People

Nabil J. Sarhan, Director

Dr. Nabil J. Sarhan is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. He is an internationally recognized expert in computer systems design, multimedia, video streaming, and automated video surveillance, with extensive publications in top venues. He has served as the primary investigator of multiple research projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Mechanics. Dr. Sarhan served as the Chair of the Interest Group on Media Streaming of the IEEE Multimedia Communication Technical Committee and as the Co-Director of the IEEE Multimedia Communication Technical Committee Review Board. He also served as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology and as a Guest Editor for other journals. Dr. Sarhan has been involved in the organization of numerous international conferences in various capacities, including the General Chair, Chair, Technical Program Committee Co-Chair, Publicity Chair, and Track Chair. Besides, he has participated as a Panelist in major international conferences, a Panelist for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health, and as a Site Review Panelist for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Sarhan is the recipient of the IEEE SEM Outstanding Professional of the Year Award, the Wayne State University President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Sina G. Davani, Ph.D. Candidate

Sina G. Davani is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. His research interests include deep learning, automated video surveillance, PTZ camera scheduling, and cross-layer optimization. He also works as an Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) software engineer at Continental Automotive. He previously served as a GTA in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

Hayder Hamandi, Ph.D. Candidate

Hayder Hamandi is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Engineering at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. He is also a Graduate Student Assistant in the Testing, Evaluation, and Research Services Department at Wayne State. He holds two Master of Science degrees in Electrical and Information Engineering. He worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Prior to joining Wayne State, he was a lecturer at Al-Nahrain University. He also worked as a front-end software engineer for Quicken Loans Family of Companies. His research interests are in the areas of deep learning, convolutional neural networks, computer vision, and accuracy modeling. In 2008, he received the Iraqi prime minister’s award for academic excellence. He was a speaker at IEEE South East Michigan, spring 2019 Conference. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi.

Ahmad Bani Hani, Ph.D. Candidate

Ahmad Bani Hani is a Ph.D. candidate of Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. His research interests include video streaming, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), and energy modeling. He also works for Luxoft USA at Ford Motor Company in the Connected Vehicles Platforms and Products Department (CVPP). He previously served as a Graduate Student Assistant in the Testing, Evaluation, and Research Services Department at Wayne State University.

Omar Makke, Ph.D. Student

Omar Makke is a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. He earned his Masters's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn (Graduate School of Rackham) in 2010. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2006. He has 10+ years of experience in the automotive industry. His experience is in embedded systems and edge computing, and is currently a data scientist for IoT Applications at Ford Motor Company, working on a wide range of applications involving edge computing and connectivity.

Baraa Ali, PhD Candidate

Baraa Ali is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. His research interests include cloud computing and resource allocation He previously served as a GTA in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi.