University of South Wales
Upskilling medical professionals in developing economies through Virtual Reality (VR) training presents a opportunity to address long-standing disparities in healthcare education and access to quality training. In regions where healthcare systems often struggle with a shortage of resources, limited infrastructure, and insufficient access to advanced medical tools, VR technology can offer an innovative solution by creating immersive, hands-on learning environments. Medical practitioners can engage in realistic simulations of complex procedures, practice emergency interventions, and refine diagnostic skills in a controlled and risk-free space. This allows healthcare workers to repeatedly hone their techniques without the need for costly equipment, live patients, or even the proximity of expert mentors—elements that are often lacking in underserved regions. Moreover, VR training can be customized to meet the specific needs of local health challenges, enabling professionals to practice and prepare for scenarios they are most likely to encounter. Whether it is mastering life-saving techniques in trauma care, improving neonatal care in regions with high infant mortality rates, or staying updated on new surgical innovations, VR offers flexible and scalable learning opportunities that can be tailored to different specialties. In addition, VR training democratizes medical education by removing the barriers imposed by geography or economic limitations. Medical professionals in rural or remote areas, who might otherwise be excluded from continuous learning opportunities, can now access the same high-calibre training as their counterparts in urban centres. This can enhance the overall competency of healthcare workers across developing economies, bringing them up to par with global standards. Ultimately, the integration of VR in medical training not only helps to bridge the skills gap but also empowers healthcare systems in developing economies to better serve their populations.
Andrew is Professor of Computing at the University of South Wales in the United Kingdom. His research interest centre on the use of intelligent computer systems (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science oriented solutions) to help solve real-world problems. Andrew is currently working on AI-related projects with several industrial and commercial partners that include Tata Steel, National Health Service Wales Informatics Service, and Wye Education. Andrew is also Director of Aurora International Consulting Ltd, an innovative software-as-a-service company that provides AI-enabled review software to the construction industry. Andrew is Director of Research for the Welsh Institute of Digital Information, a collaboration between the University of South Wales, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and the NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS). Andrew is a Regional Director of Techno Camps, an innovative and ambitious project that seeks to engage young people with computing and its cognate subjects. Moreover, Andrew is Editor in Chief of the journal Annals of Emerging Technologies in Computing (AETiC). Professor Ware teaches various computing courses including artificial intelligence, data mining and computer programming. Moreover, Andrew has successfully supervised nearly forty PhD students and has been an active participant in several international research and teaching projects.
Chairman and Central Project Director of Pakistan National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), Pakistan
TBD
Prof Dr Yasar Ayaz is the Founding Chairman and Central Project Director of Pakistan National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) headquartered at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad. He also founded Pakistan first Department of Robotics & Artificial Intelligence at NUST in 2010 where he is also currently a full Professor. He holds international Adjunct Professor titles at Tohoku University, Japan and China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing. He is the author of over 150 international publications and has won international best paper awards in London, UK and Sydney, Australia in 2018 and 2013 respectively. He also has 3 product design patents registered in his name with several more under review. He has delivered more than 60 invited and keynote talks at prominent venues including USA, Japan, UK, South Korea, China, Italy, Belarus, Norway etc and has won and developed projects of well over Two Billion Pakistan Rupees including international grants and national consortium based projects. In addition to winning President Gold Medal, University Best Teacher Award and SMME Best Researcher Award and university Top Performer award at NUST, Prof Yasar has also won Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Engineers Excellence Award. He has been awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by IEEE Islamabad Section and is also a recipient of President Award for Pride of Performance which is one of the highest Civil Awards of Pakistan conferred by the Honorable President of Pakistan himself in 2021.
Queen Mary University of London
The current dominant trend for AI is for a small number of organisations, either industrial, institutional or national, but seldom customer or citizen-driven ones, to amass big data, and to apply increasingly sophisticated (e.g., deep machine learning) AI algorithms, executed in remote centralised (cloud-based) high-energy & high-computation resources, to help solve real world problems that are more general, hence, the term AGI (where G=General)I. And yes, some problems are able to be solved better this way but is this always the most suitable way to support and solve the many outstanding critical environmental & human societal issues? In this talk, some reflections will be offered to counter and complement the current dominant (big data, deep ML) AI model trend. This includes: the motivation for distributed, small data edge-computing driven AI, the distributed heterogenous AI interoperability challenges, a discussion of some models that underpin some applications to enable this, and the future outlook.
Stefan Poslad leads the IoT2US (Internet of Things to Ubiquitous, Computer, Science) Lab at Queen Mary University of London, where he is a fellow of the Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI), and Cognitive Science research group. He is regarded by Stanford University as being in the top 2% of scientists worldwide. His current research and innovation focus is AI-driven, data science-driven and geoscience-driven models, to enhance how we physically sense and analyse human location and motion behaviour shifts, and physical environment changes, both outdoors and indoors. He has been the lead researcher for QMUL in over 15 international collaborative projects with industry. He is the sole author of a leading book on Ubiquitous Computing: Smart Devices, Environments and Interaction that has over 1000 research citations that is in use for teaching by over 70 institutes worldwide, across 6 continents.
Universiti Putra, Malaysia
Mobile communication changes transmission capability and speed every year with the passage of time and generation. 5G is the modern way of mobile communication which is using across the world. As 5G is being used by different numerous people, it is required to implement security mechanisms that safe the transmission of data to the client. The 5G Mobile communication utilize various nodes to offer secure and on-demand connectivity to other devices. The authentication of nodes in 5G networks based on classical cryptography, are exposed to eavesdropping in communication. The emergence of quantum authentication has attracted significant interest and has become active research in the Post-quantum Cryptography (PQC) area. The PQC is strengthened by the unconditional security in quantum mechanics law as proven by the non-cloning theorem and Heisenberg Uncertainty theory. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of securely exchanging encryption keys between communicating parties. Communication in QKD involves two different channels: the Quantum Channel for photon transmission and the Classical Channel for post-data processing. However, the post-processing stage requires authenticated classical communication to thwart security threats like eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. Currently, classical channel authentication relies on classical cryptographic methods which are inefficient and vulnerable to quantum attacks. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) can solve encryption and authentication issues in the classical channel due to its quantum-safe nature and strong computational security.
Zuriati Ahmad Zukarnain has received her Doctor of Philosophy in the area of Quantum Computing from University of Bradford, UK in the year 2006. She has been appointed as the head of department for the department of Communication Technology and Networks from 2006 until 2011. She became an Associate Professor in 2011 and a full professor in the year 2017. She has been appointed as the deputy dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology in the year 2017. Subsequently, she has been appointed as the deputy dean of School of Graduate Studies UPM in the year 2019. Dr. Zuriati has pursued an in depth research in the area of Quantum Communication and Wireless Networks. She has carried out her research work including the Authentication Multi photon over secured direct communication, Authentication of Single photon for multi party Quantum Key Distribution Protocols, Quantum Key Distribution for Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Communication, Cashless Payment System using Blockchain Technology, Quantum Processor Unit for Quantum Computers and Intra-domain Mobility Handling Scheme for Wireless Networks. Her research has been given recognition in its significance and impact with her publications in high impact journals. Dr. Zuriati has extensive research experience and has published widely in Quantum Communication and wireless networking research. Most of the research conducted are supported by Ministry of Higher Education(MOHE) and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation(MOSTI). She managed to extend her Science fund project into the Prototype Research Grant Project(PRGS). The research involved a basic setup Quantum experiment which aims to produce a software designing tool for Quantum Communications known as the Quantum Communication Simulator(QuCS). Apart from doing research, she has also involved as a member of the editorial board of several international peer-reviewed and cited journals. At the international level, Zuriati has been awarded as the Distinguished Woman In Computer Science award at the 4th Venus International Women Awards(VIWA), 2019. More importantly the software, QuCS that she developed won a gold award and a special award at the 2016 International Invention Innovation, Canada.
Higher Colleges of technology, UAE
Information security is increasingly concerning due to the growing sophistication of social engineering threats, with tactics continuously evolving. A key issue is the lack of awareness regarding social engineering, which heightens human cyber security risks. Developing knowledge to combat these attacks presents several challenges. As social engineering becomes more prevalent, raising awareness about security breaches is crucial to reducing cyber incidents and preventing potential financial and human losses. Social engineering awareness tools offer users a convenient way to learn, accessible anytime and anywhere, unlike traditional training sessions that require scheduling. These tools make it easier for individuals to understand and recognize social engineering attacks, allowing them to revisit the material as needed and at their own pace. As such gamification strategies contribute to fostering a security-aware culture within organizations, ultimately reducing risks linked to social engineering attacks.
Dr. Vasaki Ponnusamy is an Assistant Professor at Higher Colleges of Technology UAE. She obtained her Bachelor of Computer Science and MSc (Computer Science) from Science University of Malaysia and her PhD in IT from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia (2013). She is currently working on cybersecurity, IoT security trends and digital governance. She has great International exposure as Keynote Speaker, Visiting Professor and several Fellowships. She has been teaching information and network security, wireless security and data communication and networking. She is specialized in handling Cisco devices for routing and security. It is her passion to share her technical knowledge with the community. Her area of specializations are Networking, Communication, Penetrating Testing and Cybersecurity.
Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects a significant portion of the population. Very less respondents in developing countries demonstrated awareness of ASD. The purpose of this work is to create a comprehensive study that aims to develop a multimodal ensemble model for the early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It involves utilizing both facial and MRI image datasets that are publicly available, as well as can be locally collected data. The successful implementation of this research will align with the Sustainable Development Goal for mental health, enabling early detection and intervention for individuals with ASD. This will provide caregivers, parents, and educators with the ability to offer more effective support, ultimately fostering the socialization and cognitive development of autistic individuals. The outcomes of this study will promise a brighter and more inclusive future for the ASD community in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Sheeraz Akram is working as Associate Professor at Information Systems Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sheeraz is actively leading and coordinating research activities at Intelligent Data Visual Computing Research (IDVCR). He worked as Associate Professor at Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, Superior University Lahore, Pakistan. Sheeraz completed his Postdoctoral Research Training from University of Pittsburgh, USA. He also completed his STEM training offered by Center of Integrated Research in Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) at University of Pittsburgh, USA. Sheeraz completed his Ph.D. in software engineering from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan and Master of Science in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan.
National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad
The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is ushering in a new era of automation, revolutionizing industries and reshaping our world. In this keynote, we are going to explore the cutting-edge advancements in AI-powered robotics, highlighting their transformative potential. We will delve into the key technologies driving these innovations, including machine learning, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. These technologies are enabling robots to perceive their environments, learn from experiences, and make intelligent decisions, leading to unprecedented levels of autonomy and adaptability. We are going to see how these technologies are being used in projects being carried out in Intelligent Robotics Lab (IRL) at the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence. By exploring the latest advancements, applications, and challenges, we aim to inspire and inform the audience about the transformative potential of this technology.
Dr. Khawaja Fahad Iqbal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). He is also serving as the Co-Principal Investigator for the Intelligent Robotics Lab at the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI). He has been entrusted with the responsibilities of being a Treasurer for IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Pakistan, and Finance Secretary of MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan (MAAP) for 2024-25. Dr. Fahad is the founding CEO of Rise AI Pvt. Ltd. which is a spin-off of NUST registered with the National Science and Technology Park (NSTP). It provides consultancy and training to the traditional institutes, local industries, and SMEs and helps them automate their products and services Dr. Fahad obtained his PhD degree in Robotics in 2022 and MS degree in Bioengineering and Robotics degrees in 2017 from Tohoku University, Japan. He received the Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarship for both his MS and PhD. He completed his BE degree in Mechatronics Engineering from NUST in 2011. He has authored over 25 research papers in well-reputed international journals and peer-reviewed conferences. His research interests include Collaborative Robots, Motion Planning, Reinforcement Learning, Generative AI, Augmented Reality, and Robot Control.
