About CEN

Dr. Fadi Aloul is the Dean of the College of Engineering and a Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), UAE. He leads a college consisting of an outstanding 92 faculty, 23 lab instructors, 19 administrators, and 2,600+ students. The college offers ten undergraduate programs, ten master’s programs, and two doctoral programs. He previously served as the Computer Science & Engineering Department Head from 2016-2021.

Dr Aloul is known for his visionary, innovative, and transformative leadership, consistently pushing the boundaries of what's possible and inspiring others to reach new heights in their endeavors. As soon as he was appointed, he led a major revamp of all undergraduate programs in the College of Engineering which was the first since their inception. In addition, he launched several new undergraduate and graduate programs and general education courses related to the latest market needs.

Six research clusters were identified in the college, reflecting the faculty’s expertise, and leading to a greater focused impact. Five of the clusters were converted to research centers: Energy, Water and Sustainable Environment Research Center (EWSERC), Artificial Intelligence, Smart Infrastructure and Robotics Research Center (AISIRC), Advanced Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Center (ABSBERC), and the Materials Research Center (MRC) which was established in collaboration with the College of Arts and Science.

Several initiatives related to improving students’ experience, empowering faculty, fostering innovation, promoting women in engineering, advancing entrepreneurship, recognizing excellence, improving media exposure, digitizing services, expanding international research network, collaborating with top universities, and engaging with industry, community, and schools were launched.

Under his leadership, the college of engineering improved by 40 points in the 2023 QS subject rankings to be placed as #356 worldwide. Furthermore, AUS engineering and computer science graduates were rated as the top choice for employers in the UAE. The overall research productivity increased by 33% and the new students’ intake increased by 37% in Fall 2023.

Dr. Aloul holds a PhD and MS degrees in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, respectively, and a BS degree in Electrical Engineering summa cum laude from Lawrence Technological University, Michigan, USA. His research and industrial interests are in Cyber Security, Mobile Applications, Teaching Innovation, and Design Optimization. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Reviewer for the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).

Dr. Aloul received a number of prestigious awards including the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) Airbus Engineering Diversity Award, the Sheikh Khalifa Award for Higher Education, the Sheikh Rashid's Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Young Arab Researchers, and the AUS Excellence in Teaching Award. He has 150+ publications and 1 US patent. He is senior member of IEEE & ACM and a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academy of Scientists. He is a regular invited speaker and panelist across many international conferences related to Cyber Security, AI, Technology, Innovation and Education.

Dr. Assim Sagahyroon has over 30 years of experience in academia as a faculty and administrator. He is currently Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Engineering, a position he assumed since 2019. He also served as the Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering from 2009 to 2016. Under his supervision departments were able to secure multiple accreditations by CAA and ABET for their different programs.

He oversaw the recent revamp of the college curricula, as well as the development of three new undergraduate programs to be launched in Fall 2024. Dr. Sagahyroon's office cooperated with the different entities in the university and the college to support and enhance the learning experience of the college undergraduate students. He participated in numerous university, college and departmental activities and committees.

Dr. Sagahyroon received his Bachelor of in Electrical Engineering from Khartoum University, his master's degree from Northwestern University and his PhD from University of Arizona in 1989 with computer engineering emphasis. Before joining AUS, he held academic posts with Northern Arizona University and California State University, where he was awarded tenure in both affiliations. He was an invited technical reviewer for National Science Foundation programs, and served in technical program committees of many international conferences. He has many publications in international conferences and journals. His research interests include innovative applications of emerging technology in the medical field, power consumption of portable electronics and FPGA-based design.

Dr. Lotfi Romdhane has held academic positions at King Saud University, KSA, and the University of Monastir and Sousse, Tunisia. He has also been a visiting professor in France and Poland. His research interests are in robotics, mechanisms, machine design, biomechanics of motion and mechatronics.

He has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses in these fields and supervised over 15 PhD students and 30 master's students. He also published more than 150 publications.

During his career at AUS, he has held the position of Director of the Mechatronics Program and he has been holding the position of Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs and Research at the College of Engineering since February 2019. Dr. Romdhane is a member of ASME and IEEE. 

Dr. Mehdi Ghommem earned his Ph.D. degree in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, USA in 2011. He joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) as Assistant Professor in August 2016. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in September 2020. He served as the Dana Gas Endowed Chair in Engineering from September 2023 to August 2024. He joined AUS after gaining good experience in industry. He worked as a research scientist with Schlumberger, the world’s leading oil and gas technology provider. He was involved in conducting and supporting research projects along with recommending scientific approaches, novel concepts, and innovative technical solutions to monitor and control well stimulation operations. He also had a post-graduate experience in the Center for Numerical Porous Media at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

His current research interests include nonlinear dynamics, modeling, design, and analysis of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), and bio-robotics. To date, he has published 95+ refereed journal papers and holds 1 granted patent and 3 US patent applications. His research findings have been presented at 60+ international conferences. He served as a principal investigator or co-investigator for over AED 2.9 million in internal and external research funding from 2017 to 2024. His accomplishments have been recognized with numerous esteemed awards. These include the CEN Excellence in Research (2020), Outstanding International Collaboration (2023), and Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research Team (2024) awards and Schlumberger Henri Doll prize for innovation (2014). He has also been acknowledged, since 2020, among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University in the single year category.

Dr. Sameer Al-Asheh, Professor of Chemical Engineering, holds a PhD from the University of Ottawa, Canada, earned in 1997. Since 2014, he has been a vital faculty member within the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at AUS. Dr. Al-Asheh's academic journey spans significant roles at various prestigious institutions. Notably, he commenced his career at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in 1997 and subsequently held pivotal positions such as Director of the Academic Development Center (2009–2014) and Dean of Engineering (2017-2018).

Additionally, he contributed his expertise to Qatar University from 2003 to 2007. He also served as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering from 2021 to 2022 at AUS. Since 2019, Dr. Al-Asheh has led the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering department at AUS, overseeing both undergraduate and graduate courses. His research endeavors are focused on mitigating pollutants from diverse wastewater sources using biological and naturally occurring materials, alongside exploring microbial fuel cells applications and nanostructured materials for electrical devices.

Throughout his career, Dr. Al-Asheh has mentored numerous graduate students at both the MS and PhD levels, and actively participated as an examiner in various dissertations, both locally and internationally. Internationally recognized for his contributions, Dr. Al-Asheh boasts an extensive publication record, with over 130 papers in reputable international refereed indexed journals and has presented his work at more than 25 international conferences.

His Google Scholar profile reflects an impressive h-index of 44 and over 7800 citations (February 2024). His outstanding achievements have been acknowledged through several prestigious awards, including the Ministry of Higher Education Award for Distinguished Researcher in Engineering Sciences (Jordan, 2009), Scopus Award for Recognition in Science by Elsevier Publisher (Jordan, 2009), and the Abdel Hamid Shoman Prize for Youth Scientists in Engineering Science (2005), among others.

Adding to his accolades, Dr. Al-Asheh has spearheaded the launch of a new Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering program at AUS, slated to begin in Fall 2024. His dedication to academia and impactful research continues to inspire and shape the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Dr. Sameh El-Sayegh is Professor of Civil Engineering, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Academic Program Coordinator of the Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM) program at AUS. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a Project Controls Manager with Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCIC) and the Morganti Group.

Dr. El-Sayegh holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Project Management) and Master of Science in Construction Management degrees from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, and a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

His research and industrial interests are in construction and project management, project delivery, scheduling and risk management. Dr. El-Sayegh has received a number of prestigious awards including the Fulbright Scholarship Award and the AUS Excellence in Teaching Award. He has 75+ research publications in top international reputed project and construction management journals and conferences. He delivered project/construction management training courses to several entities in the UAE. 

Dr. Imran Zualkernan received his bachelor of science with high distinction and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA. He did his postdoctoral work at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He brings with him a host of academic and management experience. He practiced as a Principal Software Design Engineer for a robotics company in the US. In addition, he was the Founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an Enterprise Resource Planning Software Company. He has also served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of an online learning technology company in Singapore.

He has over 240 publications in international journals, conferences and workshops. His current research interests include applications of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things in education, energy and environment. He has won multiple best paper awards in top international conferences and is the recipient of IEEE Consumer Society’s Chester Sall Award. He was instrumental in setting up the first chapter of IEEE Special Interest Group in Humanitarian Technologies, and the first international chapter of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society in the UAE.

He currently is Professor of Computer Engineering and Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at AUS. The department currently offers undergraduate degrees in computer science and in computer engineering and master’s degrees in computer engineering and machine learning.  He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in neural networks, deep learning and generative AI.

Dr. Abdulrahim Shamayleh is Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, and Coordinator of the Engineering Systems Management Graduate Programs. He holds a PhD in Industrial Systems and Operations Engineering from Arizona State University, USA, and a Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from San Jose State University, USA.

He was involved in the development of several new programs including the PhD in Engineering Systems Management program, Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering program, and the PhD in Biosciences and Bioengineering program. Additionally, he was part of the accreditation team for these new programs as well as the industrial engineering undergraduate program and engineering systems management master's program. Dr. Shamayleh's research interests are operation research in healthcare, scheduling, supply chain management, and facilities planning and design.

He has taught courses at the university level covering the topics of service engineering management, design thinking, facilities planning and design, supply chain management, healthcare management, production planning and control, cost accounting, project management, and engineering economics. In addition to that, he has held several training courses in supply chain management, healthcare supply chain, design thinking, global sourcing, operations management, value analysis/value engineering, cost reduction, warehouse management, and distribution and logistics.

Dr. Shamayleh is the recipient of the College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award. He is a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM-USA) and a master training instructor for ASCM. Dr. Shamayleh is a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering (IISE) and Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM).

Dr. Ahmed Osman received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 2003. He conducted his post-doctoral research at the University of Calgary from 2003 to 2004. He was a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Calgary from 2004 to 2008. He also worked as a research scientist with the Alberta Research Council, Canada, from 2000 to 2001, where he was involved in conducting research and developing solutions for distribution system fault location for GE-Harris. In 2008, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at the American University of Sharjah.

Currently, Dr. Osman is a Professor and Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the American University of Sharjah. He has served as a principal investigator or co-investigator for more than AED 6.0 million in internal and external research funds from 2008 to 2024. He has over 130 publications in international journals and conferences. His research interests include digital solutions for protection and monitoring of power systems, electric vehicle charging systems, microgrids, and smart grid operation and control.

Dr. Mamoun F. Abdel-Hafez, (Senior Member, IEEE) received a bachelor of science degree from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan in 1997; a master of science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA in 1999; and a PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), USA in 2003, all in mechanical engineering.

He served as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UCLA in 2003, where he was involved in a research project on fault-tolerant autonomous, multiple aircraft landing. He is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at AUS. His research interests include stochastic estimation, control systems, sensor fusion and fault detection.