Fraunhofer HHI Young Talent Award Honors Work on End-to-End Slice Monitoring Framework for Multi-Layer IP and Optical Networks

The Fraunhofer HHI Young Talent Award 2024 has been granted to Aydin Jafari for his master thesis titled “End-to-End Slice Monitoring Framework For Multi-layer IP And Optical Networks”. The award, presented by the Fraunhofer HHI alumni society, Gesellschaft von Freunden des Heinrich-Hertz-Instituts e.V., recognizes outstanding academic contributions. Recipients are selected by a committee comprising alumni and the institute’s executive directors. The award carries a prize of 1,000 euros.

Optical and IP networks form the backbone of modern digital communication, driving advancements in education, healthcare, and economic growth by supporting technologies like 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. Effective monitoring systems are critical to ensuring network performance, scaling capacity to meet increasing global demands, and improving efficiency to reduce costs and energy consumption.

Jafari’s thesis introduces an innovative approach to unified monitoring of multi-layer IP and optical networks, which are typically managed separately. His research proposes a comprehensive system capable of monitoring entire network paths across multiple layers, with features such as network topology discovery, end-to-end slice discovery, and a real-time telemetry visualization dashboard.

"Fraunhofer HHI focuses on green networks that support the transition to a sustainable economy," said Aydin Jafari. "During my research, I greatly benefited from the institute's infrastructure in this area. I am proud that my proposed monitoring system addresses critical industry needs while aligning with environmental goals, supporting ongoing R&D in areas such as energy monitoring and CO₂ emissions tracking."

Jafari studied Telecommunication and Control Engineering in Iran (Oroumieh Azad University/ Sahand University of Technology) and Italy (Politecnico di Milano). Before pursuing his master's degree in Italy, he worked as a lecturer at Oroumieh National University of Skills. He later joined Fraunhofer HHI to complete his master thesis under the supervision of Dr. Behnam Shariati (Fraunhofer HHI) and Prof. Massimo Tornatore (Politecnico di Milano).

Currently a research associate in Fraunhofer HHI’s "Data Analytics and Signal Processing" group, Jafari is pursuing a PhD. His research focuses on network automation, software-defined networking (SDN), optical networks, software architecture and development, optimization methods, and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in these fields.