Three recent graduates of University of Bridgeport’s Ph.D. program in Computer Science and Engineering have received postdoc offers from Harvard University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the largest science and energy national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since it was established in 2006, UB’s Ph.D. program in Computer Science and Engineering has graduated 75 students. Graduates must display a thorough understanding in the major areas of computer science and engineering and must master the necessary tools and techniques to be able to make original contributions to the field of computer science and engineering. Today, UB Ph.D. graduates work at national and international universities, for industry leading companies, and in national research laboratories.
Ruoqi Wei, who defended her Ph.D. dissertation in December 2021, has received an offer to become a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School where she will use machine and deep learning technologies to study Alzheimer’s disease. She will work on a project about “Establishing a Brain Health Index from the Sleep Electroencephalogram,” which received a R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health and annual funding of $2,494,802.
“I received continuous support and encouragement from my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Ausif Mahmood. This support helped me to shape my future career in the machine learning field,” said Wei.
Mohammad Daneshzand is another UB Ph.D. graduate who is now a Research Fellow at the Center for Biomedical Imaging within the Department of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. His research focuses on developing computational tools and methods for various neuromodulation technologies to understand the causal mechanism of action in the brain. He plans to lead a research group focused on expanding multi-modal closed-loop stimulation methods to optimize the therapeutic efficacy in neurological disorders.
My Ph.D. training in computer science and engineering at UB provided me with extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of computational modeling for neurological disorders,” said Daneshzand. “The successful completion of my Ph.D. would have not been possible without the kind, imperial, and immense help of my Ph.D. advisors, Miad Faezipour and Dr. Buket Barkana, as well as Dr. Khaled Elleithy’s substantial support and guidance.”
He adds that during his education at UB, he met many inspiring faculty and individuals who helped shape his academic and personal goals, and he will always be grateful for the opportunities and resources that UB provided him to pursue his career.
Another UB Ph.D. graduate, Muneer Alshowkan, is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Alshowkan designs, implements, deploys, and secures quantum and classical networks. He continues to expand on these areas and address new engineering challenges as quantum networks scale. Recently Alshowkan’s team demonstrated “Trusted Node QKD at an Electrical Utility” on the power grid that was recognized with an R&D 100 Award.
“I felt prepared for my future career,” said Alshowkan. “At the beginning of my doctorate program, I utilized the Wireless & Mobile Communications Laboratory (WMC) lab at UB supervised by Dr. Khaled Elleithy. It provided the equipment required to research wired/wireless communications. During my time at UB, my adviser Dr. Khaled Elleithy was a significant supporter. He developed a study plan for me focusing on Quantum Computing and Communications and supported my progress. I consider myself fortunate to have had such a wonderful mentor throughout my doctoral studies; he was enthusiastic about guiding and mentoring me and assisted me in setting and achieving my goals.”
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