Research@CMU-Q

2020-2021 Review

Micheal Trick, Dean
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Welcome to Research@CMU-Q, a digital showcase of faculty and student work over the past academic year. The 2020-21 academic year was one of change and adaptation for the entire university as we forged through the pandemic together.

For our researchers, the year was a particular challenge. Faculty and student researchers faced new logistical questions about how to conduct their research, even as health guidelines shifted and changed.

I am very proud to share with you the exceptional work that our researchers produced this past year. Research is a cornerstone of Carnegie Mellon, and this year in particular, our faculty and student researchers demonstrated tenacity, agility and creativity in their work. I invite you to scroll through our year in research, and learn more about the thought and inquiry taking place at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

Research By The Numbers

The Year in Research

CMU-Q researchers are actively engaged with the international research community, leading or collaborating on a myriad of projects. Faculty members also contribute to the engines that drive international research, include publications, professional organizations and academic conferences

QNRF Research Outcome Seminar Series

Gianni Di Caro presented his project TARMEM (Teams of Aquatic/Aerial Robots for Marine Environment Monitoring) at the QNRF’s research outcome seminar on AI. His work was also featured in the QNRF newsletter for November 2020.

QNRF Post-Doctoral Research Award
Hend Gedawy (CS 2009) received CMU-Q’s first Post Doctoral Research Award (PDRA) from Qatar National Research Fund. Khaled Harras will serve as mentor. The project, which will harness edge resources for deep learning, could have profound implications in the area of mobile health applications and data privacy. Gedawy is an alumna of CMU-Q, as well as Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Nature journal article on quantum materials
Mohamed Zayed and an international team of researchers have shed new light on the thermodynamics of quantum materials. Their findings were published in the journal Nature.

New international research community collaborations

Chadi Aoun served as a track co-chair for Green IS and Sustainability at the Americas Conference on Information Systems. — **Chadi Aoun** served as a track co-chair for Green IS and Sustainability at the Americas Conference on Information Systems.

Houda Bouamor was a co-organizer of the third Financial Narrative Processing Workshop, the fifth and sixth Arabic Natural Language Processing Workshops, the first Joint Workshop on Financial Narrative Processing and MultiLing Financial Summarisation, and the first Nuanced Arabic Dialect Identification Shared Task. — **Houda Bouamor** was a co-organizer of the third Financial Narrative Processing Workshop, the fifth and sixth Arabic Natural Language Processing Workshops, the first Joint Workshop on Financial Narrative Processing and MultiLing Financial Summarisation, and the first Nuanced Arabic Dialect Identification Shared Task.

Gianni Di Caro was the guest co-editor of the OR Spectrum Journal’s “Special Issue on Machine Learning and Combinatorial Optimization.” — **Gianni Di Caro** was the guest co-editor of the OR Spectrum Journal’s “Special Issue on Machine Learning and Combinatorial Optimization.”

Susan Hagan joined the editorial board for Future of Design Education, Essay Series, developed by the DesignLab at the University of California and IBM. — **Susan Hagan** joined the editorial board for *Future of Design Education, Essay Series*, developed by the DesignLab at the University of California and IBM.

Jasmine Kirby joined the SAGE Research Methods Doing Research Online Editorial Advisory Board. Teresa MacGregor served as vice chair of the Education City Library Directors Council. — **Jasmine Kirby** joined the *SAGE Research Methods Doing Research Online* Editorial Advisory Board. Teresa MacGregor served as vice chair of the Education City Library Directors Council.

Kemal Oflazer served as senior area chair for Phonology, Morphology and Word Segmentation, at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for
Computational Linguistics. — **Kemal Oflazer** served as senior area chair for Phonology, Morphology and Word Segmentation, at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.

Silvia Pessoa serves on the editorial board for English for Specific Purposes, and as associate editor for Linguistics and Education. — **Silvia Pessoa** serves on the editorial board for *English for Specific Purposes*, and as associate editor for *Linguistics and Education*.

Giselle Reis served as co chair for the International Workshop on Logical and Semantic Frameworks, with Applications (LSFA). — **Giselle Reis** served as co chair for the International Workshop on Logical and Semantic Frameworks, with Applications (LSFA).

Dudley Reynolds is serving as a trustee for the American Association for Applied Linguistics’ Fund for the Future of Applied Linguistics. He is also serving on the nominating committee for TESOL International. — **Dudley Reynolds** is serving as a trustee for the American Association for Applied Linguistics’ Fund for the Future of Applied Linguistics. He is also serving on the nominating committee for TESOL International.

Nui Vatanasakdakul served as local conference chair for the International Conference of Information Systems (ICIS), Thailand, and research track chair for the Americas Conference on Information Systems - Green IS and Sustainability — **Nui Vatanasakdakul** served as local conference chair for the International Conference of Information Systems (ICIS), Thailand, and research track chair for the Americas Conference on Information Systems - Green IS and Sustainability

New projects

Sub-project 6: Assessing baseline sustainability
literacy and awareness of SDGs and develop and test interventions. Part of SDG education and global citizenship in Qatar: Enhancing Qatar’s nested power in the global arena.
Sub-project Lead PI: Jennifer Bruder
Subaward partner:
NPRP-Cluster Project Director: Evren Tok, Hamad Bin
Khalifa University — Sub-project 6: Assessing baseline sustainability literacy and awareness of SDGs and develop and test interventions. Part of SDG education and global citizenship in Qatar: Enhancing Qatar’s nested power in the global arena.
Sub-project Lead PI: **Jennifer Bruder** Subaward partner: NPRP-Cluster Project Director: Evren Tok, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Resources and applications for detecting and classifying polarized and hate speech in Arabic social media.PI: Anis Charfi Subaward partners: Lead PI: Wajdi Zaghouani, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: George Mikros, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Marc Jones, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Georgios Dimitropoulos, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Fadi Makki, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy PI: Paolo Rosso, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia PI: Joe Cannataci, University of Groningen PI: Aitana Radu, University of Mala — Resources and applications for detecting and classifying polarized and hate speech in Arabic social media.
PI: **Anis Charfi** Subaward partners: Lead PI: Wajdi Zaghouani, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: George Mikros, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Marc Jones, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Georgios Dimitropoulos, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Fadi Makki, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy PI: Paolo Rosso, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia PI: Joe Cannataci, University of Groningen PI: Aitana Radu, University of Mala

FemtoQlouds: Leveraging edge resources to enable personalized and federated deep learning for mHealth applications. Postdoctoral researcher: Hend Gedawy Faculty, mentor: Khaled Harras — FemtoQlouds: Leveraging edge resources to enable personalized and federated deep learning for mHealth applications.
Postdoctoral researcher: Hend Gedawy Faculty, mentor: **Khaled Harras**

Sustainable bioplastics production from industrial waste waters using photosynthetic microbial production of
polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
PI: Annette Vincent
Subaward partners:
Lead PI: Hamish Robert Mackey, Hamad Bin Khalifa
University
PI: Albert Liberski, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
PI: Adriaan Luyt, Qatar University
PI: Mabrouk Querderni, Qatar Petrochemical Company — Sustainable bioplastics production from industrial waste waters using photosynthetic microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
PI: **Annette Vincent** Subaward partners: Lead PI: Hamish Robert Mackey, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Albert Liberski, Hamad Bin Khalifa University PI: Adriaan Luyt, Qatar University PI: Mabrouk Querderni, Qatar Petrochemical Company

Teams of aquatic/aerial robots for marine environmental
monitoring (TAREM)
Lead PI: Gianni Di Caro
Subaward partners:
PI: Enrico Simetti, University of Genova
PI: Filippo Arrichiello, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio — Teams of aquatic/aerial robots for marine environmental monitoring (TAREM)
Lead PI: **Gianni Di Caro** Subaward partners: PI: Enrico Simetti, University of Genova PI: Filippo Arrichiello, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio

Qatari Linguistic Map
Lead PI: Zeinab Ibrahim
PI: Houda Bouamor
Subaward partners:
PI: Mohamed Mahgoub, Doha International Family Institute
PI: Aisha Sultan, Doha International Family Institute
PI: Hany Abdelrhem, Georgetown University in Qatar — Qatari Linguistic Map
Lead PI: **Zeinab Ibrahim** PI: **Houda Bouamor** Subaward partners: PI: Mohamed Mahgoub, Doha International Family Institute PI: Aisha Sultan, Doha International Family Institute PI: Hany Abdelrhem, Georgetown University in Qatar

Bringing computer science to secondary schools –
Curriculum design and implementation
Lead PI: Saquib Razak — Bringing computer science to secondary schools – Curriculum design and implementation
Lead PI: **Saquib Razak**

The garbled computer: Towards computing without seeing
PI: Ryan Riley
Subaward partner:
Lead PI: Qutaibah Malluhi, Qatar University — The garbled computer: Towards computing without seeing
PI: **Ryan Riley** Subaward partner: Lead PI: Qutaibah Malluhi, Qatar University

Using bacteriophages as biomonitoring tools for water quality measurements
Lead PI: Annette Vincent
PI: Valentin Ilyin
Subaward partner:
PI: Basem Shomar, Qatar Environment and Energy
Research Institute (QEERI), HBKU — Using bacteriophages as biomonitoring tools for water quality measurements
Lead PI: **Annette Vincent** PI: Valentin Ilyin Subaward partner: PI: Basem Shomar, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), HBKU

Molecular profiling of breast cancer transcriptome and
splicing aberrations
Lead PI: Ihab Younis — Molecular profiling of breast cancer transcriptome and splicing aberrations
Lead PI: Ihab Younis

Student Research

Through research projects, students develop the skills of intellectual rigor and creative problem solving that are integral to their careers and future studies.

Meeting of the Minds

Since 2007, Meeting of the Minds has provided an opportunity each year for students to present their research work to the community. With pandemic restrictions preventing an in-person event, CMU-Q created a digital version to share this work.

Meeting of the Minds 2020 projects, by faculty advisor

“At its essence, research is about collaboration, and the Meeting of the Minds reflects the Carnegie Mellon culture of mentoring, teamwork and innovation, especially in challenging times.”

Michael Trick

Dean