A Master’s thesis at the University of Ninevah / College of Electronics Engineering / Department of Electronic Engineering, by the student Shireen Bashar Ghanem, was discussed on Sunday, August 31, 2025, under the title:
“Smart Energy Management System for Wireless Sensor Networks”
The thesis defense was attended by the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Osama Al-Mashhadani, and the Dean of the College of Electronics Engineering, Prof. Dr. Khalid Khalil Mohammed, along with a group of faculty members and postgraduate students.
The thesis addressed the importance of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the use of traditional routing protocols such as LEACH and PEGASIS, which aim to conserve energy but struggle to adapt to dynamic changes in the network, such as node mobility and varying energy levels. The study proposed the use of the Q-learning reinforcement learning algorithm as an innovative solution to overcome these limitations by making adaptive and dynamic energy-aware routing decisions.
The study concluded that enhancing the LEACH and PEGASIS protocols using Q-learning led to significant improvements in energy efficiency and network lifetime. Simulation results demonstrated that the improved protocols, Q-LEACH and Q-PEGASIS, achieved a reduction in overall energy consumption, better load balancing among nodes, increased transmission reliability, and consequently, an extended network lifetime.
The thesis recommended the integration of reinforcement learning algorithms in routing protocols to improve network performance in dynamically changing environments. It also suggested the potential for combining deep learning and fuzzy logic algorithms to enhance decision-making in complex situations. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of incorporating security factors into reinforcement learning systems to make networks more resilient against attacks.
The discussion committee was composed of:
1. Asst. Prof. Dr. Bilal Alaa Al-Din Jabr Al-Layla / University of Ninevah / College of Electronics Engineering (Chair).
2. Asst. Prof. Dr. Sahar Lazem Qaddouri / University of Ninevah / College of Electronics Engineering (Member).
3. Lecturer Dr. Ihab Issam Dawood / University of Ninevah / College of Electronics Engineering (Member).
4. Asst. Prof. Dr. Aws Zuhair Younis / University of Ninevah / College of Electronics Engineering (Member and Supervisor).
We wish the researcher and the committee continued success and prosperity.
