Syed Hammad Hussain Shah

I'm

About

Syed Hammad Hussain Shah is currently working as a doctoral researcher as well as a university lecturer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. He is expected to complete his PhD in computer science after delivering his thesis by the end of April 2024. He completed his masters in computer science from Sejong University, South Korea, and his bachelors in software engineering from COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan. He has worked as a research assistant at the Mixed Reality and Interaction Lab at Sejong University, South Korea. He is a passionate software engineer specializing in human-centered design, user research, and programming in software development, with a keen eye for understanding user needs. He enjoys communicating and collaborating with stakeholders to understand their needs and address them through rapid prototyping for a better user experience and to achieve functional requirements. He aspires to contribute his expertise in system design and development, UX design, human-centered design, user research, and programming.

Contact Details

  • Phone: (0047) 4656 4323
  • City: Ålesund, Norway (Permanent Resident)
  • Email: hammad.shah38@gmail.com

Skills

Programming

Python, C# (.NET), C++, Javascript, Apache Spark

Databases

MSSQL, Entity Framework, Relational Database Design

MLOps

Azure Machine Learning (Azure ML), MLFlow

Environments & IDE

Unity3D game engine, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, ROS, Windows, Linux

User Experience (UX) Design

Human-centered Design, Codesign and Development, User Research

Research

Quantitative/Qualitative Data Analysis, Writing and Reviewing, Team Collaboration

Public Libraries

Tensorflow/Keras, OpenCV, Pandas, NumPy, Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK)

CI/CD Tools

Azure DevOps

Cloud Data Integration & Analytics

Azure Data Factory (ADF), Databricks

Software Development

Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Agile Methodology

Pedagogical

Curriculum Design, Preparing and Delivering Lectures, Conducting Practical Lab Sessions, Preparing and Conducting Examinations, Supervising Students in Industry and Research-oriented projects

Languages

English (fluent), Norwegian (basic), Urdu (native)

Education & Awards

Education

PhD in Computer Science

March, 2020 - Expecting to submit thesis in April, 2024. (Grade: A)

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

Masters in Computer Science

March, 2018 - February, 2020. (CGPA: 4.42/4.5 , Percentage: 98.4%)

Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea

Bachelor in Software Engineering

Sep. 2013 – Jun. 2017. (CGPA: 3.7/4.0, Percentage: 86.99%)

COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Pakistan

Honors & Awards

  • Awarded with the ‘Silver Medal’ for academic excellence, consistency in performance, and securing a second position at the end of bachelor studies.
  • Fully Funded Scholarship for Master Studies (2018-2020)
  • Delivered Oral Presentation at Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) International Conference 2022, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Delivered Oral Presentation at Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) International Conference 2021, Washington DC, USA.
  • Delivered Oral Presentation at IEEE - International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) 2021, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Delivered Oral Presentation at International Conference on Computer Science and its Applications 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Professional Experience

Doctoral Researcher

March, 2020 – Present

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

Key responsibilities:

  • Codesigned and developed applications of modern interactive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and social robots to investigate their role in eldercare.
  • Collected stakeholders' (elderly users and healthcare professionals) requirements by conducting user research and field studies.
  • Designed meaningful user experiences by applying UX design methodologies such as usability testing and user interviews.
  • Designed and developed machine learning algorithms for human activity recognition and time-series prediction for building intelligence and interactivity in applications for eldercare.
  • Hands-on experience with Oculus Quest, Hololens 2, and humanoid robots such as Pepper and NAO robot.
  • Designed data collection methods as well as planned and conducted user studies for final testing of user experience with the designed systems.
  • Conducted detailed analysis of data collected in user studies for better insights into user experience and design principles.
  • Published and presented research in high ranked international conferences and journals focused on HCI and expert systems.
  • Skills: C#, Unity3D, Python, Keras, Activity Recognition, ROS, NumPy, UX design, User research, User statistics, Data analysis

University Lecturer

August, 2021 – Present

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

Key responsibilities:

  • Designing and teaching two courses, i.e., Computer Graphics - IE500217 and Immersive Technologies - IE501914, to masters' students as a sole instructor.
  • In the course titled 'Computer Graphics', students focus on theoretical concepts related to computer graphics and practically implement these concepts in a web-based project using WebGL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • In the course titled 'Immersive Technologies', students focus on the history and underlying concepts of VR/AR devices, UX design, and development of VR/AR applications using Unity3D. At the end of course, students deliver a final project which focuses on VR or AR application and UX design principles.
  • Supervised bachelor and masters' students in specializing projects and thesis. Names of the projects are as follows:
    • Intelligent Holographic Mixed Reality System For Health Workers In Nursing Homes (Masters)
    • Multi-Agent Robot-based System to Monitor and Enforce Safety Measures against COVID-19 and Future Pandemics (Masters)
    • Intelligent and Adaptive User Interfaces (Masters)
    • Augmented Reality Based Application for Interior Designing (Bachelor)
    • Companion Robot for Elderly at Nursing Homes (Bachelor)

Research Assistant

March, 2018 – February, 2020

Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea

Key responsibilities:

  • Conducted research on the potential use of immersive technologies i.e., VR and MR, in multimedia entertainment and air traffic control.
  • Applied UX design in collaboration with professionals and researchers from various departments including multimedia entertainment and aerospace to understand user needs.
  • Codesigned and developed applications tailored to the user needs for better user experience.
  • Planned and conducted user interviews and usability testing for understanding users’ perspective.
  • Developed image processing algorithms for object tracking in 360° videos.
  • Designed data collection methods as well as planned and conducted user studies.
  • Detailed analysis of data yielded by user studies.
  • Published and presented research in high ranked international conferences and journals focused on HCI and expert systems.
  • Skills: C#, Unity3D, Python, OpenCV, UX design, User research, HCI research, User statistics, Data analysis

Full-stack Web Developer

July, 2017 – November, 2017

COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Designed and developed multiple web applications.
  • Planned activities and collaborated with concerned departments to understand their practices and needs, implement these requirements in the web system, and perform functional and usability testing.
  • Implemented business logic as a backend developer as well as implement UI design as a frontend developer.
  • Designed relational databases and implemented them using database management studio.
  • Skills: Web development, Database design and development, C#, .NET core, REST APIs, SQL, Entity framework, NoSQL, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Web Forms, MVC, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

Projects

  • All
  • Virtual Reality
  • Mixed Reality
  • Social Robot
  • Web
Social VR (Metaverse)-based Collaborative Exergame for Eldercare
Mulitperson Activity Recognition Framework for Robot-assisted Healthcare Applications
Multi-Agent Robot System to Monitor and Enforce COVID-19 Rules in Large Areas
Holographic Mixed Reality System for Air Traffic Control and Management
Intelligent Holographic Mixed-Reality System for Health Data Management in Nursing Practice
Authoring Tool for Generating Multiple Experiences from a 360° Video
Smart Parking Application
Web Portal for Student Application Management

Testimonials

Hammad works seriously and passionately on all assigned research tasks and produces high-quality results through constant effort and responsibility. He consistently strives to achieve his goals and shows perseverance in carrying out his research to the end without giving in to difficulties.

Dr. Jong Weon Lee

Professor, Department of Software, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
Email: jwlee@sejong.ac.kr

Hammad is an enthusiastic and dedicated individual. His commitment to excellence is commendable. His strong work ethics and ability to adapt to challenges make him a valuable contributor.


Dr. Farhan Aadil

Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan.
Email: farhan.aadil@cuiatk.edu.pk

Hammad is a hard-working individual with fast learning skills. His passion for learning and attention to detail make him a valuable asset in any endeavor.




Dr. Faisal Jamil

Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Engineering, Department of Computer Science, University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Email: F.Jamil@hud.ac.uk

Publications

An efficient and lightweight multiperson activity recognition framework for robot-assisted healthcare applications

Expert Systems with Applications (IF: 8.5)
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Anniken Susanne T Karlsen, Mads Solberg, Ibrahim A Hameed (Link to Paper)


A social VR-based collaborative exergame for rehabilitation: codesign, development and user study

Virtual Reality (IF: 4.2)
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Anniken Susanne T Karlsen, Mads Solberg, Ibrahim A Hameed (Link to Paper)


Towards a Social VR-based Exergame for Elderly Users: An Exploratory Study of Acceptance, Experiences and Design Principles

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) International Conference - 2022
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Ibrahim A. Hameed, Anniken Susanne T. Karlsen, Mads Solberg (Link to Paper)


Multi-Agent Robot System to Monitor and Enforce Physical Distancing Constraints in Large Areas to Combat COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

Applied Sciences (IF: 2.7)
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Ole-Martin Steinnes, Eirik Gribbestad Gustafsson, Ibrahim A. Hameed (Link to Paper)


Multi-Agent System Based Mobile Help Desk and Monitoring of Safety Measures to Combat COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

IEEE - International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) - 2021
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Ole-Martin Steinnes, Eirik Gribbestad Gustafsson, Ibrahim A. Hameed (Link to Paper)


Health Data Management for Nursing Practice: An Intelligent, Holographic Mixed-Reality System

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) International Conference - 2021
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Bjørnar Longva, Ibrahim A. Hameed, Mads Solberg, Anniken Susanne T. Karlsen (Link to Paper)


Classification of Failures in the Perception of Conversational Agents (CAs) and Their Implications on Patient Safety

Conference on Public Health and Informatics. IOS Press - 2021
Haris Aftab, Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Ibrahim Habli (Link to Paper)


Real-Time Application for Generating Multiple Experiences from 360° Panoramic Video by Tracking Arbitrary Objects and Viewer’s Orientations

Applied Sciences (IF: 2.7)
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Kyungjin Han, Jong Weon Lee (Link to Paper)


Holographic Mixed Reality System for Air Traffic Control and Management

Applied Sciences (IF: 2.7)
Kyungjin Han, Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Jong Weon Lee (Link to Paper)


Interaction Paradigms for Air Traffic Control and Management in Mixed Reality

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) International Conference - 2019
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Kyungjin Han, Jong Weon Lee (Link to Paper)


Authoring Tool for Generating Multiple Experiences of 360° Virtual Reality

International Conference on Computer Science and its Applications - 2018
Syed Hammad Hussain Shah, Jong Weon Lee (Link to Paper)