Hannan Azhar

Dr Hannan Azhar, is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director in the School of Engineering, Technology and Design at the CCCU (UK).

He has been leading in design and teaching range of modules including Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advanced Programming and Research Methods. Dr Azhar's PhD was on AI techniques applied to pattern recognition tasks and MSc was on Evolutionary Robotics using embedded AI controller in the hardware. He has a track record of research and publications in the area of assistive technologies, AI robotics, IoT, Human and wildlife biometrics and security in ubiquitous hardware systems; such as SMART home IoT, drones etc. Over years, he has successfully secured funding in several IoT, robotics, cybersecurity and assistive technology projects in collaboration with leading SMEs in the area.

ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1190-6644

Postgraduate supervisions

Trustworthy AI for Ambient Assisted Living (PhD)
Computational analysis for firearm gunshot forensics (PhD)
Steganography forensics using deep learning (PhD)
Smart and Secure Tele neurorehabilitation framework (PhD)
Identification of non-biting midges (Chironomidae) using deep learning techniques (MSc by Research)
Correlation of Distance and Damage in a Ballistic Setting - an application of Machine Learning algorithms (MSc by Research)
A framework for a real-time management accounting system (MSc by Research)

Recent blog

Challenges in cybercrime: Using mobile apps during a pandemic and the need for computer security professionals to lead the fight against it.

RKE Funded Internships

Affordable Educational Robot (2022)
A Web-based Physio-tool for Remote Post-stroke Rehabilitation (2021)
Youth survey tool for the study on street gangs and youth justice, in collaboration with Policing and Psychology at CCCU (2020).
A self-learned Intelligent autonomous Cyber Patrolling-bot (2019)
Smart Home IoT Forensics (2018)
Software for a BCI assistive system (2018)
A prototype wildlife software used by conservationists in the aid of automatic identification of the Great Crested Newts (2017)

Nuffield Research Placements (https://www.nuffieldresearchplacements.org/)

3D model of a wearable joint support (2021)

Selected RKE Activites:

BCI controlled Neuro-rehabilatation rehabilitation
Digital Forensic investigations on Smart Devices
Prototype image processing software developed to be used by conservationists and biologists
Autonomous Security Robots
Evaluation of the MPS Predictive Policing Trial ; http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/15974/

Ongoing Research Projects:

Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics
Tele-health/rehab
Internet of Medical Things
Data science using Machine learning
Automatic identification of wildlife
Assistive Technology
Intelligent Robotics

Collaborators

NeuroRehab , East Kent Hospital , NHS, UK
East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Kent County Council, UK
School of Psychology,CCCU
School of Human and life science , CCCU
Law, Criminal Justice and Policing , CCCU

Research Projects

Automatic non-biting midge (Chironomidae) identification through the application of object detection and deep learning techniques. Researcher(s): Mr Jack Hollister. Supervisor(s): Dr Rodrigo Vega, Dr Joseph Burman, Dr Hannan Azhar. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
DISTRIBUTED SWARM INTELLIGENCE FOR LARGE SCALE DYNAMIC DATA CAPTURE AND ITS ANALYTICS. Researcher(s): Mr Oliver Prior. Supervisor(s): Dr Vijay Sahota, Dr Hannan Azhar, Dr Scott Turner. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Mr Avagnale Avagnale. Supervisor(s): Dr Jim Butcher, Dr Hannan Azhar. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
Evaluation of the MPS Predictive Policing Trial (redacted). Researcher(s): Professor Robin Bryant, Dr Hannan Azhar, M. Falade. [Project report]
Investigation into modern Agile Software development. Researcher(s): Mr Gordon Aiken. Supervisor(s): Professor Konstantinos Sirlantzis, Dr Hannan Azhar. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Steganography detection using ML. Researcher(s): Ms Angela Rees. Supervisor(s): Dr Hannan Azhar, Dr Scott Turner. [Postgraduate Research Project]
The correlation of distance and damage in a ballistic setting and the dispersion of individual components of GSR’.. Researcher(s): Mr Nathan Brooke. Supervisor(s): Dr Laura Vera-Stimpson, Dr Hannan Azhar. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Trustworthy AI for Ambient Assisted Living. Researcher(s): Mrs Merlin Kasirajan. Supervisor(s): Dr Hannan Azhar, Dr Scott Turner, Dr Leishi Zhang. [Postgraduate Research Project]

Editorial Board member: Engineering Letters, International Association of Engineers. http://www.iaeng.org/online_journals.html

Member: Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC)

Member: European Alliance for Innovation (EAI)

Reviewers of the Journals : IEEE Journal on Miniaturization for Air and Space Systems ; IEEE Access ;Sensors, MDPI; Forensic Science International, Elsevier; Brain Sciences, issn 2076-3425; MethodsX, Elsevier.

Invited speaker:

- Guest speaker at Berlin RoboChair on BCI assisted Tech, Berlin, Germany, https://onlineconference.robochair.de/speakers.html April, 2021
- At the Arab Cybercrime and Digital forensics forum organised by Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 2019
- On "Neuro Security in Cyber services", Panel discussion on challenges in cyber services, September 2019, Portugal http://www.iaria.org/conferences2019/filesCYBER19/CyberServices_ExpertPanel.pdf
- Invited Speaker at Cyber 2019 on Drone Forensics https://www.iaria.org/conferences2019/TutorialsCYBER19.html, 21 September, Porto, Portugal
- "Forensic analysis of drones" College of Policing and The Investigator Spring National Digital Media Investigator’s (DMI) Conference, Oxford, UK,May 2019,
- "Challenges and Techniques in Drone Forensics" at International forum for drone technology, Drone Berlin https://www.drone-berlin.de/conference.html , Berlin, Germany September, 2018.

‘Parenting the Internet’ app: a Web guardian for protecting neurodiverse users online Jones, R., Azhar, H., IEEE 24th International Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Informatics (CINTI 2024) : IEEE Xplore. [Book chapter]
A qualitative review of educational robots for STEM: Technical features and impacts Manna, Soumya Kanti, Azhar, M. A. Hannan Bin, Greace, Ann, (20 May 2024), Proceedings of the International Convention MIPRO, 47th MIPRO ICT and Electronics Convention (MIPRO): IEEE. [Journal article]
Enhancing cyberbullying detection with RoBERTa: A transformer-based approach Azhar, H., Runa, A., 16th International Conference on Global Security, Safety & Sustainability, ICGS3-24 - Cybersecurity and Human Capabilities through Symbiotic Artificial Intelligence: Springer. [Book chapter]
Innovative assistive device to enhance wrist drop treatment in patients Trainer, C., Manna, S., Azhar, H., (01 Oct 2024), Advances in Digital Health and Medical Bioengineering: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on E-Health and Bioengineering, EHB-2023, November 9–10, 2023, Bucharest, Romania – Volume 2: Health Technology Assessment, Biomedical Signal Processing, Medicine and Informatics. Cham. [Book chapter]
Machine learning in ASL fingerspelling recognition: A literature review Pinnington, J., Souag, A., Azhar, H.: IEEE Xplore. [Book chapter]
Tele-controlled upper arm exoskeleton for post-stroke recovery Manna, S., Khan, A., Dilley, O., Azhar, H., (13 Jul 2024), Advances in Digital Health and Medical Bioengineering. Cham: Springer. [Book chapter]
Transformer-based Models for Enhanced Amur Tiger Re-Identification Bai, Xufeng, Islam, Tasmina, Bin Azhar, M A Hannan, (25 Jan 2024), 2024 IEEE 22nd World Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics (SAMI), IEEE 22nd World Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics : IEEE. [Book chapter]
Unveiling pollution peaks: Comparing swarm intelligence with Drone Hill Climber Prior, Oliver J., Hannan Bin Azhar, M. A., Sahota, Vijay, Turner, Scott, (19 Sep 2024), 2024 IEEE 22nd Jubilee International Symposium on Intelligent Systems and Informatics (SISY), SISY 2024: IEEE. [Book chapter]
Utilising transformers for American Sign Language fingerspelling recognition Pinnington, J., Souag, A., Azhar, H., 24th International Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Informatics (CINTI 2024), IEEE 24th International Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Informatics (CINTI 2024). [Book chapter]
An interactive web portal for customised telerehabilitation in neurological care Hannan Bin Azhar, M A, Mészáros, Zoltán, Islam, Tasmina, Manna, Soumya K., (01 Nov 2023), 2023 IEEE 22nd International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (TrustCom), The International Symposium on Intelligent and Trustworthy Computing, Communications, and Networking: IEEE. [Book chapter]
Assistive telehealth systems for neurorehabilitation Azhar, H., International Forum on Neural Engineering & Brain Technologies. [Lecture]
Breaking barriers: A novel framework to evaluate usability of accessibility applications Azhar, H., Islam, T., Marczak, J., (Aug 2023), 36th International BCS Human-Computer Interaction Conference, 36th International BCS Human-Computer Interaction Conference (BCS HCI 23): British Computer Society. [Book chapter]
Optimal locations and computational frameworks of FSR and IMU sensors for measuring gait abnormalities Manna, S., Azhar, H., Greace, A., (04 Apr 2023): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Spying on kids’ smart devices: Beware of security vulnerabilities! Azhar, H., Smith, D., Cain, A., (03 Jan 2023), Cybersecurity in the Age of Smart Societies Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Global Security, Safety and Sustainability, London, September 2022: Springer. [Book chapter]
Trustworthy insights: A novel multi-tier explainable framework for ambient assisted living Kasirajan, Merlin, Bin Azhar, M A Hannan, Turner, Scott, (01 Nov 2023): IEEE. [Journal article]
A smart and secure IoMT tele-neurorehabilitation framework for post-stroke patients Manna, S., Azhar, H., Sakel, M., (01 Jan 2022), Proceedings of International Conference on Industrial Instrumentation and Control ICI2C 2021, International Conference on Industrial Instrumentation & Control (ici2c-2021). Singapore: Springer. [Book chapter]
Automatic identification of non-biting midges (Chironomidae) using object detection and deep learning techniques Hollister, Jack, Vega, Rodrigo, Azhar, M. A. Hannan Bin, (2022), Proceedings of the 11 International Conference on Pattern Recognition Applications and Methods: SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications. [Book chapter]
Forensic investigations of Google Meet and Microsoft Teams – two popular conferencing tools in the Pandemic Azhar, H., Timms, J., Tilley, B., Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime: Springer Nature. [Book chapter]
Progressive web app for real-time doctor-patient communication and searchable health conditions Hannan Bin Azhar, M A, Mohan, Joseph Thomas, (17 Nov 2022, 17 Nov 2022): IEEE. [Journal article]
Tele-tDCS: A Novel Tele-neuromodulation Framework using Internet of Medical Things Herring, Samuel, Azhar, M. A. Hannan Bin, Sakel, Mohamed, (2022), Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies - BIODEVICES. Setúbal, Portugal: SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications. [Book chapter]
A forensic tool to acquire radio signals using software defined radio Azhar, H., Abadia, G., (03 Nov 2021), Security and Privacy in Communication Networks : 17th EAI International Conference, SecureComm 2021, Virtual Event, September 6-9, 2021, Proceedings, Part I: Springer. [Book chapter]
A study of user experiences and network analysis on anonymity and traceability of bitcoin transactions Azhar, M.A.H.B, Whitehead, R.V., (30 Apr 2021): EAI. [Journal article]
An inclusive student-led online class test during the pandemic Manna, S., Azhar, H., (05 Nov 2021). [Conference or workshop item]
BCI controlled robotic arm as assistance to the rehabilitation of neurologically disabled patients Azhar, H., BRAIN CONTROLLING TECHNOLOGY FOR ASSISTIVE DEVICES. [Speech]
Post-pandemic digital education: Investigating smart workspaces within the higher education sector Azhar, M A Hannan Bin, Lepore, Emily Louise, Islam, T., (02 Nov 2021): BCS Learning & Development. [Journal article]
Forensic investigations of popular ephemeral messaging applications on Android and iOS platforms Azhar, H., Cox, R., Chamberlain, A., (02 Jul 2020): IARIA. [Journal article]
BCI controlled robotic arm as assistance to the rehabilitation of neurologically disabled patients Casey, A., Azhar, H., Grzes, M., Sakel, M., (11 Nov 2019): Taylor and Francis Online. [Journal article]
Comparisons of forensic tools to recover ephemeral data from iOS apps used for cyberbullying Chamberlain, A., Azhar, H., (22 Sep 2019), CYBER 2019, The Fourth International Conference on Cyber-Technologies and Cyber-Systems : IARIA. [Book chapter]
Effects of students’ preferences in use of lighting and temperature on productivity in a university setting Azhar, H., Islam, T., Alfieri, M., (29 Jul 2019), EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education: Springer. [Book chapter]
Recovery of forensic artefacts from a smart home IoT ecosystem Azhar, H., Bate, S., (22 Sep 2019), CYBER 2019, The Fourth International Conference on Cyber-Technologies and Cyber-Systems : IARIA. [Book chapter]
Use of wearable technology to measure emotional responses amongst tennis players Azhar, H., Nelson, T., Casey, A., (29 Jul 2019), EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education: Springer. [Book chapter]
A cost-effective BCI assisted technology framework for neurorehabilitation Azhar, H., Casey, A., Sakel, M., The Seventh International Conference on Global Health Challenges. [Conference paper]
Drone forensic analysis using open source tools Azhar, H., Barton, T., Islam, T., (07 May 2018): Association of Digital Forensics, Security and Law (ADFSL). [Journal article]
Open source forensics for a multi-platform drone system Barton, T., Azhar, H., (06 Jan 2018), 9th EAI International Conference on Digital Forensics & Cyber Crime: Springer. [Book chapter]
An investigation on forensic opportunities to recover evidential data from mobile phones and personal computers Naughton, P., Azhar, H., The Second International Conference on Advances in Cyber-Technologies and Cyber-System, Cyber 2017. [Conference paper]
Forensic analysis of popular UAV systems Barton, T., Azhar, H., (02 Nov 2017), Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies, IEEE International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies: IEEE. [Journal article]
Forensic analysis of secure ephemeral messaging applications on Android platforms Azhar, H., Barton, T., (18 Jan 2017), Global Security, Safety and Sustainability - The Security Challenges of the Connected World: 11th International Conference, ICGS3 2017, London, UK, January 18-20, 2017, Proceedings: Springer. [Book chapter]
A wearable brain-computer interface controlled robot Azhar, H., Badicioiu, A., Barton, T., Research and Knowledge Exchange Conference 2016. [Conference paper]
Forensic analysis of the recovery of Wickr’s ephemeral data on Android platforms Barton, T., Azhar, H., (09 Oct 2016), CYBER 2016 : The First International Conference on Cyber-Technologies and Cyber-Systems: IARIA. [Book chapter]
Forensic acquisitions of WhatsApp data on popular mobile platforms Shortall, A., Azhar, H., (2015), Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies: IEEE. [Book chapter]
Usability and performance measure of a consumer-grade brain computer interface system for environmental control by neurological patients Deravi, F., Ang, C., Azhar, H., Al-Wabil, A., Philips, M., Sakel, M., (Jul 2015), International Journal of Engineering and Technology Innovation: Taiwan Association of Engineering and Technology Innovation. [Journal article]
Automatic identification of wildlife using local binary patterns Azhar, H., Hoque, S., Deravi, F., (2012), IET Conference on Image Processing (IPR 2012), IET Conference on Image Processing (IPR 2012): Institute of Engineering and Technology. [Book chapter]
Zoometrics - biometric identification of wildlife using natural body marks Hoque, S., Azhar, H., Deravi, F., (Sep 2011): Science and Engineering Research Support Society. [Journal article]
Criticality dispersion in swarms to optimize n-tuples Azhar, H., Deravi, F., Dimond, K., (2008), GECCO '08: Proceedings of the 10th Annual Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation, GECCO '08 Proceedings of the 10th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. [Book chapter]
Particle swarm intelligence to optimize the learning of n-tuples Azhar, H., Deravi, F., Dimond, K., (2008): De Gruyter. [Journal article]

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Contact me

hannan.azhar@canterbury.ac.uk

01227921606

Based in

Faculty of Science, Engineering and Social Sciences

School of Engineering, Technology and Design