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CSE Faculty Members Secure U.S. Patent for Advancing Quantification of Cloud Security

April 21, 2026 / Leave a comment

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at Qatar University is proud to highlight a significant research achievement by its faculty members Dr. Khaled Khan and Dr. Noora Fetais and their team, who have been awarded a U.S. patent for their innovative work in cloud security systems.

From the left: Dr. Khaled Khan, Dr. Noora Fetais, and Dr. Armstrong Nhlabatsi

 

The patented work, titled “Quantifying Satisfaction of Security Features of Cloud Software Systems,” has been granted under Patent No. US 12579277 B2 (2026). This achievement reflects the department’s continued commitment to impactful research and innovation at the intersection of cybersecurity, software engineering, and advanced computational methods.

The invention is the result of a collaborative effort with Dr. Armstrong Nhlabatsi from the KINDI Research Centre, further demonstrating interdisciplinary collaboration within Qatar University.

This patented research introduces a novel approach to evaluating the effectiveness of security countermeasures in cloud software systems. Traditionally, the satisfaction of security requirements has been expressed using binary Boolean values—either satisfied (true) or not satisfied (false). However, such a simplistic representation often fails to capture the complexity and nuanced nature of real-world security systems. To address this limitation, the research team developed a method that quantifies the satisfaction of security features on a continuous scale ranging from 0.0 to 1.0. Drawing inspiration from financial systems and economic modeling, the proposed approach considers multiple interacting factors, including defense strength, system vulnerabilities, exploitability, and attack severity. Furthermore, the research extends the concept of entailment relationships—commonly used in requirements engineering—to the domain of security satisfiability. This enables a more sophisticated and mathematically grounded representation of how security requirements are fulfilled in complex systems. The patented method establishes an algebraic relationship that models the satisfaction of a security requirement as a function of both defensive mechanisms and potential attack vectors. This allows security administrators to make precise, data-driven decisions regarding the adjustment of security countermeasures. As a result, organizations can achieve optimal security configurations while avoiding unnecessary costs associated with over-engineering or ineffective implementations.

By moving beyond binary evaluation methods, this innovation provides a more accurate, flexible, and actionable framework for managing cloud security. It represents a significant advancement in the field and has strong potential for real-world application in securing modern software systems.

For more details about the patent, please visit:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US12579277B2/en

 

CSE Faculties Receive Best Paper Awards at ECIR 2026 and IC3IT 2026

April 6, 2026 / Leave a comment

The Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department at Qatar University proudly celebrates two major research achievements by its faculty members at the international stage. Dr. Mucahid Kutlu and Dr. Cagatay Catal have each received Best Paper Awards at international conferences—European Conference on Information Retrieval 2026 and International Conference on Innovative and Intelligent Information Technologies 2026—highlighting the department’s strong contributions to impactful and innovative research in Artificial Intelligence and Information Retrieval.

Dr. Mucahid Kutlu received the Best “IR for Good” Paper Award at ECIR 2026 for his paper titled “Measuring Political Stance and Consistency in Large Language Models.” The research reflects strong undergraduate engagement, with contributions from CSE undergraduate students Salah Feras Alali and Mohammad Nashat Maasfeh. The research is in collaboration with Dr. Saban Kardas from the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.

Dr. Mucahid Kutlu received the Best “IR for Good” Paper Award at ECIR 2026 for his paper titled “Measuring Political Stance and Consistency in Large Language Models.”

 

The research investigates how large language models express political stances across major global issues, including the Israel–Palestinian conflict, the Russia–Ukraine war, and China’s policies toward Uyghur Turks. It further examines the consistency of these stances under different prompting strategies. The findings reveal that, in many cases, models adopt identifiable positions rather than remaining neutral, and that these positions often persist despite attempts to influence responses through prompting. The study highlights the critical importance of digital literacy and encourages users to approach AI-generated content—particularly on sensitive political topics—with caution and critical awareness. This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund under UREP grant (UREP 32-0301-250278). 

In another remarkable achievement, Dr. Cagatay Catal received the Best Paper Award at IC3IT 2026, held in Hammamet, Tunisia (26–28 March 2026), for his paper titled “Artificial Intelligence for Algorithm Discovery: A Three-Dimensional Framework.”

Dr. Cagatay Catal received the Best Paper Award at IC3IT 2026 for his paper titled “Artificial Intelligence for Algorithm Discovery: A Three-Dimensional Framework.”

 

The paper explores a transformative direction in Computer Science, where Artificial Intelligence is leveraged to automatically discover algorithms—moving beyond traditional design paradigms such as divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, greedy methods, backtracking, and branch-and-bound. By integrating advances in Deep Reinforcement Learning and Large Language Models, the study proposes a novel three-dimensional framework that connects problem domains, discovery techniques, and optimization objectives.

The research also includes a case study demonstrating how the framework can systematically classify AI-based algorithm discovery systems and clarify their contributions. This work is closely linked to an ongoing QRDI-funded research project at Qatar University focused on AI-based smart aquaponics systems. In this context, algorithm discovery is expected to play a key role in enhancing multi-objective optimization, adaptive system control, and resource efficiency—supporting innovative solutions for food security and sustainable agriculture.

These achievements reflect the CSE Department’s continued commitment to advancing research excellence, fostering innovation, and addressing real-world challenges through cutting-edge technologies.

CSE Students Achieve Top Honors at Huawei ICT Competition 2025–2026 Innovation Track

February 13, 2026 / Leave a comment

The Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department at Qatar University is proud to announce the remarkable achievement of its students in the Huawei ICT Competition 2025–2026 – Innovation Track.

CSE teams delivered outstanding performance, demonstrating strong teamwork, confident presentations, and advanced technical expertise. Their success reflects not only their dedication and innovative mindset, but also the high-quality academic preparation and mentorship fostered within the department.

🏆Winning Teams:

🥇1st Place : Team Aber

Students: Abdelrahman Kotb, Yahya Abdulselam, and Aiman Alhetari

Instructor: Dr. Moutaz Saleh

🥈2nd Place: Team Vora

Students: Anas Rustom, Mazen Essam Soliman Assayed, and Huzayfa Khamis

Instructor: Eng. Abdulahi Hassen

The Huawei ICT Competition is a globally recognized platform that brings together talented students to design and implement innovative, AI-driven solutions to real-world challenges. The Innovation Track emphasizes creativity, technical excellence, and the ability to transform ideas into impactful technological applications.

We are especially proud that the winning teams will represent Qatar at the Regional Final Stage in March 2026, competing alongside teams from approximately 14 countries across the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) region. This achievement marks a significant milestone on the path toward the Global Final Stage.

The CSE Department extends its sincere congratulations to all participating students and their dedicated instructors. We remain committed to empowering future ICT leaders and supporting initiatives that promote innovation, excellence, and meaningful global engagement.

CSE Students Achieve Top Honors at Huawei ICT Competition 2025–2026 – Innovation Track

CSE Faculties Receive Grants on Institutional Collaboration between Qatar University & Khalifa University

January 13, 2026 / Leave a comment

CSE department is pleased to announce that Dr. Khaled Shaban and Dr. Osama Halabi have received awards under the Institutional Collaboration Grant (Qatar University–Khalifa University) 2026 cycle. The awards recognize impactful collaborative research that addresses critical challenges in energy systems and sustainability.

Prof. Khaled Shaban

The first awarded project, led by Prof. Khaled Shaban, is titled “Optimal Energy Management Framework for Inverter-based Interconnected Microgrids with 100% Renewable Penetration.” The project responds to the growing global shift toward renewable energy integration and the rapid expansion of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure—developments that are reshaping how modern power systems are designed and operated.

The research aims to develop a scalable and intelligent energy management framework for inverter-based, interconnected microgrids operating with full renewable penetration. The proposed solution will optimize the allocation of grid-forming and grid-following inverter-based resources across multiple microgrids, while coordinating localized control strategies at the system level to ensure reliable, efficient, and resilient operation.

Project Team

Qatar University (QU)

  • Principal Investigator: Khaled Shaban, Computer Science and Engineering

  • Co-Investigators: Ahmed Massoud, Electrical Engineering, Nuri Onat, Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center

Khalifa University (KU)

  • Principal Investigator: Tarek Hussein Elfouly, Electrical Engineering

  • Co-Investigator: Surour Mohamed Alaraifi, Electrical Engineering

Dr. Osama Halabi

The other project is led by Dr. Osama Halabi and supports a cutting-edge robotics initiative titled “Visual-Haptics for Remote Robot Operation, Inspection & Physical Intervention.” This two-year collaborative project between Khalifa University and Qatar University aims to advance remote robotic operation in challenging environments such as underwater infrastructure and greenhouse agriculture. The research focuses on transitioning a visual-haptic teleoperation framework from laboratory prototype to real-world validation (TRL 4–6).

The project integrates multimodal visual and haptic feedback, predictive safety control, and immersive XR interfaces to enable safe, intuitive, and resilient human-in-the-loop robot operation. By addressing the limitations of visual-only teleoperation and unreliable autonomy, the work paves the way for more robust robotic inspection and physical intervention systems.

Project Team

Qatar University (QU)

  • Lead Principal Investigator: Osama Halabi

  • Principal Investigators: Mohammad Abdulaziz Al-Sada, Faisal Ibrahim J J Al-Jaber

Khalifa University (KU)

  • Lead Principal Investigator: Jorge Manuel Miranda Dias

  • Principal Investigators: Hamad Karki, Jaime Viegas

This project brings together an interdisciplinary team with expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence, haptics, extended reality (XR), and human–robot interaction, representing a significant advancement in cross-domain teleoperation research within the region.

This award highlights the strength of cross-institutional collaboration between Qatar University and Khalifa University and underscores their shared commitment to advancing sustainable energy technologies and intelligent power system solutions.

CSE faculty receives research funding from Google

December 16, 2025 / Leave a comment

Prof. Tamer Elsayed

Dr. Tamer Elsayed, professor of Computer Science at our department, has just received a research funding of 100k USD from Google to support his research work on Arabic language technologies. The award letter states that the award is “part of Google’s growing effort to support excellent research in academia”.

The department values this recognition from a key industrial partner like Google, which also reflects the excellence and impact of Dr. Tamer’s research in advancing Arabic language technologies.

Congratulations once again to Dr. Tamer and his research team, and best wishes for continued success and fruitful high-impact outcomes in shaa’ Allah.

CSE Faculty Secures QRDI Grant Award for AI-Integrated Islamically-Grounded Psychotherapy

September 28, 2025 / Leave a comment

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.

Prof. Junaid Qadir

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!

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