Experts Guide

Ami teaches in areas including secure coding, introducing students to best practices in defensive programming and developing the critical mindset required to write robust, secure software. He previously was an industry software engineer and IT consultant with IMS Dhaka and Southtech Limited and a policy fellow for the Joint Commission on Technology and Science for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mali studies theoretical foundations of AI, including neuroscience-inspired learning, neuro-symbolic computation and memory-augmented neural architectures. His research also includes predictive coding, dynamical systems and information theory, and he works at the intersection of language, memory, and computation. His research lab builds interpretable, generalizable AI systems capable of continual learning/lifelong learning, learning from minimal supervision and data, having better structured memory control.

Chhabra is a computer scientist with expertise in next-generation AI models across multiple domains: from Natural Language Processing (e.g. LLMs such as ChatGPT) to Computer Vision. He leads the PALM Lab at USF where he and his team develop approaches that can augment the safety of AI models and systems (e.g. security, privacy, and robustness), safeguarding users from potential negative outcomes. He teaches courses on Large Language Models and Fair/Trustworthy AI.

Qiao teaches an undergraduate course in algorithms, a foundational subject that introduces students to the design and analysis of efficient computational methods for solving real-world problems. He also studies machine learning and AI. Before USF, Qiao conducted research in the Deep-REAL Lab at the University of Delaware, where he focused on out-of-distribution generalization. He also interned at AWS AI Labs, where he worked on vision-language models.

Huang leads the High Performance & Intelligence Lab (π Lab), which focuses on building high-performance systems for large-scale artificial intelligence and scientific applications. He is developing a new course in high-performance computing, a critical specialty area that powers modern AI and scientific applications. He also teaches undergraduate computer architecture, which helps students understand the fundamentals of computing systems and their real-world hardware and software challenges.

Licato is a foremost expert on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. His research focuses on AI, NLP, human reasoning, cognitive modeling and legal/regulatory reasoning, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He is founder/director of the Advancing Machine and Human Reasoning (AMHR) Lab and owner of the startup company Actualization.AI.

Woodward studies human-computer and child-computer interaction. Her research has focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and smart technologies such as virtual and augmented reality on the development of younger children and adolescents — and the role of parents and educators.

Chagal-Feferkorn is a legal scholar and an attorney whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, law and public policy. She can discuss AI ethics, legal liability and damages related to AI product development, the risks AI poses to children and how to mitigate them, and how scientists, engineers and policymakers can work together to improve AI designs.

Friday is an assistant professor of instruction with expertise designing real‑time, efficient and practical solutions for cybersecurity, forensics and AI. Drawing on his collaborations with industry, government and critical‑sector partners, he is developing hands‑on, industry‑focused courses that expose students to technologies they will encounter in their careers and equip them with the skills to excel from day one.

Chen's research focuses on quantum engineering (communications, computing, machine learning, sensing, cryptography and photonics); artificial intelligence and multi-robot systems with applications to smart factory and self-driving; wireless communications and networking, particularly 6G and communication for AI; cryptographic systems, post-quantum cryptography and cybersecurity; and social networks and data analytics.

Hall is an expert in artificial intelligence and teaches courses in data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. He can discuss AI regulation, AI in image processing and AI and its effects on jobs and the workplace. His research interests include integrating multimodal foundation models into medical image analysis, large language model stability, robust learned models for vision recognition tasks and explainable AI.

Hagen's research focuses on how to apply artificial intelligence and big data for social science research and government decision making. Current interests are in the domains of human-centered data science, social media, cybersecurity, public health crisis and undergraduate data science education.

Alam is an assistant professor of instruction in the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He joined the college in 2025 and teaches courses in cybersecurity, computer systems, and operating systems. He is also developing new offerings in malware analysis and adversarial modeling that emphasize real-world application and hands-on student engagement. Before pursuing his academic credentials, Alam worked as an engineer at Kona Software Labs Ltd, where he created mobile payment apps, worked on point-of-sale terminals, designed and developed authentication protocols, and integrated a payment platform with banking systems.

Patel is a dermatologist and an expert in artificial intelligence in healthcare. He can discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped healthcare delivery and the potential and challenges of AI in health care, emphasizing its transformative role and ethical significance.

Pandey teaches computer architecture, a core subject that explores how hardware and software interact to execute computing tasks efficiently and reliably. Before joining USF, he held research positions at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and, most recently, Google, where he contributed to projects focused on accelerating microarchitecture simulation with machine learning.

Canavan studies the intersection of psychology, math, and computer science. He is an expert in computer vision, affective computing and human-computing interaction. He research explores these areas as well as biometrics and image processing and pattern recognition.

Chellappan is an expert who can speak to issues related to AI and public health. He teaches courses related to Autmata theory and information security and privacy. He leads a research lab examines how to overcome critical emerging problems when societies and

computing technologies interact, while simultaneously enabling new applications.

Walczak's primary research interests are in applied artificial intelligence systems (including artificial neural networks, expert and knowledge-based systems, cognitive modeling, machine learning and intelligent software agents), healthcare information systems, knowledge management and organizational learning and electronic commerce specializing in online auctions and virtual presence.

Sarkar is the launch dean for the newly established Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He is an expert in computer vision, predictive learning, biometrics, and AI. He has varied research interests, ranging from AI involving images and videos to biometrics and gait recognition to collaborative efforts mixing computer science with psychology, linguistics, medicine, and more. He has worked on projects to build computer vision/AI algorithms to anticipate and proactively assist with daily living activities, such as using a robotic arm on a wheelchair.

Triparna de Vreede is an assistant professor of information systems. Her research expertise covers how AI can be harnessed to benefit society, human responses to AI and its impact on workplace behavior and AI consciousness and ethics in human-AI collaboration

Bensoussan is director of the USF Health Voice Center and a researcher in the National Institutes of Health’s Bridge2AI program. She is helping to lead the NIH-funded Voice as a Biomarker of Health project and is an expert in laryngology, voice disorders treatment, airways disorders treatment and swallowing disorders treatment.

Sun the director of USF Center for Innovation, Technology and Aging who is an expert in robotics, AI, deep learning, biomarkers, healthcare applications, and technology for aging. He teaches courses in these areas.

Han studies human-robot interaction, robotics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. He designs, develops and evaluates novel robotic systems and experiences with a focus on improving their interaction and collaboration with humans.