Meet Our Academic Team

Prof. Mohamed K. Watfa is currently the Executive Dean at the British Applied College, UAE. He was previously the Associate Dean, Program Director, Head of Innovation & IOT and Full Professor in the Faculty and Engineering and Info Sciences at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE for more than 14 years. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, USA and was one of the youngest PhD holders to graduate from his university at the age of 23. Prof. Watfa is also the co-founder of the first simulation and smart system research center in the UAE. He was the only faculty member to have won the Research excellence award for four consecutive times along with the Teaching & Innovation excellence award awards. He is also the founder of the International School of Innovation, Lebanon, a unique IOT smart school concept in the region. His research interests include: Smart systems, IOT, Vehicular networks & Ubiquitous Computing; Big Data Analytics, Mobile Computing, AI & Intelligent systems; IT, Engineering & Innovation management; AR/AR Educational Technologies; and Sustainability. He is the author of a number of books, the editor of a number of international journals, and the organizer of a number of international conferences. He has more than 150 highly ranked journal articles, conference publications, books, book chapters and patents. He has attracted more than 1.5 million USD in research grants as P.I. from national and international agencies.

Mark Langer has over 40 years of management and teaching experience with the U.S. federal government, armed forces, and private industry. He has been in the United Arab Emirates since September 2005 and served as an instructor at Preston University-Ajman until February 2006. He joined American Educational Institutions LLC as the Executive Advisor and prepared all of the documents required by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) for the initial licensure and accreditation of what was to eventually become the City University College of Ajman. ​ His academic experience includes teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the USA and UAE. ​Mark served as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness (IE) at CUCA from 2011 to 2017.​In December 2017, Mark joined The University of Modern Sciences in Dubai as its Director of Institutional Effectiveness where he directly supported the University mission in capacities similar to those mentioned above. In June 2018, he began a one-year venture as a Higher Education Advisor, where he took part in several enhancement projects for UAE public and private colleges and universities. Mark joined the British Applied College in Umm Al Quwain where he served as Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Director of Continuing Education and Training. He is currently Chair of the English Language Department. ​

Timothy Craig qualified to teach students who study English as a second language through the CELTA (or Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) program. He has spent the last 10 years in the UAE teaching English at various universities, colleges, language institutions, and commercial companies.​

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Prior to teaching, he worked in the hospitality industry, which took him from his home country in the UK to France, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. Finally, he served as the General Manager of the Sharjah Continental Hotel, UAE, for over 14 years.​

Dr. Saleem is a distinguished academic professional currently serving as a Business Faculty member at BACU. With an extensive and diverse career spanning over two decades, he has demonstrated remarkable expertise in leading Career Enhancement Centers, overseeing program management, and directing the operational aspects of educational institutions. He is a qualified Trainer for Internal and External Quality Assurance, specializing in British Qualifications. He is a recognized Subject Matter Expert, particularly in BTEC, contributing significantly to the development and sustained growth of educational institutions through effective student recruitment and retention strategies. Furthermore, Dr. Saleem has served as a Quality Adviser for Pearson Assured Centers in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, with a dedicated focus on building institutions that prioritize student success. He has excelled in obtaining accreditation from both national and international accrediting bodies such as ACCA, Edexcel, CIM, CPA, and various universities. In addition, he is a qualified Auditor for Quality Management Systems (QMS) ISO 9001:2008, certified by IRCA. His expertise extends to handling examination processes, student registrations, and developing comprehensive fee structures while ensuring sound financial record-keeping procedures for educational institutions.
 

Dr, Imen Soussi is an architect with a Ph.D. from the University of Carthage in Tunisia. Her master’s was about the science of shapes and Her thesis was about the Parametric Reverse engineering for the Imperial Roman baths. She started her teaching experience in 2014 in Tunisia and did some teaching internships at the university of Lyon France, She supervised several graduation projects for both architecture and interior design students. She worked on some research projects such as the Rehabilitation of the historical facades as the safeguarding of the medina of Sousse which was funded by the French Development Agency. She worked on different architectural projects from different scales and levels, she participated also in some workshops regarding construction and sustainable materials. She lately joined British Applied college in October 2020 as a faculty within the architecture and interior design department.

Mr. Mohamed El Garhy has been with the British Applied College since January 2020. He has over 11 years of higher education experience, teaching Architectural studies in both Egypt and the UAE. He completed his Bachelor of Architectural Engineering degree from Kafr El Sheikh University, Egypt, in 2011. He then earned a Master of Science in Architectural Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Egypt, In 2017. His thesis was entitled Polymers in the Design and Implementation of the Building Envelope. He also published a scientific paper on Polymers as Building Envelope Materials that same year. Mr. El Garhy is currently pursuing a PhD in Architectural Engineering through the Faculty of Engineering at Alexandria University.

Dr. Saleema Panda is presently working as a faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering, British Applied College, Umm al Quwain, UAE. She has one year postdoctoral experience on granular rheology from National university of Singapore. She has completed Ph.D. in the field of structural engineering at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India. During PhD, she worked on nonlinear analyses of plates using finite element method.

Dr. Sheena Noorjahan is presently a member of the faculty in the Business Department at the British Applied College located in Umm Al Quwain. With a combined total of seven years of experience as an Assistant Professor in both the United Arab Emirates and India, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role.  Dr. Sheena holds a Doctoral degree in Business Management, which she earned from Kerala University, further complemented by a Master's degree in Business Administration from Cochin University of Science and Technology. Her educational journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Kerala University.
In her pursuit of continuous professional development, Dr. Sheena has has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences, further solidifying her standing as an accomplished academic in the field of business

Dr. D.C. Haran Pragalath, is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the British Applied College. He earned his PhD at the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, India. He completed Post-Doctorate studies through the Indo-Canada Collaborative Project (IC-Impacts) on the Structural Health Monitoring of Structures Using Non-Contact Sensors. He also worked in GE Aviation as an Intern. He has been invited and presented as a Key note speakers in International conferences. His research interests include the Non-Linear Modelling of Structures, Performance-Based Seismic Design of Structures, Probabilistic Analysis of Structures, Uncertainty Quantification, Structural Health Monitoring, Optimization, Soft Computing, and Drones Application Developments.

Dr. Abdelrahman Alkharabsheh currently working as a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at British Applied College, located in Umm Al Quwain, UAE. He achieved his Bachelor of Computer Engineering degree from Technical College of Mousel, Iraq, in 1998. Following this, he completed his Master of Computer Sciences at Amman Arab University, Jordan, in 2005. He successfully obtained his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from The University of Liverpool, UK, in 2011. Dr. Alkharabsheh's research pursuits primarily revolve around the design, program, and development of an intelligent implantable system for the personalized treatment and management of hydrocephalus. This included mathematical and computer modelling using MATLAB and SIMULINK, and derivation of parameters.  Furthermore, his research interests extend to networking and cybersecurity, delving into areas like wireless communication protocols, fuzzy logic, intelligent expert systems, data mining, and multi-agent systems.

Ryda Simon is working in the field of Computer Science and Engineering for the past 16 years. She taught different programmes in Computing, Information Technology, Software/Computer Science and Engineering at the university level. Ryda was part of the department of Computing and IT of the University of Bolton Academic Centre- Ras Al Khaimah for the past 10+ years. Ryda completed her Master in Computer Application with distinction in 2006, Bachelor in Computer Science in 2003, and there after now pursuing Phd in Computer science with specialization in Machine Learning in Education Sector from Shri Venkateswhara University Gajraula UP, India. In addition to her academic pursuits, she received various, awards and recognitions including the best teacher award from Mar Baselious College Sasthamcottah Kollam Kerala, the best team leader, and the best project award from Cognizant Technology Solutions Chennai India Pvt Ltd.

Anusree KS is currently a lecturer in the Dept. of Computer Science at the British Applied College Umm Al Quwain. She has an experience of 4 years as an Assistant Professor in several Engineering Colleges. She holds a Master's degree in Engineering Specialized in Computer and Information Science from Govt: Engineering College Cherthala. She completed her bachelor’s in Information Technology from Cochin University of Science and Technology. She has also completed multiple certificates and professional development courses to add on to her expertise.

Dr. Santhosh J is currently working as a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at British Applied College, Umm Al Quwain, UAE. He obtained a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering from K.S.R. College of Engineering, Anna University, in 2008, and a Master of Computer Science and Engineering from K.S.R. College of Engineering (Autonomous), Anna University, in 2010. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Information and Communication  (CSE) from Anna University, Chennai, in 2018. He has over 12 years of experience in technical education and teaching. He is a reviewer for various international journals like Elsevier, Springer, etc. He is a life member of ISTE. His research interests are in the areas of Network Security, Wireless Sensor Networks, Internet of Things, and Cloud Computing. He published more than 25 technical papers in reputed international journals and conferences. He has served on the technical program committee for many conferences. He has delivered various guest lectures at various institutions.

Dr. Houssemeddine Gouta was born in Sousse, Tunisia, in July 1985. He received his Engineering diploma and Master degree, respectively, in Electrical Engineering in 2009 and in Information Processing in 2010 from the National School of Engineer of Tunis, Tunisia (E.N.I.T). He obtained the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the National Engineering School of Monastir, Tunisia, in 2016. He contributed as reviewer in many high-valuated journals in Control Engineering field. His research interests are focused on nonlinear control, theoretical aspects of nonlinear observers design and control of nonlinear systems.

Dr. Ahmed Hechri received his Electrical Engineering degree from the National School of Engineering of Sfax, Tunisia. He earned his M.S degree and Ph.D. degree in Electrical engineering both from National School of Engineering of Monastir. His main research interests are pattern recognition and hardware implementation for real time applications. His  particularly interested in practical applications of computer vision and image processing methods to problems in many vision applications such as surveillance, robotics and autonomous vehicle systems.

Dr. Sivakumar Ramalingam is currently the Assistant Dean – Faculty Affairs at the British Applied College, UAE for more than 4 years. He was previously an Associate Professor at Addis Ababa Science and Technology, Ethiopia for more than 2 years and worked at different colleges/universities in India in different administration capacities for more than 20 years. He received his Ph.D. from Anna University, Chennai, India in 2016. He has 9 journal articles and a conference publication. He has attracted research grants during his tenure at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. He has attended over 25 workshops as a part of Continuous Professional Development.  He has acted in the capacity of External Examiner, and Chief Examiner for various colleges in India.  He is also a peer reviewer of research articles for Advances in Mechanical Engineering, Sage Publications, and Internal Journal of Engineering Research and Technology.

Dr. Sathish Kumar Ramakrishnan is currently the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at British Applied College, Umm al Quwain, UAE. He worked as an Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati from November 2019 to November 2021. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, India in 2019. He worked as a Teaching Fellow at Vellore Institute of Technology Bhopal University, India, and as an Assistant Professor at Park College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India. He is interested in teaching Applied Mechanics, Materials, Manufacturing, Design and Simulation courses in Mechanical Engineering. He extensively uses AutoCAD, SolidWorks and MATLAB for his teaching and research.