Assistant Teaching Professor

Dr. Kaoutar Ben Ahmed has over 6 years of experience in education and over 11 years of experience in research on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve real world problems. Dr. Ben Ahmed received her first Ph.D. degree in information science from Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Morocco in 2016. She received her second Ph.D. degree in computer science and engineering from the University of South Florida, USA in Dec, 2022. Her main research concerns addressing automatic medical image analysis problems using novel deep learning methods. Dr. Ben Ahmed’s research interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, and deep learning. She is a recipient of the 2018 American Association of University Women Fellowship and the 2015 Fulbright Joint-Supervision Scholarship.

Kianoosh Ghoami Boroojeni received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Florida International University in 2017. He received his B.Sc degree from the University of Tehran in 2012. Dr. Boroojeni is the author/co-author of five books published by MIT Press and Springer Publication. He has also published tens of peer-reviewed journal papers and conference proceedings. He received a conference Best Paper Award and has been granted the 2016 Best Graduate Student Research Award by the School of Computing and Information Sciences, Florida International University. His research interests include network optimization and cybersecurity.

Dr. Hernandez is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mathematics with Master’s thesis and Doctoral dissertation in the area of Computer Science. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hiroshima in 1997 and was a postdoctoral researcher in the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology from 1997 to 1999 under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers. He has a career of more than 20 years in higher education, encompassing interdisciplinary areas of Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Dr. Hernandez research interests include computational geometry and its applications, data structures, algorithms, robotics, optimization, and computer science education and has published papers in leading journals and conferences. In the classroom, Dr. Hernandez favors the use of innovative teaching and learning strategies that emphasize an active learning approach.

Dr. Sergio Pisano is an engineer with a passion for teaching and technology.  He received his Bachelors of Science in Systems Engineering at Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela, Master of Science in Telecommunications and Networking at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and Doctor of Education at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He has worked in a variety of information technology positions and has been teaching since 2011. His interests include students’ engagement, Game Based Learning, and novel teaching methodologies.

Dr. Gregory Murad Reis received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science at Florida International University in 2018, and his Master’s degree in Systems Engineering and his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Federal University of Lavras, Brazil, in 2014 and 2012, respectively.

He completed his Ph.D. as a Science without Borders fellow, sponsored by federal agencies NSF, ONR, CAPES, and LASPAU (Harvard University).

With 19 years of experience in teaching, Dr. Reis has taught Mathematics and Computer Science courses for several undergraduate programs and schools. Moreover, he has experience in early, elderly and special education. In his career, Gregory has mentored over fifty students, including high school teachers and undergraduate and master’s students in several programs, such as Science without Borders’s Summer Research Program, NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and NSF’s Research Experience for Teachers (RET).

Gregory has published several papers in conferences and journals. His current research interests are centered on the challenges of marine robotics and STEM Education. Key problems he has addressed so far include localization and navigation of aquatic robots in GPS-denied environments, analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the ocean, and the development of new technologies for environmental monitoring.

Gregory has also served as the Robotics Coach for the Ultimate Software Academy for Computer Science Education for over 4 years, teaching professional development courses in robotics and coding for K-12 teachers in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). He is currently transforming the K-12 curriculum by including project-based robotics activities and competitions.

Tiana Solis has been teaching at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences for over 20 years. She received her Bachelor and Master degrees in Computer Science from the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome in 1992 & 1994. Ms. Solis was a programmer analyst at the Department of The Attorney General in Hawaii in 2008-2010, a member of the team revamping the State Juvenile Justice Information System. Her research and instructional interests include student success and retention, distance learning, software development, and programming languages.

Dr. Walker has a passion for helping students explore science and technology. She has taught a wide range of technology  and technology related courses at the secondary and post secondary levels. Her teaching interests include programming, web building and cyber security. In addition, she has taught courses exploring the underrepresentation of traditionally underserved populations in science and technology as well as the contributions of women to science and technology. She is passionate about broadening the participation in computer science. Her research interests include the causes of underrepresentation of traditionally underrepresented populations in science and technology and the influence of technology on our perceptions of gender and identity.

Dr. Ahmad Waqas is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, Florida International University (FIU). Before joining FIU, he was working as an Associate Professor and Head of Department in the Department of Computer Science, Sukkur IBA University Pakistan. He has been involved in research and teaching for more than fourteen years.

Dr. Waqas received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Department of Computer Science, International Islamic University Malaysia. He received his MS in Computer Communication and Networks from Sukkur IBA Pakistan, and MCS (Master’s in Computer Science) from University of Karachi with merit positions. His teaching and research interests include Blockchain, Distributed Computing, Computing architectures, Compilers, theoretical computer science, Operating Systems, Data structure and algorithms. He has published quality research papers in renowned international journals and conference proceedings.

Dr. Waqas initiated the Sukkur IBA Journal of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (SJCMS) and served as Chief Editor for four years. He has also organized many international conferences that were technically sponsored by IEEE. He is also working as editorial board member of numerous journals and program committee member for various international conferences.

Richard’s interests are both computer science and economics and he holds Ph.Ds in both fields. His research specializes in the dynamics of complex systems to analyze global financial arbitrage. He has been involved in the development and deployment of algorithmic trading systems and has specialized in Global structural components, with a focus on manufacturing processes. He has over 20 years of hands-on experience in the metal fabrication trade.