Innovations in Blockchain-Powered Intelligence and Cognitive Internet of Things (CIoT)

Fadi Al-Turjman received his Ph.D. in computer science from Queen’s University, Canada, in 2011. He is the associate dean for research and the founding director of the International Research Center for AI and IoT at Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus. Prof. Al-Turjman is the head of Artificial Intelligence Engineering Dept., and a leading authority in the areas of smart/intelligent IoT systems, wireless, and mobile networks’ architectures, protocols, deployments, and performance evaluation in Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). His publication history spans over 500 SCI/E publications, in addition to numerous keynotes and plenary talks at flagship venues. He has authored and edited more than 60 books about cognition, security, and wireless sensor networks’ deployments in smart IoT environments, which have been published by well-reputed publishers such as Taylor and Francis, Elsevier, IET, and Springer. He has received several recognitions and best papers’ awards at top international conferences. He also received the prestigious Best Research Paper Award from Elsevier Computer Communications Journal for the period 2015-2018, in addition to the Top Researcher Award for 2018 at Antalya Bilim University, Turkey and the Lifetime Golden-award of Dr. Suat Gunsel from Near East University, Cyprus in 2022. Prof. Al-Turjman has led a number of international symposia and workshops in flagship communication society conferences. Currently, he serves as book series editor and the lead guest/associate editor for several top tier journals, including the IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials (IF 23.9) and the Elsevier Sustainable Cities and Society (IF 10.8), in addition to organizing international conferences and symposiums on the most up to date research topics in AI and IoT.

Dr. Shahnawaz Khan is currently serving as the Head of Applied Research at Bahrain Polytechnic in Bahrain. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), India. He has held academic, leadership, and administrative positions in esteemed universities and software industry across multiple countries. His academic experience extends to directing various committees, including those focused on research, faculty development, and accreditation. He has also been actively involved in education quality and accreditation (such as ABET, BQA, NCAAA, and NACC) for multiple esteemed universities across multiple countries. Dr. Khan is a recognized expert in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Islamic FinTech. He brings nearly two decades of experience in research, teaching, and industry in computer science, and app development. He has co-founded a vocational training institute, and two IT companies and has served as a chief technical officer. With a strong track record in Artificial Intelligence, his research has resulted in over 70 peer-reviewed publications with over 2000 citations, four patents, and seven edited books. He has also served as an editor for several special issues of SCI and Scopus indexed journals. Dr. Khan has supervised numerous postgraduate and graduate researchers and is a frequent reviewer for top-tier journals and conferences. Dr. Khan is passionate about applying AI to solve real-world problems. He leads a team of researchers focused on developing innovative solutions (by applying artificial intelligence) for real-world problems in areas such as Islamic fintech, healthcare and global warming. He is committed to fostering the next generation of researchers.