Invited Speakers

Prof. Dr. Abdurazzag Ali Aburas is currently employed at Beykoz University in Istanbul, Turkey. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Tripoli University, Libya, in 1987. He earned his master’s in computer and information technology and his PhD in Digital Image Processing from the University of Dundee and De Montfort University in the UK in 1993 and 1997, respectively. He has worked in universities worldwide in Jordan, the UAE, Malaysia, South Africa, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, he served as a visiting full professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey, San Luis Potosí Campus, Mexico. He has presented several publications at international conferences and published numerous research papers in international journals.  His extensive experience in international universities has given him a broad understanding of working in diverse academic environments and with students from different cultures. His research interests include Intelligent Agency, Bigdata/Data Science, Machine Learning, Computer Security, Curriculum Development, Digital Image Processing, and Human Mobile Interaction. He is a member of IEEE, HCI-UK, ARISE, IITPSA, and IMA societies. He has served on the board of studies for engineering curriculum development, contributing as a reviewer and enhancing programmes. He introduced new courses such as Intelligent Agency (2025).  He established an Artificial Intelligence Club (AIR) dated 2024-present, Software Engineering Research Group (SERG) dated 2006 to 2009, and the Bigdata research Group (UKZNBD) dated 2019-2023.  He has supervised numerous PhD and MSc projects and acted as an external examiner for PhD and MSc research studies. He has authored reference books.  His over 20 years of international academic experience span from 2000 to the present.  His research interests include, but are not limited to: Intelligent Agency, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Data Science, Bigdata (Reduction, not Compression), Cybersecurity, Digital Signal/Image Processing, Human Mobile Interaction (HMI), and Source Code Energy. 

Jianhua Wu is a member of IEEE. He is currently a professor with the Department of Electronic Information Engineering, School of Information Engineering, Nanchang University, China. The courses he taught include digital signal processing, digital image processing, etc. His research interests include image processing, image encryption, pattern recognition, power quality disturbances detection & classification, steganography, image forgery detection, etc. He has published more than sixty papers in journals such as Applied Soft Computing, Optics and Laser Technology. He is a peer referee of several international journals like Pattern Recognition, Applied Soft Computing, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery. He has won the first prize of Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Award once and the second prize of Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award once. As the applicant, he has received two grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Dr. Syed Farooq Ali has around 18+ years of teaching and research experience. His areas of specialization include Computer Vision, Digital Image Processing, Medical Imaging, and Image & Video Coding. He did his BS from NUCES- FAST, Lahore, and later earned an MS degree from LUMS with Dean’s Honor List and 4th position out of a batch of around 130 graduate students. During his stay in MS, he was on a LUMS fellowship. He also completed his MS from Ohio State University, (Col.), USA.  Moreover, he passed the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam (Qualifier Exam) from Ohio State University, Col. USA. Later, he transferred his Ph.D. from Ohio State University USA to UMT and completed it.
During his graduate studies at LUMS and Ohio State University,  he studied a total of 34 courses. Out of these, he studied ten courses related to his depth area (area of interest) that included Computer Vision, Medical Imaging, Image and Video Coding, Digital Image Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, Computer Graphics, Signals and Systems, and Data Mining.
Currently, he is Associate Professor and Chair Vision and Image Processing Research Group at UMT. He also served two times as a Director Projects. Dr. Ali has around 39 publications including 23 journals, a book chapter, and 15 international conference papers.  Dr. Ali is also a reviewer of many international conferences and journals.  He also won 8 Fundings from  National Grassroots ICT Research Initiative (NGIRI) for Final Year Projects.

Dr. Nirmalya Thakur is an award-winning researcher, educator, and technologist whose work advances real-world applications across Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, and Natural Language Processing. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, USA. He has co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and conferences. His research leverages interaction data from people's everyday activities, both within smart home environments and on digital platforms such as social media, to address critical societal challenges. By combining insights from these domains, his research focuses on enhancing individual and community well-being through innovative, data-driven, and impact-oriented approaches. For the future of smart homes, he develops adaptive, personalized technologies for aging in place, including fall detection, activity recognition, cognitive decline detection, and indoor localization. He also develops AI-driven frameworks to analyze large-scale public discourse across social media platforms such as X, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok, capturing sentiment shifts, toxic content, misinformation, fake news, and public reactions to global health crises. He was named one of the Top 30 Early Career Professionals of 2024 by the IEEE Computer Society. He has been featured on the cover of Millennium Magazine, by IEEE TV, in the American Scientist Magazine, Business Insider, Yahoo News, Business Results Magazine, Channel Asia, and other news outlets. He has received several prestigious honors and recognitions, including the Young Scientist of the Year Award, the Excellent Researcher of the Year Award, and the Young Innovator Award for his contributions to Computer Science. To learn more about his work, please visit https://www.nirmalyathakur.com/

Dr. Mohd Zulfaezal Che Azemin is committed to improving healthcare through research in medical image processing. He holds a Master's degree from Monash University and a Ph.D. from RMIT University, with a focus on using retinal images to help predict stroke risk—an area where he has built a strong reputation.
At the Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Zul combines theory with hands-on practice in courses such as optics, health informatics, digital image processing, and AI in medical imaging. He encourages innovation and critical thinking among his students.
His research efforts have earned recognition for excellence and innovation, including support through initiatives like the Prototype Research Grant Scheme and the Industry Matching Programme. These collaborations highlight the practical value of his work beyond academia.
Dr. Zul actively collaborates with researchers from countries including Japan, Australia, China, Singapore, and Palestine, broadening the scope and impact of his studies. He has published in respected journals such as IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, Neurology, Neurobiology of Aging, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Experimental Eye Research, and Fractal and Fractional—reflecting his contributions to medical imaging, neurology, and ophthalmology.
Through teamwork, persistence, and a strong commitment to global collaboration, Dr. Zul continues to make meaningful contributions to healthcare technology and research.