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CSE Faculty Secures QRDI Grant Award for AI-Integrated Islamically-Grounded Psychotherapy
Prof. Junaid Qadir, a faculty member of our CSE department, and his interdisciplinary team have secured a $300,000 research grant over 24 months from the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI). Awarded under the “Advancing Neuro and Mental Health Research” (ANMR) Call, this project highlights the team’s pioneering leadership at the intersection of technology, faith, and mental health.
The funded initiative, titled “Integrating Generative AI with Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) for Religious OCD”, brings together experts from across institutions and disciplines. The project is led by Prof. Qadir (Qatar University) alongside Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi (Hamad Bin Khalifa University), Dr. Alaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (Weill Cornell Medicine—Qatar), and Dr. Syed Ibrahim Ghaznavi (Information Technology University, Pakistan).
The research addresses scrupulosity, a form of religious obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This condition manifests in intrusive doubts, compulsive rituals such as repeated purification or obsessive prayer, and deep feelings of guilt over perceived sins. To respond to this challenge, the project will design a mobile and web platform anchored by a Generative AI–powered chatbot. The chatbot, carefully fine-tuned under the supervision of TIIP experts, will deliver timely, Islamically-authentic therapeutic support while maintaining strict privacy and ethical safeguards.
By blending TIIP, behavioral science, and responsible Generative AI, the project introduces a culturally grounded and scalable model for addressing religious OCD in Muslim-majority societies. Crucially, the approach keeps human connection at its core while using AI to enhance personalization, engagement, and accessibility for those in need.
This project not only sets a precedent for integrating cutting-edge AI with culturally authentic psychotherapy, but also signals a new frontier in mental health care that is both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.
Congratulations to Prof. Junaid and his team!
CSE Dept. Honored at Huawei’s “Innovation in Education and Talent Excellence” Event
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at Qatar University was proudly honored through its faculty and community at the prestigious Huawei ICT Academy Awards. This year, Prof. Amr Mohamed was honored with the Best Leadership Award, Dr. Moutaz Saleh received the Best Instructor Award 2024, and the CSE Department was recognized with the Excellence Achievement Award 2024.
These accomplishments highlight the department’s leading role in advancing innovation, academic leadership, and talent development in Qatar.
The awards were presented during the event “Innovation in Education and Talent Excellence Award”, held on 21st August 2025 at the Huawei Exhibition Centre, UDC Tower, Pearl Island. The gathering brought together Huawei’s university partners, faculty members, professors, and industry leaders to celebrate the remarkable achievements of students and educators who are shaping Qatar’s digital future.
The event not only honored outstanding contributions but also sparked discussions on the latest innovations in education—fostering inspiration for the next generation of digital leaders. A highlight of the evening was the recognition of Qatar’s talented youth, including the ICT Skills & Innovation Competition Winners 2024–2025, who continue to set new benchmarks for creativity and technical excellence.
CSE faculties and students awarded at CENG 2025 End of Year Event
The CSE faculties and students have proudly received several awards in several competitions at the College of Engineering End of Year event that was held on May 26, 2025.
The graduation projects competition included two categories: Best Prototype Most Creative Design, and Best Marketable Design. The first place in the Best Prototype Most Creative Design category was awarded to the project titled “Nusmi3uk: An Arabic sign language system” from the Computer Science program. This project was developed by the students Fatema Elzahraa Elrotel, Hams Gelban, Rouaa Naim, and Sara Said under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Saleh.
The second place in the same Best Prototype Most Creative Design category was awarded to the project titled “Prosthetic Arm with Neural Interface” from the Computer Engineering program. This project was developed by the students Amnath Abdeen, Sifna Nasar, Vasiliki Maria Gerokosta, and Yomna Mohamed under the supervision of Dr. Loay Ismail.
The third place in the same Best Prototype Most Creative Design category was awarded to the project titled “Transforming Hand Rehabilitation: The Development of Soft Actuators, Extended Reality (XR) Environments, and Doctor-Patient Interaction Platform” that was a multidisciplinary senior design project. This project was developed by the students Fatma Elbadrawy, Ferial Marzouk, Ekram Omar, and Lama Albanna from Computer Science Program, in addition to Noor Bahzad, Asma Al-Sadi, Haya Al-Kaabi, and Deema Al-Jabir from industrial and systems engineering. The project is supervised by Dr. Osama Halabi, Dr. Faisal Al-Jaber, and Dr. Mohammed Al-Sada.
In the Best Marketable Design category, the first place was awarded to project titled “RESCUE: Radar-based Emergency Swarm for Critical Under-rubble Estimation”. The team included the students Jeham Al-Kuwari, Sultan Al-Harami, Turki Al-Ahzam, and Mohammed Al-Sada from Computer Engineering Program. The project is supervised by Prof. Amr Mohamed.
Finally, the Dean’s Award for Services for the academic year 2025 was received by Prof. Junaid Qadir for Faculty Members Category.
CSE PhD Student and Team Win First Place at ICMHI 2025 for Surgical Gesture Recognition Research
Dehlela Shabir, a PhD student at the CSE, Prof. Khaled Shaban, and Dr. Nikhil Navkar from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have been awarded the first place in the student essay competition – PhD session, for their paper titled “Deep Learning-Based Gesture Recognition for Enhanced Laparoscopic Suturing Skill Evaluation and Training” at the 9th International Conference on Medical and Health Informatics (ICMHI 2025), held in Kyoto, Japan, from May 16-18, 2025.
ICMHI is an international platform for scientists, engineers, and technologists to showcase innovations in medical and health informatics, with topics ranging from biomedical data mining and medical image processing to cloud computing and personalized treatment. The paper is part of an ARG-awarded project, developed in collaboration with the Department of Surgery at HMC. The project focuses on improving skill acquisition in laparoscopic surgeries through automated gesture recognition using deep learning.
The team is working on several tasks aimed at advancing automation in surgical education and practice, including robotic minimally invasive surgery, mixed reality training, and the emerging concept of a surgical metaverse.
CSE Team Shines at Innovators in Education with AI-Powered Project “Faheem”
A team from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering earned the first place at the “Innovators in Education” event, organized by the College of Education in partnership with the Colleges of Engineering and Business at Qatar University, and proudly sponsored by ExxonMobil.
The award-winning team, comprising Dr. Saleh Alhazbi and senior students Marwan Sayed and Osama Hardan, presented their groundbreaking project titled “Faheem: An AI-Powered Platform to Learn Coding.”
Faheem is a smart educational platform that transforms the way students learn programming by offering an engaging and personalized experience. It includes concise instructional videos, automatically generated quizzes, and an AI-powered chatbot that interacts with learners in natural language. The platform also provides hands-on coding exercises, step-by-step guidance, performance evaluation, and adaptive feedback tailored to each student’s level—creating a fully immersive and individualized learning journey.
Warm congratulations to the team on this remarkable accomplishment!
CSE faculty gives a keynote speech on AI applications in the Oil and Gas industry
Prof. Khaled Shaban participated as a keynote speaker and panelist in a workshop titled “Decarbonization and Energy Transition in the Oil and Gas Industry,” organized by the Gas Processing Center at Qatar University on Sunday, December 1, 2024. The workshop provided a vital platform to discuss the transformative role of advanced technologies in addressing the industry’s most pressing challenges.
Prof. Shaban delivered a keynote presentation on “AI and ML: Catalysts for Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry,” highlighting how artificial intelligence and machine learning are revolutionizing operations by driving efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. The presentation offered valuable insights into key applications, such as autonomous drilling, predictive maintenance, and supply chain optimization, along with actionable strategies to address challenges like data quality issues and resistance to change.
Following the keynote, Prof. Shaban contributed as a panelist, engaging with industry leaders and academics to explore collaborative approaches for implementing AI/ML technologies. The discussions emphasized their potential to enhance operational agility and environmental compliance. His participation underscores a strong commitment to fostering innovation and shaping the future of energy through cutting-edge research and practical solutions.