Joshua Kovitz

Joshua Kovitz is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Yahya Rahmat-Samii in the Antenna Research, Analysis, and Measurements (ARAM) laboratory. He was granted the BS degree (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Houston (UH) in 2010 and the MS degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2012. Both at UCLA and UH, he was the recipient of many prestigious awards and was recognized for his achievements and involvement in the community. During his masters, Joshua conducted research in developing advanced antennas for wireless communications and radar systems through the use of evolutionary optimization techniques. He has also conducted research at the University of Houston in the areas of computational electromagnetics and in structural health monitoring with wireless sensors. Throughout his research he has published several journal articles and many conference papers. Aside from his academic responsibilities, Joshua has also actively participated in the student branches of IEEE and the Eta Kappa Nu.

His research interests include the broad areas of applied electromagnetics, antenna engineering, RF/microwave circuit design, communication systems, and optimization techniques. Within the scope of antenna engineering, Joshua's research focuses on the development of sophisticated antenna systems for new cognitive radio systems. His research also covers the design of wideband reflectarrays using simple single layer structures as well as reconfigurable pixel antennas.

• Y. Rahmat-Samii, V. Manohar and J.M. Kovitz, "Novel antenna concepts and developments for CubeSats," in Developments in Antenna Analysis and Design: Volume 2, eds. Raj Mittra IET, 2018.
• Joshua M. Kovitz and Yahya Rahmat-Samii, "Novelties of Spectral Domain Analysis in Antenna Characterizations: Concept, Formulation, and Applications," in Advanced Computational Electromagnetics Methods and Applications, pp.1-82, Artech House, 2015.

• Y. Rahmat-Samii, V. Manohar, J. M. Kovitz, R. E. Hodges, G. Freebury and E. Peral,, "Development of Highly Constrained 1 m Ka-Band Mesh Deployable Offset Reflector Antenna for Next Generation CubeSat Radars," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 6254-6266, October 2019.
• V. Manohar, J.M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Synthesis and Analysis of Low Profile, Metal-Only Stepped Parabolic Reflector Antenna," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. 2788 - 2798, June 2018.
• J.M. Kovitz , J. P. Santos , Y. Rahmat-Samii, N.F. Chamberlain and R.E. Hodges, "Enhancing Communications for Future Mars Rovers: Using high-performance circularly polarized patch subarrays for a dual-band direct-to-Earth link," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 50-61, August 2017.
• J. M. Kovitz and J. H. Choi and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Supporting Wide-Band Circular Polarization: CRLH Networks for High-Performance CP Antenna Arrays," IEEE Microwave Magazine, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 91-104, July 2017.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii, V. Manohar and J.M. Kovitz, "For Satellites, Think Small, Dream Big: A review of recent antenna developments for CubeSats," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 22-30, February 2017.
• J.M. Kovitz, H. Rajagopalan and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Circularly polarised half E-shaped patch antenna: a compact and fabrication-friendly design," IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation , vol. 10, no. 9, pp. 932-938, June 2016.
• J.M. Kovitz, H. Rajagopalan and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Design and Implementation of Broadband MEMS RHCP/LHCP Reconfigurable Arrays Using Rotated E-Shaped Patch Elements," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 2497 - 2507, June 2015.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Using Thick Substrates and Capacitive Probe Compensation to Enhance the Bandwidth of Traditional CP Patch Antennas," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 62, no. 10, pp. 4970-4979, October 2014.
• I. Kim, J. M. Kovitz, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Enhancing the Power Capabilities of the Stepped Septum Using an Optimized Smooth Sigmoid Profile," IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 16-42, October 2014.
• H. Rajagopalan, and J. M. Kovitz, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "MEMS Reconfigurable Optimized E-Shaped Patch Antenna Design for Cognitive Radio," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 1056-1064, March 2014.
• J. M. Kovitz, H. Rajagopalan, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Practical and Cost-Effective Bias Line Implementations for Reconfigurable Antennas," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, vol. 11, no. , pp. 1552-1555, December 2012.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii, J. M. Kovitz, and H. Rajagopalan, "Nature-Inspired Optimization Techniques in Communication Antenna Designs," Proceedings of the IEEE , vol. 100, no. 7, pp. 2132-2144, July 2012.

• V. Manohar, J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Novel Metal Only, Low Profile, High Gain Stepped Reflector Antennas for Future 5G mmWave and CubeSat Applications," in Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation & USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting, pp. 1725 - 1726, Boston, MA, July 2018.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii and J. M. Kovitz, "Antenna measurements through planar near field apparatus: An educational paradigm linking electromagnetic theory, sampling techniques, and FFT," in Proceedings of the XXXIInd General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI GASS), , pp. 1-4, Montreal, QC, August 2017.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Design strategies for metamaterial quadrature power dividers in CP antennas: Are two CRLH-loaded lines necessary?," in Proceedings of the XXXIInd General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI GASS) , pp. 1-4, Montreal, QC, August 2017.
• J. M. Kovitz, V. Manohar and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "An end-to-end optimization approach to drastically reduce cross-polarization in offset mmWave reflector antennas," in IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation & USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting, pp. 981-982, San Diego, CA, July 2017.
• J.M. Kovitz. V. Manohar and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Feed Horn Optimization Using Feed+Reflector Co-simulation for Advanced Reflector Antennas," in Proceedings of the International Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society Symposium, pp. 1-2, Florence, Italy, March 2017.
• V. Manohar, J.M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Ka band umbrella reflectors for CubeSats: Revisiting optimal feed location and gain loss," in Proceedings of the International Conference on Electromagnetics in Advanced Applications (ICEAA), pp. 800-803, September 2016.
• J.M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Enhancing rejection in cognitive radio filtennas using a reconfigurable filter+antenna approach," in Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS/URSI), pp. 1659-1660, Fajardo, June 2016.
• J.M. Kovitz, V. Manohar and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "A spline-profiled conical horn antenna assembly optimized for deployable Ka-band offset reflector antennas in CubeSats," in Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APSURSI), pp. 1535-1536, Fajardo, June 2016.
• B. Zhang, J.M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "A hemispherical monopole rectenna array for multi-directional, multi-polarization, and multi-band ambient RF energy harvesting," in Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS/URSI), pp. 603-604, Fajardo, June 2016.
• J.M.Kovitz, Y.Rahmat-Samii and J.Choi, "Dispersion engineered right/left-handed transmission lines enabling near-octave bandwidths for wideband CP patch arrays," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 2525 - 2526, July 2015.
• J.M.Kovitz, J.P.Santos and Y.Rahmat-Samii, "The CP Half E-shaped patch: Evolving from linear polarization to compact single feed circularly polarized antennas," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 1918 - 1919, July 2015.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii, J.M. Kovitz and L.R. Amaro, "Normalized Plane Wave Spectra: Quantification of Measured Near-Field Distributions for the ISS-RapidScat using Measured Far-field Patterns," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 1702 - 1703, July 2015.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii, L. Amaro and J.M Kovitz, "Characterizing the near field strength of ISS-RapidScat reflector antenna from measurement data using spectral back projection method," in Proceedings of European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), Lisbon, May 2015.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Enhanced broadband performance of thick CP patch antennas: A novel annular gap capacitor design," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 1881-1882, July 2014.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Understanding the radiation pattern anomalies in the broadband CP reconfigurable E-shaped patch," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 1580-1581, July 2014.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Radiation Pattern Anomalies in the Broadband CP Reconfigurable E-shaped Patch Antenna," in Proceedings of the North American Radio Science Meeting, Boulder, CO, January 2014.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Ensuring robust antenna designs using multiple diverse optimization techniques," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 408-409, July 2013.
• I. Kim, J. M. Kovitz, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Sigmoid profiled septum: Evaluation of the parabolic reflector with the septum feed horn," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 236-237, July 2013.
• Y. Rahmat-Samii and J. M. Kovitz, "Recent advances in evolutionary optimization techniques in applied electromagnetics," in Proceedings of the URSI International Symposium on Electromagnetic Theory, May 2013.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "A Novel MEMS reconfigurable wideband E-shaped patch element for advanced cognitive radio base stations," in Proceedings of the URSI National Radio Science Meeting, January 2013.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "A comparative study between CMA evolution strategies and Particle Swarm Optimization for antenna applications," in Proceedings of the URSI National Radio Science Meeting, January 2013.
• J. M. Kovitz, H. Rajagopalan, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "A Novel Optimized Broadband Reconfigurable RHCP/LHCP E-shaped Patch Antenna," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, Chicago, IL, July 2012.
• J. M. Kovitz, H. Rajagopalan, and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Next Generation MEMS Reconfigurable E-Shaped Patch Antenna Design using Particle Swarm Optimization," in Proceedings of the URSI National Radio Science Meeting, U. Colorado at Boulder, January 2012.
• I. Kim, J. M. Kovitz, Y. Rahmat-Samii, " Smoothed Sigmoid and Stepped Circularly Polarized Septum Designs Using Particle Swarm Optimization," in Proceedings of the URSI National Radio Science Meeting, U. Colorado at Boulder, January 2012.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, "Micro-actuated pixel patch antenna design using particle swarm optimization," in Proceedings of the IEEE Antenna and Propagation Society International Symposium, pp. 2415-2418, July 2011.
• J. M. Kovitz and Y. Rahmat-Samii, " Particle Swarm Optimization in Designing Reconfigurable Pixelled Patch Antennas," in Proceedings of the URSI National Radio Science Meeting, U. Colorado at Boulder, January 2011.