Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing, University of Bradford, UK, recently visited UTM Johor Bahru as part of World Technology Universities Network (WTUN) Exchange Program. This visit was arranged to explore the possibility of collaborative research and teaching between the two institutions.
Prof. Hassan is a renowned computer scientist in the area of visual computing and artificial intelligence (AI). He is an advocate of AI for helping to tackle real world issues in the areas of digital health, innovative engineering and sustainable societies in general. His recent work in this area includes helping to unravel the real identity of the two Russian spies at the heart of the Salisbury Novichok poisoning case – one of the biggest international stories of 2018.
The 2-day visit, from 12 to 13 November 2019, was hosted by Prof. Dr. -Ing. Eko Supriyanto from School of Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences (SBEHS). On the first day, Prof. Hassan was welcomed by Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq bin Dato’ Abdul Kadir, Dean of Faculty of Engineering, alongside Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Azli bin Yahya, Associate Chair (Quality and Strategy), SBEHS. He then met with Dr. Hau Yuan Wen, a research fellow from IJN-UTM Cardiovascular Engineering Centre & Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Yazid bin Idris, Director of Media and Game Innovation Centre of Excellence (MaGICX) for a sharing session and discussion on possibility of research collaboration. The day ended with a public lecture titled “The Rise of Artificial Intelligence – Human vs Machine”, which was attended by more than 60 staff and students, listening to Prof. Hassan’s views, efforts and experiences on AI.
The second day began with a workshop titled “Automatic Age Estimation based on Face Recognition using Artificial Intelligence”, where Prof. Hassan demonstrated one of his recent works to the participants. After that, Prof. Hassan visited UTM International to meet with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Ismid Md Said, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), to further discuss on possible collaboration between the two institutions. The visit concluded with a meeting with School of Computing, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nor Azman bin Ismail, Associate Chair (Research & Academic Staff), which has opened up opportunities for research and academic collaboration between both sides.
All in all, this visit has initiated a connection between UTM and University of Bradford that will likely lead to research and academic collaborations in the future.
