Shareef Mahdi- Network Science Award – Best Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Shareef Mahdi- Network Science Award – Best Researcher Award

Dr. Shareef Mahdi distinguished academic and researcher in the field Network Science. He is a highly motivated and dedicated doctor currently in his first year of general surgery specialty training (ST3) in the West Midlands. His clinical interests encompass oesophagogastric surgery, along with emergency general surgery, major trauma, and global/humanitarian surgery. Academically, his goal is to complete a PhD/DPhil with a focus on oesophageal or gastric cancer during the early phase of being a registrar (ST3-5), then rejoin training in the clinical academic route as an Academic Clinical Lecturer (ACL) with the aim of achieving Senior Lectureship as a Consultant. He is also keen on medical education, leadership, and management. His long-term aspiration is to undergo training in all aspects of elective oesophagogastric surgery and emergency general and major trauma surgery, and to become a substantive consultant surgeon in the NHS, while maintaining a global perspective and engaging in humanitarian surgery abroad.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

He completed his education at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, achieving a Master of Science with Distinction in Trauma Sciences (Military and Humanitarian) from 2020 to 2022. Prior to that, he earned a First-Class Honours iBSc in Prehospital Medicine from 2017 to 2018 and completed his MBBS in Medicine with a Final Year Merit from 2013 to 2019. In terms of postgraduate exams and courses, he successfully completed the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Provider Course in November 2021, passed the MRCS Part B Exam in September 2021, and attended the East of England Foundation School Train The Trainer (TTT) Course in December 2020. He also passed the MRCS Part A Exam in September 2020 and completed the Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) Course in March 2020.

 

Research, Clinical Audit and Quality Improvement Experience

Research at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (RLUH) – 2021 to 2023
• Research as part of the upper GI cancer group including basic science project looking into the utility of PDL1 checkpoint inhibition in the adjuvant setting
for patients with resected junctional adenocarcinoma and a pyloric drainage network meta-analysis (February 2022 to present)
• Quality Improvement Project looking into management of Gallstone Disease at RLUH (February 2022 to present)
• Audit of pre-operative anaemia assessment and management in upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery (May to August 2022)
• Retrospective cohort study looking into outcomes of robotic colorectal cancer surgery patients at RLUH (October 2021 to September 2022)
Research at the Centre for Trauma Sciences, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry – 2021 to 2022
• Prevalence of chronic pain after severe lower limb injury (SLLI): a systematic review and meta-analysis in partial fulfilment of MSc Dissertation (October
2021 to September 2022)
Research at the Lister Hospital – 2019 to 2021
• Retrospective cohort study highlighting changes in practice in the management of appendicitis due to COVID-19 – work submitted for publication in the
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons (England).
• Retrospective cohort study examining documentation practice of hernia repairs over a decade – work presented at the Association of Surgeons in Training
(ASiT), March 2016 and Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), July-August 2020 conferences. Accepted for publications in the Annals
of the Royal College of Surgeons (England).
Research at the Institute of Prehospital Care, London’s Air Ambulance – 2017 to 2018
• Systematic Literature Review titled ‘The Definition and Categorisation of Preventable Prehospital Trauma Deaths: Recommendation for Uniform Reporting’
in partial fulfilment of iBSc Dissertation (January 2018 to June 2018)
Research at the Royal London Hospital – 2015 to 2019
• SNAP-2: Epidemiology of Critical Care provision after surgery (EpiCCS) – July 2018 – Data collection for a multi-centre collaborative study looking at provision
of specialist care after major surgery. Contributed to data collection.
• Surgical education piece of work, in the form of a survey assessing the use of Snapchat as a means of streaming surgical procedures for training – work
presented nationally at the Global Surgical Frontiers conference at The Royal College of Surgeons, England, March 2017
• Closed loop audit on peripheral line care and patient safety on surgical wards in a large tertiary centre – work presented internationally at European Society
for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) conference, May 2017
• Closed loop audit assessing the association between patient recall of consultant and nurse names and the presence of those names on boards near the
patients’ beds, in relation to the ‘#hellomynameis campaign – work presented nationally at ASiT conference, March 2016

Leadership, Management and Teaching Experience

  1. In his leadership, management, and teaching roles, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering growth and development in various settings. Currently serving as the Junior Trainees Lead at Roux Group since February 2023, he actively encourages junior trainees to pursue careers in upper gastrointestinal or hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. He is also involved in organizing national conferences and training events. His tenure as the Staff and Associate Specialists Council (SASC) Representative at the Mersey Junior Doctor Committee (MJDC) from September 2021 to September 2022 involved advocating for colleagues at local, regional, and national levels. As a Foundation Representative for the Surgical Trainees in East of England Research (STEER) Collaborative from October 2020 to July 2021, he played a key role in organizing research activities and facilitating data collection. Additionally, his experience as Course Lead for the Surgical Skills SSC from December 2016 to July 2021 highlights his ability to design and implement educational programs effectively. He has also contributed significantly to community initiatives, such as his role as Expansion Officer at StreetDoctors Ltd from May 2018 to November 2018, where he conducted research on youth violence trends and helped expand the organization’s reach. Furthermore, his leadership roles within Barts and The London Surgical Society demonstrate his proficiency in organizing events and implementing mentorship schemes for aspiring surgeons. As a Team Leader and Project Manager at Medify Ltd from June 2015 to August 2016, he led a project aimed at providing fairer access to medical school through data collection and application support initiatives. Through these experiences, he has honed skills in leadership, communication, organization, and project management, which will undoubtedly contribute to his future endeavors in surgery and academia.

Awards and Achievements

• The Gordon Cassie Postgraduate Fund (2020)
• Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) Africa Elective Bursary (2019)
• Institute of Medical Ethics (IME) Prize for ‘Best Poster Presentation’ at ASiT Conference (2016)
• Rod Flower Vacation Research Scholarship (2014)
• Ian Hart Vacation Research Scholarship (2013)

 

📝🔬Publications📝🔬

• Mahdi, S., Stoner, R.S., Wyatt, J., De’Ath, H., Perkins, Z. 2024. Prevalence of chronic pain after severe lower limb injury (SLLI): a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Injury.
• CholeCovid Collaborative. Mahdi, S. (collaborator), et al. 2022. Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the
COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study). Brit J Surg Open. 6 (3)
• STARSurg Collaborative. Mahdi, S. (collaborator), et al. 2022. Impact of postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing
major gastrointestinal surgery on 1-year survival and renal outcomes: a national multicentre cohort study. Brit J Surg Open. 5(6)
• Farquharson, B., Sivarajah, V., Mahdi, S., Bergman, H., Jeyarajah, S. 2021. Where is the nerve? Review of operation note
documentation practice for inguinal hernia repair. Ann Roy Coll Surg.
• Sivarajah, V., Farquharson, B., Mahdi, S., Cathcart, P., Jeyarajah, S. 2020. Chronic groin pain following open inguinal hernia repair –
Has consenting practice improved? Ann Roy Coll Surg.
• GlobalSurg Collaborative. Mahdi, S. (collaborator), et al. 2019. Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation
following left-sided colorectal resection. Brit J Surg Open. 3(3): 403-414
• GlobalSurg Collaborative. Mahdi, S. (collaborator), et al. 2019. Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality
after emergency laparotomy. Brit J Surg. 106(2): e103-e112

. Prevalence of chronic pain after severe lower limb injury (SLLI): a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fardin Noori – Topological Networks – Graph Analytics Pioneer Award

Published on by Network Science

Mr. Fardin Noori distinguished academic and researcher in the field  Topological Networks.  He has accumulated valuable teaching experiences, primarily within the realm of Electrical Engineering in the Oil, Gas, and Energy Industries. From August 2020 to February 2023, he played a pivotal role in instructing newly graduated trainees through an intensive course at Tarh O Palayesh Engineering Company in Tehran, Iran. In this capacity, he imparted essential knowledge and practical skills relevant to the industry, contributing to the professional development of aspiring engineers. Additionally, in February 2020, he facilitated a course focused on Solar Cells and Modules Production at the same institution. Through these teaching engagements, he has demonstrated his commitment to knowledge dissemination and nurturing the next generation of industry professionals.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

He pursued his education with a focus on Electrical Engineering, specializing in Power Systems. This journey commenced with his Bachelor of Science degree at the Electrical Engineering Department of Shahid Rajaee University in Tehran, Iran, where he achieved a commendable GPA of 15.82/20 over the duration of four years, from September 2010 to September 2014. Building upon this foundation, he furthered his academic pursuits by attaining a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering – Power Systems from Shahid Beheshti University, also located in Tehran, Iran. During this advanced program, spanning from September 2015 to February 2018, he demonstrated his commitment to excellence with a GPA of 14.63/20. His dedication to his field was evident even during his earlier academic years, as reflected in his impressive GPA of 19.27/20 during his High School and Pre-University Diploma studies from September 2006 to September 2010, with a focus on Mathematics and Physics. Throughout his educational journey, he exhibited a strong aptitude for his chosen field, laying a solid foundation for his future endeavors in Electrical Engineering.

Research Interest

His research interests encompass a diverse array of topics within the realm of Electrical Engineering. With a keen focus on advancing the field, he is particularly drawn to exploring the intricacies of Microgrid and Smart Grid technologies, recognizing their potential to revolutionize energy distribution systems. Delving into the complexities of the Electricity Market, he seeks to unravel the dynamics shaping its evolution and impact on energy accessibility and affordability. His commitment to sustainability is evident in his pursuit of understanding Renewable Energy Integration strategies, aiming to optimize their utilization and minimize reliance on traditional energy sources. Additionally, he is intrigued by the challenges posed by Uncertainty Modeling, endeavoring to develop robust frameworks to address unpredictabilities in energy systems. Furthermore, his interests extend to Energy Management Systems, where he explores innovative approaches to enhance efficiency and reliability in energy consumption. Finally, he is captivated by the possibilities presented by Energy Storage Systems, recognizing their pivotal role in facilitating the transition towards a more resilient and sustainable energy landscape. Through his research pursuits, he aspires to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of these critical areas within Electrical Engineering.

🏆🏆HONORS AND AWARDS🏆🏆

He has consistently demonstrated exceptional academic prowess and performance, earning recognition at various levels of education. Notably, in 2015, he achieved an outstanding rank of 187th in the National-Wide University Entrance Exam for Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, showcasing his aptitude and dedication to his field of study. His academic excellence was further underscored in 2010 when he distinguished himself within the top 2 percent nationwide in the Mathematics and Physics University Entrance Exam for Bachelor’s Degree. This remarkable achievement, surpassing over 320,000 participants, reflects his exemplary command of the subject matter and his ability to excel in competitive academic environments. Moreover, throughout his high school and pre-university years from 2006 to 2010, he consistently ranked among the top students, earning recognition for his academic achievements and dedication to learning. His consistent track record of academic excellence speaks volumes about his commitment to intellectual growth and his innate talent in the field of mathematics and physics.

WORK EXPERIENCE 

He brings a wealth of practical experience to his professional portfolio, having held various roles within the engineering domain. Commencing his career journey as a Power System Engineering Intern at Sheikh Baha’i High Voltage Substation in Tehran, Iran, he laid the groundwork for his future endeavors. His career trajectory led him to assume roles of increasing responsibility and expertise at Tarh O Palayesh Engineering Company in Tehran, Iran. Here, he demonstrated his leadership abilities as a Project Manager, overseeing the Asalouyeh Operational Base Solar Power Plant Project from December 2021 to June 2023. Prior to this, he served as a Project Section Leader of Overhead Transmission Line Discipline, managing tasks related to integrated environment studies and engineering design for the Sohrab Oil Field Development Project.

His tenure also saw him contribute as a Renewable Engineer, conducting feasibility studies for renewable energy utilization in the Andisheh New Town Project. Additionally, he held the position of Deputy Head of Electrical Discipline, showcasing his strategic acumen and organizational skills. His role as an Electrical Engineer and Designer involved spearheading critical projects such as the South Pars Gas Company Refineries Safety Systems Upgrading Project and the Kish Gas Field Development Project. Throughout his career, he has exhibited a strong commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainability, contributing significantly to the advancement of the engineering industry in Iran.

 

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Syarifuddin – Network Science – Best Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Mr.  Syarifuddin distinguished academic and researcher in the field Network science.He has been actively engaged in research and academic roles at Hasanuddin University, Indonesia. Since 2022, he has served as a Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Materials and Energy Physics, where he contributes to various research projects. Additionally, he has been part of the Publication Management Center since 2022, where he collaborates with teams to oversee publication-related activities. Prior to these roles, from 2020 to 2022, he gained experience as a Research Assistant at the Laboratory of Materials and Energy Physics, further solidifying his expertise in the field.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

Since 2018, he has been pursuing his undergraduate studies at Hasanuddin University, focusing on Materials Physics within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Currently, he is a graduate student at the same university, specializing in Biocomposite Nanomaterials under the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, a path he embarked on in 2023.

He was the recipient of the Bidikmisi scholarship, an Indonesian government education assistance program, from 2018 to 2021 while studying at Hasanuddin University. This scholarship provided him with financial support to pursue his undergraduate studies, highlighting his academic achievements and dedication to his education

WORK EXPERIENCE 🧬🔗

He possesses a diverse range of scientific expertise spanning various areas. His scientific interests revolve around Nonlinear Material Structure and Dynamics, encompassing bifurcation analysis, nonlinear waves, and nanomaterial dynamics in biocomposites. Additionally, he excels in Synthesis and Characterization, adept in synthesis methods and material characterization techniques. Furthermore, he demonstrates proficiency in exploring Technology Applications such as environmentally friendly materials, nanomaterial-based drug delivery platforms, and nanoscale electronic devices. His skills extend to Research Trend Analysis and research network mapping, facilitating visualization of research networks and trends. With language proficiency in both Indonesian (native) and English (intermediate), he effectively communicates his findings. In terms of technical expertise, he is well-versed in PC Operation System with Microsoft Windows, programming languages including MatLab and Rstudio, and various office suites/publishing tools like Microsoft Office and LaTeX. Moreover, he exhibits proficiency in graphics software such as Tableau, Citespace, VosViewer, CorelDraw, Origin Pro, ImageJ, and HighScore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sajal Halder – Network Science – Best Researcher Award

Published on by Network Science

Sajal Halder – Network Science

Dr. Sajal Halder distinguished academic and researcher in the field Network science. He is currently working as a Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University, Australia. He has completed PhD in Computer Science at RMIT University and he has been appointed as an Assistant Professor (on study leave) at Jagannath University, Bangladesh since August 2017. His research interests are Personalized Itinerary Recommendation Systems, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Periodic Behavior Mining in Large-Scale Graph, Trajectory Behavior Analysis and Real Life Big Data Analysis.

Eduvation

He completed his academic journey with a stellar record, culminating in a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the School of Computing Technologies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with graduation in December 2022. His research focus during his doctoral studies was on the development of itinerary recommendation systems using deep learning methodologies. Under the guidance of A/Prof Jeffrey Chan and Prof. Xiuzhen Zhang, he contributed to the advancement of knowledge in this domain.

Prior to his doctoral pursuits, He earned a Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering from Kyung Hee University in South Korea, graduating with distinction in August 2013. His academic excellence is underscored by an impressive Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.23/4.30 (95.25%). His master’s thesis, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Young-Koo Lee, delved into the exploration of supergraph-based periodic behaviors mining in dynamic social networks.

Commencing his academic journey,  he achieved a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, with graduation in November 2010. Displaying academic prowess, he secured a CGPA of 3.60/4.00, securing the 5th position out of 59 students. His final undergraduate project, conducted under the guidance of Supervisor Ashis Kumar Biswas, focused on the classification of multiple protein sequences through the analysis of irredundant patterns.

In summary, his educational background reflects a trajectory marked by academic excellence and a commitment to cutting-edge research in the fields of computer science and engineering.

Professional Profiles:

EXPERIENCE

• We developed a metadata-based malicious and benign package detection model for the NPM repository.
• We introduced two sets of features, easy to manipulate (ETM) and difficult to manipulate (DTM),
where manipulating DTM depends on long-term planning and monotonic properties. Then, we verify
our feature selection effectiveness based on four well known machine learning and one deep learning
techniques.
• We also analyse algorithms’ performance using metadata manipulation and recommend better metadata adversarial attack-resistant algorithms.
• Experiment analysis shows that our proposed model reduces 97.56% False Positive and 80.35 % False
Negative number.
• Achievement 1: Sajal Halder et al. ”Malicious Package Detection using Metadata Information”, In
submission (A* Conference).
• Achievement 2: Sajal Halder et al. ”Install Time Malicious Package Detection on NPM Repository”,
In process.
Skills: Feature Engineering, Data Scraping, Open Source Software, Machine Learning Model, Deep Learning,
Python, Report/Article Writing, Data Visualization and Teamw

PhD Researcher, RMIT University Melbourne, Australia.

i. Project Title: Capacity aware Fair POI Recommendation using Users Satisfaction.
Innovation: Design a novel fair POI recommendation model considering POI capacity and users preferences.
Language and Tools: Python, Actor-critic network, GCN, Tensorflow, Neural Network, Graph Allocation and Optimization
Duration: July 2021 to date.
ii. Project Title: Deep reinforcement learning of dynamic POI generation and optimization for itinerary
recommendation
Innovation: Propose and implement deep actor-critic network based itinerary recommendation model
named DRLIR.
Language and Tools: Python, AWS, Actor-critic network, GCN, Tensorflow, Neural Network
Duration: January 2021 to June 2021.
iii. Project Title: POI Recommendation with Queuing Time and User Interest Awareness
Innovation: Improve users interest based multi-tasking based transformer architecture models (TLR U
and TLR-M UI) for best POI recommendation.
Language and Tools: Python, PyCharm, Jupyter, Tensorflow, Keras, Matplotlib, Transformer, Lucid
Chart, Overleaf
Duration: March 2020 to December 2020.
iv. Project Title: Transformer-based Multi-tasking for Queuing Time Aware Next POI Recommendation
Innovation: Design and implement multi-tasking based transformer architecture models (TLR and
TLR-M) for better POI recommendation.
Language and Tools: Python, PyCharm, Jupyter, Tensorflow, Keras, Matplotlib, Transformer, Lucid
Chart, Overleaf
Duration: August 2019 to February 2020.
v. Project Title: Efficient Itinerary Recommendation via Personalized POI Selection and Pruning
Innovation: Develop efficient personalized itinerary recommendation model (EffiTourRec).
Language and Tools: R-studio, Lucid Chart, Overleaf, MatLab.
Duration: August 2018 to July 2019.

Research/Project Member
i Research Group: VLSI Research Group, Department o f Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Supervisor: Professor Dr. Hafiz Md. Hasan Babu
Duration: July 2016 to June 2018.
ii Project Name: Establishment of Basic Campus Network in Jagannath University
Source of Fund: HEQEP, UGC, Government of Bangladesh.
Duration: January 2017 to July 2018.
iii Project Name: Establishment of Basic Campus Network on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Science & Technology University,
Source of Fund: HEQEP, UGC, Government of Bangladesh.
Duration: June 2015 to July 2016

Journal/ Conference Reviewers

• Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 7.8)
• Information Process and Management (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 7.47)
• Applied Soft Computing (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 8.7)
• Scientific Reports (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 4.6)
• IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 4.74)
• Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 4.2)
• IEEE Access (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF 3.367)
• Expert System with Applications, (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF 6.954)
• World Wide Web (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 3.00)
• Knowledge and Information Systems (Q1 Ranked Journal, IF: 2.82)
• Neural Processing Letters (IF: 3.1)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Sajal Halder, Kwan Hui Lim, Jeffrey Chan, and Xiuzhen Zhang.A Survey on Personalized Itinerary
Recommendation: From Optimisation to Deep Learning. In Applied Soft Computing Journal, 111200,
2023, Q1 Ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 8.7). Publisher: Elsevier.

2. Sajal Halder, Kwan Hui Lim, Jeffrey Chan, and Xiuzhen Zhang. Capacity-aware fair POI recommendation combining transformer neural networks and resource allocation policy. In Applied Soft
Computing Journal, pages 110720, 2023, Q1 Ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 8.7). Publisher: Elsevier.

3. Sajal Halder, Kwan Hui Lim, Jeffrey Chan, and Xiuzhen Zhang. POI Recommendation with Queuing
Time and User Interest Awareness. In Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 2022, Q1 Ranked
Journal, (Impact Factor – 5.406). Publisher: Springer.

4. Sajal Halder, Kwan Hui Lim, Jeffrey Chan, and Xiuzhen Zhang. Efficient Itinerary Recommendation
via Personalised POI Selection and Pruning. In Knowledge and Information Systems, Volume 64, Pages
963–993, 2022. Q1 Ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 2.53), Publisher: Springer.

5. Sajal Halder, Kwan Hui Lim, Jeffrey Chan and Xiuzhen Zhang. Transformer-based Multi-task
Learning for Queuing Time Aware Next POI Recommendation. In the 25th Pacific-Asia Conference
on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD-2021), A Ranked Conference.

6. Sajal Halder, Md. Samiullah and Young-Koo Lee. Supergraph based Periodic Patterns Mining in
Dynamic Social Networks. Expert Systems with Applications-An International Journal. volume 72,
pages 430-442, 2017, Q1 Ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 6.954). Publisher: Elsevier.
7. MS Rahman, Sajal Halder, MA Uddin, UK Acharjee, An efficient hybrid system for anomaly detection in social networks. In Cybersecurity, Q1 ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 6.27), 2021, Volume 4,
Pages 1-11, Publisher: Springer.

8. Iram Fatima, Sajal Halder, Muhammad Aamir Saleem, Rabia Batool, Muhammad Fahim, YoungKoo Lee, Sungyoung Lee. Smart CDSS: Integration of Social Media Interaction Engine (SMIE) in
Healthcare for Chronic Disease Patients. Multimedia Tools and Applications, pages 1-21, 2013, Q1
Ranked Journal, (Impact Factor – 2.757), Publisher: Springer.

9. Yongkoo Han, Kisung Park, Donghai Guan, Sajal Halder, and Young-Koo Lee. Topological Similarity
based Feature Selection for Graph Classification. In the Computer Journal, bxt123, 2013, Q2 Ranked
Journal, (Impact Factor – 0.755), Publisher: Oxford University Press.