Dr. Ibrar Hussain

Dean, Information Technology

Governance

Biography

Dr. Ibrar Hussain is a Professor/Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology, Founding-Head, of the Department of Software Engineering, and Former Acting-Dean, the Faculty of Engineering & Technology at the University of Lahore where he has been since 2015. He received an MS in Information Management (Information Retrieval) from Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Later, he received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Zhejiang University, P.R. China. He has around 19 years of teaching, research, and information system development experience in computer science while working in different roles in the academic sectors of Pakistan. His research interest lies in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, Accessibility, and Location-based Services. He is currently working on developing intelligent systems that improve the human condition. He also worked on the improvement of auditory feedback for non-graphical user interfaces with the use of non-speech sound. He authored a book titled Artificial Intelligence & Blockchain in Cyber Physical Systems published by Taylor & Francis. He also authored several papers published in high-impact factor journals and premier conferences. As of 2023, Google Scholar reports 1000+ citations to his work. His paper published in Data & Knowledge Engineering (DKE) [Elsevier] 2015 received the Best Paper Award in 2018. He is an HEC Approved Supervisor. He is a senior member of IEEE, a member of EAI, and a member of ICAD.

Education

SrNo.	Year	Degree	Board/University
1	2014	PhD in Computer Science	Zhejiang University, P.R. China.
2	2006	MS in Information Management	Queen Mary, University Of London, UK.
3	2000	BS (Honors) in Computer Science	Hamdard University, Pakistan

Experience

SrNo.	From	To	Category	Designation	Organization
1	03/02/2020	To Date	Academic Experience	Professor / Head	The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
2	09/20/2017	March 2020	Academic Experience	Associate Professor / Head	The University of Lahore
3	08/30/2015	September 2017	Academic Experience	Assistant Professor	The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
4	January 2008	August 2015	Academic Experience	Assistant Professor	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Attoc
5	August 2007	January 2008	Academic Experience	Lecturer	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Attoc
6	August 2002	August 2004	Professional Experience	Software Engineer	Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra
7	April 2001	August 2002	Professional Experience	Faculty Member	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Isla

Publications

SrNo.	Title	Category	Sub Category
1	Identifying Significant Textual Features in Titles of Google Play Store Applications and their Influence on User Review Rating	Publication	Journal Article
2	Spammer Group Detection and Diversification of Customers’ Reviews	Publication	Journal Article
3	An Ontology-driven IoT Based Healthcare Formalism	Publication	Journal Article
4	Spam Review Detection Using the Linguistic and Spammer Behavioral Method	Publication	Journal Article
5	Detecting Spam Product Reviews in Roman Urdu Script	Publication	Journal Article
6	"Automatic Switching between speech and non-speech: adaptive auditory feedback in desktop assistance for the visually impaired"	Publication	Journal Article
7	"Spam Review Detection Techniques : A Systematic literature Review"	Publication	Journal Article
8	MedPal: A Technological Cure for People with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer’s Disorder.	Publication	Journal Article
9	Spam Review Detection Techniques: A Systematic Literature Review	Publication	Journal Article
10	Automatic Switching Between Speech and Non-Speech: Adaptive Auditory Feedback in Desktop Assistance for the Visually Impaired	Publication	Journal Article
11	Semantic Knowledge Transformation for Context-aware Heterogeneous Formalisms	Publication	Journal Article
12	Detecting Spam Review through Spammer’s Behavior Analysis	Publication	Journal Article
13	"Detecting Spam Review through Spammer’s Behavior Analysis"	Publication	Journal Article
14	"Joy Learning: Smartphone Application For Children With Parkinson Disease"	Publication	Journal Article
15	"Semantic Knowledge Transformation for Context-aware Heterogeneous Formalisms"	Publication	Journal Article
16	Chinese-based Spearcons: Improving Pedestrian Navigation Performance in Eyes-Free Environment	Publication	Journal Article
17	Understanding User Behavior of Asking Location-Based Questions on Microblogs	Publication	Journal Article
18	A New Method for Optimization of Dynamic Ride Sharing System	Publication	Journal Article
19	Enhanced Privacy and Authentication: An Efficient and Secure Anonymous Communication for Location Based Service using Asymmetric Cryptography Scheme	Publication	Journal Article
20	A Study on Automatic Classification of Users Desktop Interactions	Publication	Journal Article
21	A System for Mining Interesting Tourist Locations and Travel Sequences from Public Geo-tagged Photos	Publication	Journal Article
22	Travel Recommendation Using Geo-tagged Photos in Social Media for Tourist	Publication	Journal Article
23	Right mix of speech and non-speech: hybrid auditory feedback in mobility assistance of the visually impaired	Publication	Journal Article
24	A Comparative Study of Sonification Methods to Represent Distance and Forward-Direction in Pedestrian Navigation	Publication	Journal Article
25	A Trust Development Model in Dynamic Ridesharing	Publication	Journal Article
26	A Context-aware Personalized Travel Recommendation System Based on Geotagged Social Media Data Minin	Publication	Journal Article

Conferences

SrNo.	Year	Level	City	Country	Confence
1	2018	International	Singapore	Singapore	ACM UBICOMP
2	2017	International	Trieste	Italy	17th International Conference on Computational Sci
3	2013	International	Zurich	Switzerland	ACM UBICOMP
4	2012	International	Toronto, Ontario	Canada	26th International AAAI
5	2012	International	Boulder, Colorado	USA	14th International ACM SIGACCESS
6	2012	International	Lyon	France	21st International WWW
7	2011	International	Scotland	UK	20th ACM International CIKM
8	2010	International	Melaka	Malaysia	2nd International Conference on Engineering & ICT

Awards

SrNo.	Year	Awarding Organization	Description
1	2021	The University of Lahore	University Research Productivity Award for the year (2019)
2	2018	ELSEVIER	Data & Knowledge Engineering (IF: 1.764) 2015 Best Paper Award
3	2016	University Management Technology	Academic Leadership Award
4	2015	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology	Research Productivity Award
5	2014	Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan	Award of Partial Support For Successful Applicants in Final Year of PhD Studies
6	2010-2014	China Scholarship Council (CSC), P.R. China	Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

Memberships

SrNo.	From - To	Title	Organization
1	January, 2013 - Present	Member	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
2	March, 2011 - Present	Member	International Community on Auditory Display (ICAD)

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

SrNo.	Title	From - To	Organization	Type
1	JobIzi: An Adaptive Web Interface for Illiterate	2018 - 2019	The University of Lahore, Pakistan	MS(CS) Thesis
2	iTrack: A Smartphone System for People with Autism	2018 - 2019	The University of Lahore, Pakistan	MS(CS) Thesis
3	Adaptive Auditory Feedback for the Desktop Assista	2016 - 2017	The University of Lahore, Pakistan	MS(CS) Thesis
4	Contextual Adaptive User Interface for Menu Items	2015 - 2016	The University of Lahore, Pakistan	MS(CS) Thesis
5	Modeling Framework for Web-based Applications.	2014 - 2015	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakis	MS(CS) Thesis
6	Software Metrics for Evaluation of Aspect Oriented	2014 - 2015	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakis	MS(CS) Thesis

Services

Books

SrNo.	Title	Authors	Year	Publisher
1	Say-It & Learn: Interactive Application for Childr	Sabeel Butt., Falal E Hannan, Mujahid Rafiq ,Ibrar Hussain,Nadeem Faisal., Waleed Younas	2020	Springer Nature
2	Study on Usefulness of Smartphone Applications for	Mujahid Rafique,Ibrar Hussain,C. M. Nadeem Faisal	2019	Springer Nature

Research Fundings

SrNo.	From - To	Type	Title	Source
1	2017	[No: PHEC/A&R/ITG/1-162/2016/1043]	International Travel Grant	Punjab Higher Education Commission of Pakistan
2	2012	[No: 2010ZX01042-002-003-001]	Research on the Chinese-based Spearcons	The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China
3	2012	[No: CKCEST-2014-1-5]	Research on the Accessibility	China Knowledge Center for Engineering Sciences and Technology
4	2011	[Nos: 2007C13019, 2011C13042, 2015C33002]	Research on the Auditory Feedback System	Department of Science and Technology, Zhejiang Province
5	2010	[Nos: 60703040, 61332017]	Research on the Pedestrian Navigation System	Natural Science Foundation of China

Extracurricular Activities

SrNo.	Hobbies	Interests

Languages and Skills

SrNo.	Langues	Skills
1	English (Full Professional Proficiency)
2	Chinese (Mandarin, Limited Working Proficiency)
3	Urdu (Bilingual Proficiency)
4	Pushtu (Native)

Active Collabrations

SrNo.	From - To	Type	Country	Organization
1	2010 - To Date	Collaborative Research Work	P.R. China.	Pervasive Computing & Research Lab, Zhejiang Unive
2	2013 - To Date	Collaborative Research Work	P.R. China.	Digital Media & HCI Research Center, Hangzhou No
3	2013 - To Date	Collaborative Research Work	Pakistan	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
4	2015 - To Date	Collaborative Research Work	Saudi Arabia	King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Consulting Experience

Achievements / Rewards

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Description

In a substantial ambassadorial effort, Prof Dr Rabia Akhtar (Director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Policy Research (CSSPR)) represented Pakistan as a thought leader in a delegation of five eminent scholars from Asia. This delegation, constituted by the Asia chapter of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), visited Berlin, Germany, to engage in dialogues and meetings aimed at understanding Germany’s viewpoints on key global issues, from June 13-15, 2023.

The FES Strategic Foresight Group, comprising scholars from Pakistan, Thailand, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, sought to gain insights into Germany’s perception of the world, the interconnectedness of geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the overall security and stability of different regions. By interacting with parliamentarians, scholars, and think tank experts, the group aimed to identify Germany’s foreign policy direction amidst intensifying great power competition, technological advancements, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Dr Akhtar articulated Pakistan’s aspirations to become a regional and global connector, and expressed her belief that the country could serve as Germany’s partner in promoting peace. She said academic collaboration between the two countries must lay the groundwork for better ties. In that regard, she hoped that the University of Lahore (UOL) and CSSPR will like to establish linkages, to work on security and strategic issues with policymakers, universities, and think tankers in Germany.

Moreover, during the meetings with German officials and academicians, including Dr.Martin Thummel (Deputy Head for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Federal Foreign Office), Dr Akhtar along with the delegation underlined the importance of collaboration between nations in an increasingly interconnected world. It was argued that Europe and Asia should not be considered separate arenas, as common threats and opportunities necessitate a collective approach.

The participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions on how Germany’s foreign policy has evolved amid geopolitical tensions and how the country aims to strike a balance between values-based and interests-based approaches, particularly in the face of the evolving Sino-U.S. rivalry. Central to these discussions was Germany’s embrace of Zeitenwende, signifying a transformative shift in its foreign and defence policies following the war in Ukraine. German officials highlighted that this philosophy would enable their country to contribute positively to regional and global stability.

Furthermore, the delegation stressed the importance of inter-regional dialogues, trade, and economic cooperation between Germany and Asian countries during their meetings with parliamentarians. Geoeconomics emerged as a key theme, with experts acknowledging its potential to promote interdependence, peace, and stability. However, they also expressed caution, and were mindful of the geopolitical complexities that could hinder its effectiveness.

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Description

What traits set exceptional academic leaders apart? One is their ongoing commitment to academic excellence. Prof Dr Muhammed Ashraf (Rector, UOL), in an interview with the Press and Publications Cell (PPC) of the University of Lahore (UOL), shared how his commitment to academics and research led him to stand amongst the top-cited Plant Science researchers in the world.

The second edition of Research.com rankings of the best researchers was released recently. According to these rankings, Dr Ashraf stood 12th in the list of top-cited researchers with a massive number of 72,461 citations and 1,169 publications in the field of Plant Science.

While sharing his sentiments with the PPC team, he said, “It is a great honour and privilege for me to be among the world’s top-cited Plant Science researchers. Barely people from third-world countries like Pakistan get such immense acknowledgement for research, but I, hailing from a developing country, take pride in the fact that I was able to garner the limelight along with researchers from advanced countries like America, Germany, etc.”

Motivation for Plant Science Research

For most of his academic life, Dr Ashraf has been conducting research anchored on Plant Science, his field of specialisation for which he has recently been recognised globally. Revealing his motivation behind his research drive, he mentioned that “Research is the key element for institutions and even for academicians to leave an unprecedented imprint on the global academic spectrum. The only sound way to project novel ideas pertaining to your field is through research, and that is what keeps me right on track with research. To make significant contributions to the field of Plant Science, I try to continually explore and conduct impactful research.”

Global Acclamation

In continuing the discussion of his research motivation, on a lighter note, he shared that he received a congratulatory email from Mr Rattan Laal (The Ohio State University, the United States). “To my surprise, Mr Laal, the world’s most cited researcher, shared his congratulatory remarks with me. I am humbled to the core by this global acclamation that I have received so far,” he said.

Catering to Contemporary Plant Science Issues

In every field of study, researchers try to address and explore solutions for the most pressing issues. In Plant Science and Agronomy, the focal point of researchers nowadays is the impact of climate change on plants and, broadly, on the agriculture sector. Upon being asked about the impact of his research, the UOL Rector stated that “Climate change, undoubtedly, has adversely affected the lives of plants, animals, and even humans. My focus is particularly on plants and agriculture. Through my research, I have always tried to address and highlight the pressing issues that are being faced mainly by Asian and African countries, and this is also one of the reasons that my research is getting global acknowledgement because it caters to global issues. Majorly, my work is based on different plant stresses such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, temperature extremes etc.”

Fundamentals of Research, Publications, and Rankings

Not many people are familiar with the Research.com rankings, and in fact, they lack even the most basic knowledge of research rankings. During his interview with PPC, Dr Ashraf summarised the entire research ranking process by saying that “A researcher gets ranked based on his number of publications and citations. Researchers should try to publish their work in international journals, which will increase their chances of maximum citations. The more publications and citations, the higher the H-index, and ultimately, the better the chances of getting ranked at the top.”

Tips for soon-to-be Early-career Researchers

There is no short cut to conduct profoundly organic research, and that is what Dr Ashraf said. “Dedication and hard work are the keys to achieve research goals. Nevertheless, to stand out in the pool of researchers, it is pertinent, especially for Plant Science research aspirants, to focus on technological and digital advancements, keeping oneself up-to-date with international contemporary research trends, and fuelling the urge of discovery by gaining more and more knowledge,” he advised the students.

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

Description

A consumer’s attitude of financial risk tolerance (FRT) plays an important role in his/her financial decisions, thereby determining his well-being. FRT is a consumer’s preference for the amount of risk he undertakes while making investments. Recently, a lot of research studies have been conducted on consumer well-being and FRT. Being motivated by this trend in financial research, Dr Muhammad Tahir (Assistant Professor, Lahore Business School, the University of Lahore (UOL)) and fellow researchers explored the relationship amongst financial literacy, propensity to plan (PTP), FRT, financial satisfaction, and life satisfaction.

Though scholarly acumen for consumer well-being is rapidly developing, not much is known regarding the collective roles of financial literacy, PTP, and FRT. Dr Tahir’s study addressed this gap by showing that financial literacy, risk-taking attitudes, and planning propensities are all interconnected and necessary ingredients to improve financial and life satisfaction.

Dr Tahir’s analytical study titled “Role of financial risk-taking attitude in personal finances and consumer satisfaction: evidence from Australia” revealed a strong partial mediation of FRT between financial literacy and financial satisfaction. Moreover, the analysis showed that a high PTP combined with a high FRT results in high financial satisfaction.

For achieving the main objective of the research, the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey was taken into consideration. Furthermore, Dr Tahir used the variance-based partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), also known as the PLS path modelling approach, to test the proposed hypotheses of the study empirically.

The findings of Dr Tahir’s research study showed the importance of creating financial plans in accordance with risk tolerance. Considering the relevance of increasing financial literacy, Dr Tahir suggested that the use of tools that could help consumers plan and spent in risky investments might lead them to have a more financial and life satisfaction.

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing

Description

Textile printing is the most versatile and vital methodology for introducing colour and design to textile fabrics. Different types of thickeners (chemical compounds) are used for printing, such as polysaccharide thickener, synthetic thickener, and emulsion thickener. Synthetic thickeners are highly criticised for endangering the environment at the manufacturing stages.

Dr Dure Najaf Iqbal (Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Lahore) and her team of researchers explored an eco-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners that is effective in the textile printing process. The team revealed that guar gum could serve as an outstanding natural thickener, stabiliser, and gelling agent and could as well be used in various industrial units, including food, cosmetics, textiles, oil fracturing, and mining. Guar gum is one of the most important naturally occurring non-ionic high molecular weight polysaccharides and consists of galactomannan, which has vast applications in various fields.

Dr Iqbal and her team synthesised carboxymethyl guar gum (CMG) via monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions. The carboxymethylation of guar gum was accomplished by the Willianson ether technique and the reaction conditions were optimised during the course of the experiment. Guar derivatives with variable degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DS was determined quantitatively by the titration method for each derivative.

For this research study, native guar gum was purchased from National Guar Industries, Karachi, with a molecular weight of 1.043 106 g/mol. Whereas, all the chemicals and reagents used were of analytical grade and were purchased from Merck, Germany.

The result proved that the substituted guar gum is an eco-friendly, non-hazardous thickener as compared to synthetic thickeners. Furthermore, the penetration properties, fixation ability, and colour fastness of guar gum were compared with those of commercial alginate thickeners. The printing trial of the thickener CMG also showed that carboxymethyl guar gum could easily replace conventional thickeners without any compromise on printing results and could prevent fabric stiffness. The tested water-holding capacity (a central aspect that determines commercial applications of gums) of guar gum made it ideal for improving the texture of end products in diverse industrial formulations.

Also, it was revealed that the implementation of carboxymethyl guar gum in textile printing can reduce the economic burden associated with exporting alginate and other synthetic thickeners. This, in turn, could enable exporters to offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality.

Faculty / Staff Profiles

Dr. Ibrar Hussain

Dean, Information Technology

Governance

Biography

Education

Experience

Publications

Conferences

Awards

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

Services

Books

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

Languages and Skills

Active Collabrations

Consulting Experience

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing