“I feel I have grown a lot since I became part of IMDEA Networks”

Why, what, how and where: an alumnus takes stock of his experience as a predoctoral researcher at IMDEA Networks

14 November 2025

We interview one of the members of our Alumni Network, Dr. Alessio Scalingi. He obtained his PhD from IMDEA Networks and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid back in June 2024. His thesis was “Securing the Electromagnetic Spectrum: Large-Scale Detection, Analysis, and Management of Wireless Threats”.

During his time at the institute, he was part of the “Pervasive Wireless Systems” group, led by Domenico Giustiniano. His research interests include the detection of anomalies in the electromagnetic spectrum, artificial intelligence, and wireless systems.

Why did you decide to pursue a PhD?

I think that I decided to pursue a PhD due to my first experience abroad in the Computer Science Department at a university in the United States.

There I was, for the first time, exposed to research and got to touch this cool stuff such as artificial intelligence and data science. I applied it to research. After one year, I finished my master’s, and we published that work in a conference.

And then at that time, an idea just popped into my mind and I said, “Okay, I want to learn more on that topic, and these technologies, and in general, how people do research.”

What would you highlight about your time as a PhD Student at IMDEA Networks?

I feel I have grown a lot since I became part of IMDEA Networks. This journey has made me face many challenges and new responsibilities, because here the targets are high and top-level conferences are always challenging. It is not easy, but in the end, it makes you proud of your hard work and reminds you that it is all worth it. Another important aspect is the international environment, which I think is the real value of my PhD journey. Here, people from different cultures and countries independently push your boundaries and your usual way of thinking.

Do you feel your time at IMDEA Networks prepared you well for your professional career?

I think I have learned a lot for my professional career. This is because you have to figure out your strong and weak points, and work on improving them. For example, I had the opportunity to improve my ability to speak in front of people and present my ideas, for instance, by participating in conferences, which is very important. Another aspect that I personally improved a lot was my ability to jump into different research topics and start the process of learning from scratch on various problems that can be completely different from each other.

Have you moved into industry, academia, or the research sector?

For the time being, I have decided to stay in academia. In fact, I have joined the University Carlos III of Madrid as an Assistant Professor because I want to continue doing research, but also because I would like to try teaching students.