AI Innovations for a Better Tomorrow
Zayed University Convention Center, Dubai, UAE
September 24th and 25th, 2025
Dr George is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Wollongong in Dubai. He earned his PhD from King’s College London, which was ranked in the top 20 by the QS World University Rankings at the time of his graduation.
His areas of expertise include Gaming, Mixed Reality, Internet of Things (IoT), Drones, and Software Engineering. He has supervised and co-supervised numerous PhD and MSc theses and has guided various undergraduate capstone projects. Dr George has an extensive publication record in both journals and conference proceedings.
Before joining the University of Wollongong in Dubai, Dr George was a full-time faculty member at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There, he taught a range of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, including Project Management, Enterprise Architecture, Computer Graphics, Software Design Patterns, Advanced Software Engineering, and Computer Games Development. His industrial experience includes positions at leading financial institutions like the Bank of Ireland, Barclays Plc, and the London Stock Exchange, through his work with Accenture in the UK. Dr George is renowned for his teamwork, effective communication and presentation skills, and his ability to thrive under pressure. He excels in adapting to sudden and frequent changes in plans. His primary strength, however, lies in his capacity to integrate technology into highly innovative solutions.
Dr. Richard got his Ph.D. from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2015 where he worked on the human aspect of security and forensics. Proceeding after his Ph.D. studies, he joined the Cybersecurity department of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, as a lecturer, in 2016. Shortly after, he joined the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa as a Postdoctoral fellow where he further secured a concurrent Postdoctoral fellowship award with Australia Awards-Africa. He conducted his research with the University of New South Wales Sydney, and the UP from 2016 to 2018. Thereafter, he initiated a research body in FUT Minna towards digital policing for developing nations between 2018 and 2019. Before joining Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Richard was with the Cyber and Network security department of the Community College of Qatar where he taught extensive practical-based, student-oriented cyber security courses. In terms of research, Dr. Richard has published in high-rated security and forensic journals and reputable international conferences. He is pioneering digital policing studies with a special focus on developing countries.
Dr. Fazal Qudus Khan is an Associate Professor of IT and Director of Administration at the University of Shangla, with an extensive background in academia, research, administration, and accreditation. He has over 18 years of experience in higher education, previously serving as Associate Professor and Director of the Shangla Campus at the University of Swat and holding multiple leadership positions at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Saudi Arabia, including Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator, and Assistant Director of Academic Accreditation. His research expertise spans computer science, information technology, and personal development, with 18 ISI-indexed publications, including 10 in Q1 journals, and a submitted US patent. Dr. Khan has played a key role in ABET accreditation, developing academic advising manuals, program binders, and assessment frameworks. His industry experience includes serving as an IT Officer at CABI and working on network administration and software troubleshooting. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from Universiti Kuala Lumpur, an M.Sc. in Computer and Network Engineering from Sheffield Hallam University, and a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Agriculture, Peshawar. Recognized with multiple awards, including Best Faculty Member and Best Lecturer, he continues to contribute to academic excellence and administrative leadership.
Dr. Farkhund Iqbal holds the position of Professor in the College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. He holds a Master (2005) and a Ph.D. degree (2011) from Concordia University, Canada. He is using Artificial Intelligence technologies including deep learning and data analytics techniques for problem solving in healthcare, cybersecurity and cybercrime investigation in smart and safe city domain. He has established a strong publication record in high rank venues. He is an affiliate professor in the school of information studies, McGill university, Canada and Adjunct professor in the Faculty of Business and IT, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Canada. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards and research grants. He has served as a chair and TPC member of several IEEE/ACM conferences and as a guest editor and reviewer for prestigious journals. He is a member of several research labs and professional organizations.
Dr Áine MacDermott is a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics at Liverpool John Moores University. Áine teaches on both the Computer Forensics and Computer Security programmes in the School of Computer Science and Mathematics. She obtained her PhD in Network Security from Liverpool John Moores University in 2017, and a first class BSc (Hons) in Computer Forensics in 2011.
Dr. Patrick Hung is a researcher and academic specializing in smart cities, cybersecurity, and toy computing, currently working with the College of Technological Innovation at Zayed University. He previously collaborated with Boeing Research and Technology on aviation services research, holding two U.S. patents on mobile network workflow exception handling. Dr. Hung has authored two peer-reviewed books on smart toys and robotic computing and chairs related symposiums at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). He has held visiting positions at prestigious universities worldwide, including São Paulo, UTN-Santa Fe, National Taipei University of Technology, Shizuoka University, and the University of Aizu. His research extends to in-vehicle companion robots for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV). A founding member of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Services Computing, he has contributed to major IEEE conferences on cloud computing, web services, and big data, earning the IEEE TCSVC Outstanding Service Award in 2018. He serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Services Computing and a Coordinating Editor of Information Systems Frontiers by Springer. Additionally, he has worked with the CSIRO in Australia, advised on NSF innovation programs, and has expertise in Japanese language and culture from studies at Kyoto University and CLC Tokyo.
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