Joannes Sam Mertens Joseph Thatheyus

Joannes Sam Mertens received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering in April 2017 and his Master of Engineering degree in Communication Systems in April 2019, both from SSN College of Engineering, Chennai, India. In November 2022, he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Catania, Italy, with a thesis entitled “On the exploitation of Machine Learning in Infrastructureless networks.” Since March 2023, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Catania.

Career and Research Interests

His research activities focus primarily on the application of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to wireless and infrastructureless networks. His research interests include distributed and federated learning, communication-efficient machine learning, vehicular networks, wireless sensor networks, underwater networks, smart mobility, and network intelligence. His work investigates techniques such as model gossiping, partial parameter exchange, clustered distributed learning, transfer learning, and layer-wise model exchange for improving the efficiency, privacy, and adaptability of learning in resource-constrained and heterogeneous network environments.

His research has also addressed underwater communication systems and the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT), including the integration of acoustic and LoRa technologies. More recently, his activities have extended to AI-enabled smart mobility, healthcare applications, digital twins, and intelligent vehicular networks. His publication record includes articles in journals such as IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Computer Networks, Vehicular Communications, IEEE Access, Internet of Things, and Frontiers in Communications and Networks, as well as numerous peer-reviewed international conference proceedings.

Research Projects

Since March 2023, he has been involved in the PNRR SAMOTHRACE project, working within the smart mobility pillar. From March to August 2025, he also worked as a consultant on the Cyleshield Project, in collaboration with Xenia Progetti Srl and the University of Catania. Previously, from February 2021 to February 2023, he worked as a researcher on the SAFE-DEMON (SAFE Driving by E-health MONitoring) research project. From August 2020 to August 2021, he worked on the DELIAS Project, focused on a LoRa/underwater hybrid testbed, while in 2020 he contributed to the COG-LO project, “COGnitive Logistics Operations through secure, dynamic and ad-hoc collaborative networks,” for CNIT. Since May 2026, he has also been working on the Q-SUD (Quantum Southern Centre for Innovation) project.

Scientific and Organizational Activities

He has actively contributed to the scientific community through technical program committee and advisory activities. In 2026, he served as Technical Program Committee Chair for the Asian Conference on Communication and Networks in Hanoi, Vietnam, and as a Technical Program Committee Member for the 21st Wireless On-demand Network systems and Services Conference and iMETA 2026. He also served as a Technical Program Committee Member for the same Wireless On-demand Network systems and Services Conference in 2027. In 2025, he was an International Advisory Board Member for the Asian Conference on Communication and Networks in Jordan, following the same role in the 2024 edition held in Bangkok, Thailand.

He has also contributed to international scientific events through keynote presentations, tutorials, seminars, and invited lectures. His recent activities include tutorials on “Network-Aware Distributed Learning for Smart Mobility: Federated, Peer-to-Peer and Beyond” at IEEE M&N and IEEE ISCC, as well as keynote lectures on distributed AI for vehicular and smart-mobility networks. He has additionally delivered seminars and guest lectures on machine learning, healthcare in the Metaverse, and LoRa technologies.

Teaching and Supervision

At the University of Catania, he has taught several courses within the Master's degree programs in Communications Engineering and Data Science. His teaching activities include Communication Theory and Systems, Communication Theory, Systems and Technologies, IoT and Big Data Sensing, Compression and Communication, and Big Data Sensing, Compression and Communication. He has also provided 50 hours of tutor support for the latter course during the 2021/2022 academic year.
He is actively involved in academic supervision. His supervision activities include serving as co-supervisor of a Ph.D. thesis on Metaverse and Digital Twins in Healthcare, supervising a Bachelor's thesis on vehicle speed prediction for intelligent transportation systems, providing guidance for Bachelor's theses on driving-style profiling and privacy-preserving collaborative learning, and serving as an external research supervisor for a thesis on edge intelligence for train integrity in mobile block railway systems.

Awards and Recognition

In 2026, he received a Distinguished Paper Award for the paper “AI-Assisted and AoI-Aware Transmission Optimization for Immersive Healthcare Networks” at the 7th International Conference on Communications, Signal Processing and their Applications in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Earlier, in 2018, he received a Gold Medal for achieving first rank in the Anna University examinations held in December 2018.

Last Update: 2026