International Speakers
Our distinguished speakers from around the globe.
Prof. Elena Ioana Gaura
Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research), Coventry University, UK
“Sensors, Sensing, and Society - Engineering a Sustainable and Resilient Future”
Prof. Gaura is Professor of Pervasive Computing and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Coventry University, UK. With 25+ years of leadership in AI, sensing, and cyber-physical systems, she has pioneered real-time intelligent systems for aerospace, automotive, health, and humanitarian engineering. She led major UKRI and British Council programmes such as the £130M EnergyREV initiative and the HEED project, shaping energy policy across 15+ countries. She serves on UKRI, EPSRC, and British Council panels, is National Director for the UK’s Doctoral Training Alliance, and sits on the Board of the Women’s Engineering Society. Her mission is to harness data and AI for societal impact while championing inclusive research cultures and empowering women in science and engineering worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Arslan
Dean of Engineering, Istanbul Medipol University
“Are we ready for 6G vision? What is next? Flexible and Cognitive Radio Access Technologies for 5G and Beyond”
A leader in PHY/MAC research and IEEE Fellow, Prof. Arslan unveils the path from 5G to 6G—showcasing cognitive radio breakthroughs and emerging applications in IoT and cyber-physical systems.
Prof. Dr. James Brusey
Coventry University
“Data-driven Reinforcement Learning for Real-World Systems”
Discover how causal reasoning combined with reinforcement learning can power digital twins and fast, accurate simulators for control challenges from smart buildings to beehive management.
Prof. Dr. John Isaacs
Dean, School of Computing, Engineering & Technology, RGU
“Building Tomorrow: Empowering Students to Solve Global Challenges”
A champion of entrepreneurial education, Prof. Isaacs reveals methods to ignite creative problem-solving skills in the next generation of engineers.
Prof. Dr. Michael Sheng
Head of School of Computing, Macquarie University
“AIoT Sensing for Smart Aging: Research Activities and Future Directions”
A pioneer in AI and IoT, Prof. Sheng explores sensor-driven strategies to enhance well-being and quality of life for our aging populations.
Dr. Mohammed Ali Alshara
Dean, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Prince Sultan University (PSU), Saudi Arabia
“Intelligent Trust Mechanisms for UAV Network Protection”
Dr. Alshara holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Texas, an M.Sc. in Machine Learning from the University of Texas-Austin, and a B.Sc. in IT from Imam Muhammad bin Saud University. With expertise in academic leadership, curriculum development, and quality assurance, his research interests include digital transformation, AI governance, and academic policy advancement.
Dr. Osama A. Rayis
Arab Organization for Agricultural Development & OIC-COMSTECH
“The Paradigm Shift: Man with Machine instead of Man vs Machine”
With 35+ years in digital transformation and AI, Dr. Rayis reframes the human-machine relationship, showing how collaboration drives sustainable innovation.
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Sinan Akgül
Dean, Faculty of Engineering; Professor of Computer Engineering, Gebze Technical University (GTU), Türkiye
“Artificial Intelligence: Did the Idea Work?”
Prof. Akgül’s research spans computer vision, medical image analysis, and artificial intelligence, with work on 3D vision, segmentation, tracking, and ultrasound imaging. He earned his PhD in Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Delaware and previously worked at Cognex Corporation on machine vision before joining GTU, where he is a full professor and (currently) serves as Dean of Engineering.
Dr. Adnan Mahmood
Lecturer in Computing (IoT and Networking), School of Computing, Macquarie University, Australia
“LLMs Meet the Internet of Things – Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Prospects”
Dr. Mahmood is an IEEE and ACM member with 1,600+ citations and extensive publications in ACM and IEEE venues. His research spans IoT, Internet of Vehicles, Trust Management, Software Defined Networking, and next-generation wireless networks. He is co-author of books on trust management and privacy in IoT and has delivered invited talks and tutorials at major international conferences.
Dr. Atif Raza Jafri
Reader, University of Glasgow (formerly Dean, Bahria University Islamabad)
“Frameworks for Edge-AI Implementation on Diverse Platforms”
Atif Raza Jafri is an embedded-systems and digital-design specialist whose journey began with Boolean algebra at UET Lahore and progressed through a PhD (Telecom Bretagne) on ASIP implementation of turbo receivers. With decades leading projects and departments—including roles as Dean and HoD—he focuses on practical Edge-AI, digital design, and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. His teaching and mentorship draw on international collaborators and institutions across Europe and South Africa.
Dr. Naveed Ahmad
Associate Professor & College Research Director, College of Computer & Information Sciences (CCIS), Prince Sultan University (PSU), Riyadh, KSA
“Resilient by Design: Open-Source Multi-Tiered Frameworks Shaping the Future of Cyber Defense”
Dr. Ahmad holds a PhD in Cybersecurity (University of Surrey, UK) with 15+ years across research, teaching, and consultancy. He has advised the UN, World Bank, USAID, GIZ, and the Government of Pakistan, and focuses on open-source cybersecurity solutions from both applied and research perspectives. His expertise spans GRC, privacy, and trust, with 120+ publications and eight design/utility registrations in the UK and Canada (additional filings under review in the US).
National Speakers
Our esteemed speakers from Pakistan.
Prof. Engr. Dr. Ahmar Rashid
Professor, Faculty of Computer Sciences & Engineering, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI)
“AI-Enabled UAVs: Autonomy, Navigation, and Mapping in Challenging Environments”
Engr. Dr. Ahmar Rashid is a senior academic and researcher with 20+ years of experience in computer engineering, electrical engineering and applied research. He is an HEC-approved PhD supervisor and has an extensive publication record in areas such as optimization, image processing, and electrical impedance tomography. His work spans industry collaboration and advanced research at international institutions.
Dr. Bakhtiar Kasi
MIS Specialist — Large-scale development projects (World Bank-aligned systems)
“Combating Deforestation With Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing”
Dr. Bakhtiar Kasi leads the design and implementation of integrated management information systems for large-scale development projects, aligning solutions with World Bank frameworks. With a strong background in software development, database systems, and digital transformation in the public sector, he has driven initiatives that improve transparency, monitoring, and data governance across multi-sector programmes. At C-CODE’25 he will present practical AI-driven and geospatial techniques to detect, monitor, and respond to deforestation—particularly in data-scarce, high-risk regions.
Prof. Dr. Haider Abbas
Director General, Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (PKCERT)
“Pakistan's Cyber Threat Landscape and Recent Initiatives”
At the forefront of Pakistan’s cyber-defence, Prof. Abbas leads national incident response and resilience efforts against emerging digital threats.
Prof. Dr. Muazzam Khattak
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
“Role of AI and IoT in Agriculture Development and Food Security”
A pioneer in applying AI and IoT for sustainable agriculture, Prof. Khattak’s work enhances food-security solutions nationwide.
Prof. Dr. Pardeep Kumar
Professor & Head, Dept. of Software Engineering, Quaid-e-Awam University (QUEST), Nawabshah
“The IoT and Digital Twins — Different Yet Perfect Together”
Leading software-engineering education at QUEST, Prof. Kumar bridges IoT and digital-twin technologies to solve real-world engineering challenges.
Prof. Dr. Rizwan Ahmed Khan
Professor, Department of Computer Science, IBA Karachi
“Perceptron to Transformers: The Evolution of Core Ideas in AI”
Dr. Rizwan Ahmed Khan is a Professor of Computer Science at IBA Karachi and an Invited Professor at Université Jean Monnet, France. He specializes in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, and Responsible AI, particularly in medical imaging and explainable machine learning. Dr. Khan earned his Ph.D. from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France, and is an Erasmus Mundus Scholar. He previously served as Dean and founding member of the Faculty of IT at Salim Habib University, establishing its Computer Science Department. Recipient of the Best University Teacher Award (2023), he actively mentors students in international Erasmus Mundus programs like IMLEX and PSRS.
Dr. Sajid Anwar
Professor & Head, School of Computer Science and Information Technology, IMSciences Peshawar
“Prompting the Future: AI’s Transformative Role in Software Engineering”
Dr. Anwar is a leading expert in software architecture and maintenance, with research spanning Search-Based Software Engineering, Expert Systems, and AI applications in real-world problems. He serves as Associate Editor for multiple international journals and has chaired and organized numerous global conferences and workshops in software engineering.
Engr. Dr. Shahzaib Tahir
Head of Department, Information Security, MCS–NUST (Islamabad), Associate Professor, ISP Lab Co-PI.
“Searchable Encryption: Redefining Data Security in the Cloud”
Engr. Dr. Shahzaib Tahir is Head of the Department of Information Security at MCS–NUST and Co-Principal Investigator of the ISP Lab.
Formerly a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at City, University of London, and CTO of CityDefend (UK), he has led multiple funded projects
in cloud security, searchable encryption, and privacy-preserving analytics.
A senior IEEE member and HEC-approved PhD supervisor, Dr. Tahir holds patents including US11171773B2 and GB2580406, and has authored
30+ high-impact publications. His research focuses on homomorphic encryption, secure cloud computing, and blockchain security,
with recognition through NUST Best Teacher and Best Researcher awards.
Dr. Usman Akram
Tenured Professor & Head, Computer & Software Engineering Dept., NUST College of EME
“From Pixels to Pathology: Generative AI for Skin Tissue Analysis and Interpretation”
Dr. M. Usman Akram co-founded RISETech Pvt Ltd and EKKO Pvt Ltd, holds 2 international & 7 national patents, and was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for engineering excellence.
Dr. Usman Qayyum
CTO, RESOLVE
“AI Agents: The Next Revolution”
Dr. Qayyum explores how agentic AI and swarm-intelligence principles are enabling autonomous problem-solving at scale and powering proactive cybersecurity defense.