WSEEE-2025

Shakil Ahmed received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University in just 2 years and 8 months, specializing in AI-driven networking, cybersecurity, and next-generation technology (6G/7G). He is an Assistant Professor, Term, at Iowa State University, leading cutting-edge research on AI-powered Digital Twins, Quantum AI, and Tactile Internet for various applications, such as Cognitive and/or smart Cities. Dr. Ahmed is an internationally recognized expert in AI-driven smart infrastructure, focusing on AI-powered Digital Twin models for real-time urban simulation, Quantum AI-enhanced cybersecurity for smart city networks, and 6G-powered V2X communication for autonomous mobility. He is dedicated to building sustainable, secure, AI-enhanced Cognitive Cities, ensuring trustworthy, explainable, and resilient AI-driven urban ecosystems. His pioneering contributions have advanced urban analytics, AI-driven traffic optimization, and large-scale AI modeling for smart city resilience. His work in LLM-powered decision intelligence is transforming municipal operations, emergency response systems, and AI-enhanced public services. He is the founder and director of a research lab at Iowa State University, where he supervises undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students working on AI-driven cybersecurity, digital twins for smart cities, and AI-powered autonomous mobility, such as UAV/drone. His lab focuses on developing scalable AI solutions for next-generation networks, federated learning for secure urban analytics, and Explainable AI (XAI) for AI-driven governance. His research has been recognized with multiple awards, including Best Paper Awards, and fellowships supporting his work in AI-enhanced networking and cybersecurity. Dr. Ahmed's contributions have been featured in top-tier AI and networking journals, and he actively serves as a guest editor and reviewer for IEEE, ACM, and AI-driven cybersecurity publications.