Symbio Living Lab

Our People

Meet the faculty and research assistants building human-centric AI and genuine sustainability solutions.

Professor Ahmed Seffah
Professor Ahmed Seffah
Full Professor & Founder, Symbio Living Lab
Human-Computer Interaction AI Software Engineering Sustainability

Professor Ahmed Seffah is a distinguished scholar pioneering human-centric AI systems engineering for sustainability at the intersection of HCI, Software Engineering, and AI. In 2001, he coined the term "Human-Centered Software Engineering." He contributed a Human-Centric Design Theory grounded in Herbert Simon's "Sciences of the Artificial" and C-K Theory. As a full professor (CRC Tier II at Concordia University), he has designed 15+ academic programs, authored 8 books and 200+ publications, and mentored 15 PhD graduates now at IBM, SAP, and Oracle. He is the founder of the Symbio Living Lab, bridging AI software systems with sustainability challenges in the UAE, GCC, and MENA regions.

+971 2 599 3314 Ahmed.Seffah@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Fatna Belqasmi
Dr. Fatna Belqasmi
Associate Professor · College of Technological Innovation
Cloud Computing Internet of Things Next-Gen Networks

Dr. Fatna Belqasmi holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in electrical and computer engineering from Concordia University, Canada. Her research interests include next generation networks, cloud computing, virtualization, IoT, and networking technologies for emerging economies. She has co-authored over 19 peer-reviewed journal articles and 40 conference papers, and holds 1 granted patent. Previously, she conducted research at Ericsson Canada with an NSERC Industrial R&D Fellowship, and served as R&D engineer at Maroc Telecom, Morocco.

+971 2 599 3188 Fatna.Belqasmi@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Hamda Al Breiki
Dr. Hamda Al Breiki
Assistant Professor · College of Technological Innovation
Blockchain & Trust Systems Engineering Software Development

Dr. Hamda Al Breiki holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Khalifa University, with her thesis defining a trust requirements model for blockchain systems. She co-founded a start-up in systems development and worked on localizing the Scratch programming platform in cooperation with teams from MIT and UAE University. She served as an IT faculty member at the Higher Colleges of Technology (2012–2015) and has participated in programming competition judging committees for school students across the UAE.

+971 2 599 3655 Hamda.AlBreiki@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Ikbal Taleb
Dr. Ikbal Taleb
Assistant Professor · College of Technological Innovation
Big Data Quality Machine Learning Web Services

Dr. Ikbal Taleb holds a Ph.D. in Information and Systems Engineering from Concordia University, and an M.Sc. in Software Engineering from the University of Montreal, Canada. His research interests focus on big data quality, quality assessment and profiling, and web services. With more than twenty years of combined experience in industry and academia, he currently works with the College of Technological Innovations (CTI) at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi.

+971 2 599 3535 Ikbal.Taleb@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Imane Belyamani
Dr. Imane Belyamani
Assistant Professor · College of Natural and Health Sciences
Green Chemistry Plastics Recycling Biopolymers

Dr. Imane Belyamani specializes in green chemistry and sustainable materials. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Material Science from Jean Monnet University, France (2011). Previously an Assistant Professor in France and Research Associate in the USA focusing on polymer science, she now conducts research on plastics recycling and sustainable materials at Zayed University. Her teaching spans Organic Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Circular Economy, Polymers, and Biopolymers.

+971 2 599 3730 imane.belyamani@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Manar Bani Mfarrej
Dr. Manar Bani Mfarrej
Assistant Professor · College of Natural & Health Sciences
Environmental Sustainability Nanotechnology Climate Adaptation

Dr. Manar Bani Mfarrej is an expert in Sustainability Sciences and Environmental Management, with experience in both academia and industry. Her work focuses on sustainable solutions at the intersection of environmental science, nanotechnology, and climate adaptation. She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability and Environmental Studies from the University of Jordan and teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability at Zayed University. Her research explores nanoparticle-based and nature-based solutions addressing pollution, resource efficiency, climate resilience in arid regions, and food security. She has published in international journals on sustainability and environmental management. Through her work with the Symbio Living Lab, she integrates human-centered technologies with sustainability solutions.

+971 2 599 3166 Manar.Mfarrej@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Rachid Bentoumi
Dr. Rachid Bentoumi
Assistant Professor · College of Natural & Health Sciences
Statistical Modeling Machine Learning Biostatistics

Dr. Rachid Bentoumi holds a Ph.D. in Statistics and Probability from the University of Ottawa, Canada. His research focuses on dependence modeling using copulas, biostatistics, and survival analysis, with emphasis on integrating AI and machine learning to enhance statistical modeling and data-driven decision making. His work has broad applications in public health, climatology, education, and agriculture. He teaches Probability & Statistics, Regression Analysis, Biostatistics, and Applied Computer Science.

+971 2 599 3830 Rachid.Bentoumi@zu.ac.ae
Dr. Samia Loucif
Dr. Samia Loucif
Associate Professor · College of Technological Innovation
Communication Networks Network Security Problem Solving and Programming Operating Systems

Dr. Samia Loucif is an accomplished academic, researcher, and international scholar with over two decades of experience in higher education, distinguished by excellence in teaching, research, academic leadership, and global engagement. She is currently an Associate Professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Dr. Loucif earned her Ph.D. in Computing Science from University of Glasgow, following a Master’s degree jointly conducted between University of Constantine and the University of Glasgow, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Constantine. Her academic career spans several reputable institutions, including Zayed University, ALHOSN University, United Arab Emirates University, and University of Moncton. Across these roles, she has contributed to curriculum development, academic program design, and accreditation processes aligned with ABET, CAA, and MSCHE. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Senior Member of IEEE. Her research has evolved from parallel computing, interconnection networks, and simulation modeling into advanced work in artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and responsible AI, with leadership on competitive grants addressing AI-driven healthcare, smart systems, accessibility technologies, and predictive analytics.

+971 2 599 3547 samia.loucif@zu.ac.ae