
| Academic programmes for the King Fahd Naval Academy | University Research Institute · CER2271 | Co-investigator |
| High-linearity CMOS RF power amplifier | KACST | Consultant |
| Smart electronic guide for pilgrims | KACST | Co-investigator |
| CMOS polyphase filter for dual Bluetooth/WLAN low-IF receivers | KACST | Co-investigator |
| ARTES 5.2 power amplifier linearisation | ESA ESTEC, COM DEV Europe and the University of Manchester · 22972/09/NL/US | Co-investigator |
| Configurable CMOS analogue building block | National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (NSTIP) · 08-ELE37-4 | Co-investigator |
| Low-power field-programmable analogue computational unit | NSTIP · 09-ELE782-04 | Co-investigator |
| Campus smart parking | University strategic plan | Co-investigator |
| Compact CMOS capacitance multiplier | University internal project | Co-investigator |
| Current-mode folding analogue-to-digital converter | NSTIP · 11-ELE2146-04 | Co-investigator |
| Very-low-frequency filters | University project · IN131066 | Co-investigator |
| Floating impedance scaler | University project · IN161016 | Co-investigator |
| Multiple-input, multiple-output switched-capacitor converters | University project · SR181026 | Mentor |
Later patent records cite these publications and inventions as prior art.
| Later record | Engineering area | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Fujitsu ↗ | Optical transmitter control | Examiner citation to his analysis of nonlinear optical modulators. |
| TSMC ↗ | Resistive memory | Examiner citation to the universal CMOS function-synthesizer application. |
| HRL Laboratories ↗ | Neuromorphic oscillators | Examiner citations to two memristor-emulator inventions. |
| Aramco and KFUPM ↗ | Inductor simulation | Prior-art reference to the floating immittance emulator. |
| Garmin ↗ | Amplifier-output correction | Examiner citation to a CFOA sinusoidal oscillator invention. |
| Phoseon ↗ | Lighting control | Examiner citation to a 555 timer phase-to-voltage converter. |
| Siglent ↗ and Realtek ↗ | Electronic measurement | Examiner citations to his joint nonlinear systems measurement invention. |
The grants date from May 2011 to December 2022. Eight grants name him as sole inventor and 24 name him as a co-inventor, across 26 patent family groups.
