LISTEN TO THE Keynote Speakers
Francisco Herrera
University of Granada, Spain
Francisco Herrera
University of Granada, Spain
Knowledge extraction based on evolutionary learning, Genetic fuzzy systems, Data Mining, Data preparation, Subgroup discovery, Computing With Words and Decision Making, Bibliometrics, Real Coding Genetic Algorithms, Memetic Algorithms.
Elhadj Benkhelifa
Staffordshire University, United Kingdom
Elhadj Benkhelifa
Staffordshire University, United Kingdom
Elhadj Benkhelifa  is passionate academic and researcher with almost 20 years of experience and demonstrable leadership skills at an international level. His research focuses on the development of solutions to support the next generation digital transformation’s technologies and paradigms.
Elhadj is currently a full Professor of Computer Science and Digital Innovations at Staffordshire University, where he is also the Head of Professoriate leading a large body of all Associate and Full Professors across the whole University with the mission to contribute, influence, shape and enable the collective advancement of the University’s strategies and develop excellence in T&L, research and enterprise. He is also a member of the University Research Ethics Committee. Elhadj is the Founding Director of the Smart Systems, AI and Cybersecurity Research Centre (SSAICS), responsible for growing the research portfolio in the Digital, Technologies and Art (DTA); leading 15 Staff and 23 PhD students the SSAICS research centre is established to be the hub for interdisciplinary research in ‘digital’ across the University. Between 2014 and 2016, he was the Director of the Mobile Fusion Applied Research Centre (MF-ARC), leading more than 18 Staff and 45 PhD students.
Prior to Joining Staffordshire University in 2010, he was lead researcher on an EPSRC project at Cranfield University, which was on biomimetic design optimisation of MEMS. Prior to that Elhadj was a lecturer at University of the West of Enlgland, UWE and University of Bristol. Under the supervision of Prof. Antony Pipe, Elhadj obtained his PhD from UWE, Bristol Robotics Lab, in Artificial-Life (Bio Inspired Evolvable and Self-Healing Systems). Between 2003 and 2004, he was a Software developer at ATE communications Ltd in Nottinghamshire, where he developed a Linux based DVR (digital video recorder)
Elhadj’s research interests cover Cloud computing in its centralised and decentralised forms (Fog/Edge computing, Cloudlet, Blockchain etc), Data (Governance, Semantics, analytics, Social Networks), Artificial Intelligence & Artificial Life (bio-inspired computing), Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies, IoT and Cybersecurity. Elhadj has a led a number of successful consortia on a number of national and transnational projects. Interdisciplinary research is Elhadj’s current focus, applying innovative advanced computing and digital solution in areas of high impact. Elhadj supervised many PhD projects and published extensively in journals and conferences (150+). He has co-edited around 20 conference proceedings and journal special issues. Elhadj is a co-founder of some pioneering international conferences, including FMEC, SDS, IOTSMS and SNAMS, and has delivered close to 40 keynote talks around the world.
Elhadj is a reviewer of national (EPSRC) and international grant proposals. He is often invited by international institutions as an external assessor for promotions to Associate and Full Professor Ranks. Elhadj has been an external examiner of a number of PhD Vivas in the UK and outside and is currently an external examiner for computer science courses for both Under & Post Graduate levels and had acted as an external moderators of new courses from international institutions. Elhadj is a Visiting Professor to the Universities of Suffolk, UK; Lyon3, France; and Paris 8, France.
Since early days, Elhadj has been a strong advocate for open access to research, that in 2005 he co-founded IBScientific Publishing group, to enable scientists mainly from low-income countries to publish their research through open access and peer-review process.
Elhadj is a Director at Yotta Laboratories Ltd, and a co-founder of www.emergingtechnetwork.org. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the West Midland Cyber Resilience Centre, and member of the Staffordshire Police Evidence Based Practice Board. In April 2022, He was elected/appointed as the Chair of the IEEE UK&I Section’s Education & STEM office. Elhadj is a Senior Member of IEEE, A Member of ACM, Fellow of UK HEA and a Prince2 Practitioner
Salem BENFERHAT
University of Artois, France
Salem BENFERHAT
University of Artois, France
Professor Salem Benferhat is a Full Professor of Computer Science at the Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Lens (CRIL, CNRS UMR-8188), University of Artois, France. His research primarily focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI), including possibility theory, theoretical computer science, inference, and possibilistic logic. His work in AI explores key themes such as machine learning, data fusion, and lexicographical order-based decision-making. Contributions to possibility theory include advanced research in knowledge representation and reasoning, set theory, and functional transformations. He has coauthored over 450 publications, which have collectively received more than 10,317 citations (H-index = 48). His outstanding academic contributions are recognized worldwide, making him a leading expert in his field. Currently, he serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Fundamenta Informaticae and has also been a guest editor for 10 special issues in various prestigious AI and uncertainty management journals, including Artificial Intelligence (AIJ), Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (AMAI), and the International Journal of Approximate Reasoning.
Amir H Gandomi
university of technology sydney , Australia
Amir H Gandomi
university of technology sydney , Australia
Amir H. Gandomi is among the world’s most cited researchers for his work in the fields of global optimisation and big data analytics, in particular, using machine learning and evolutionary computations.
He is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS, where he is a Professor of Data Science. He has received multiple prestigious awards for his research excellence and impact, such as the 2024 IEEE TCSC Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing (MCR), the 2023 Achenbach Medal (bestowed at Stanford University), and the 2022 Walter L. Huber Prize, the highest-level mid-career research award in all areas of civil engineering.
Amir has published more than 450 journal papers and 14 books, which collectively have 60,000 citations (H-inex=100+), and he has been named one of the world’s most influential scientific minds and highly cited researchers by the influential Clarivate Analytics for six consecutive years.
He is also ranked 18th among more than 17,000 researchers in the online computer science bibliography, Genetic Programming bibliography, and ranks first in Australia. In the recent most impactful researcher list, done by Stanford University and released by Elsevier, Prof Amir H Gandomi is ranked as the 24th researcher in the Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing subfield in 2023.
He has served as associate editor, editor and guest editor in several prestigious journals, such as AE of IEEE TBD, IEEE Networks, and IEEE IoTJ. He regularly delivers keynote addresses at major conferences.
Prior to joining UTS, Amir was an Assistant Professor at the School of Business at Stevens Institute of Technology in the US. He was also a distinguished research fellow in the BEACON Center at Michigan State University, where biologists, computer scientists, and engineers together study evolution and apply their knowledge to real-world problems.