Profiles

Alejandro Pardo is a final-year Ph.D. student at KAUST, advised by Prof. Bernard Ghanem. His research explores the intersection of computer vision and creativity, with a focus on automating video editing using generative models. He previously earned his M.Sc. under Pablo Arbeláez and has interned at Intel's Embodied AI Lab and Adobe Research. Alejandro is passionate about bridging technology and storytelling.

He is specialized in Image processing and analysis, and interested in topics related to the investigation in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision. Besides that, he’s knowledgeable in machine learning and deep learning.

Amanat Kafizov received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan, in 2019 and from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, in 2021, respectively. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student at KAUST. His academic journey has been enriched by diverse experiences, including a summer research internship at the University at Buffalo, New York, USA, in 2018, where he developed the OFDM system for Terahertz communication. Later, from 2023 to 2024, he worked as a research engineer at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland.

Amanat's research interests include optical wireless communication, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, system prototyping, signal processing on FPGA, and machine learning. 

During his summer research internship 2018 at University at Buffalo, New York, USA, he was working on Terahertz (THz) communication networks under a supervision of professor Josep Jornet. To be more specific, Amanat developed OFDM transmitter and receiver blocks in Matlab tailored to THz channel properties and adapted to THz hardware specifications. Amanat was the first who demonstrated OFDM communication at THz frequencies ever. 

Diego Augusto Silva is a Ph.D. candidate at the Communications and Computing Systems Laboratory (CCSL) within the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on event-based vision, object recognition, deep learning, and neuromorphic computing.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ), Brazil, in 2018, and his M.Sc. degree in Electronic Engineering and Computing from the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), Brazil, in 2020, with a specialization in Electronic Devices and Systems.

Diego’s technical expertise spans both theoretical and practical aspects, with significant experience in FPGA prototyping and asynchronous logic design. His innovative work has been recognized through two hackathon awards in his research areas, highlighting his ability to translate advanced neuromorphic computing and event-based vision concepts into real-world solutions.

Diego's research interests include the digital logic design of algorithms and event-based cameras.

Fahad S. Alqurashi is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini. His research focuses on advanced wireless communication technologies for connecting underserved and remote regions, emphasizing cost-effective and high-capacity solutions. His work explores Free Space Optics (FSO), TV White Space (TVWS), and hybrid RF/mmWave systems to achieve point-to-point data rates exceeding 10 Gbps, with a particular interest in maritime and rural connectivity.

Fahad holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from KAUST, where his thesis focused on modeling FSO communication channels for next-generation deployment scenarios. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Electronics and Communication track) at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Fahad has led strategic connectivity projects in collaboration with global technology leaders such as Google Taara, Meta, Cambium, and national operators like Zain and STC. He is currently spearheading national-scale initiatives with the Communication, Space and Technology Commission (CST), Red Sea Global, and Neom to deliver resilient, sustainable, and scalable wireless infrastructure—including projects connecting offshore islands and rural villages using hybrid FSO/RF links powered by solar systems.

His research has been presented at major international venues including IEEE ICC and the Optical Wireless Communication Conference, and he is an active member of IEEE and the Optical Wireless Communication community. Fahad’s interdisciplinary work supports Saudi Vision 2030 and reflects a strong commitment to impactful digital transformation through cutting-edge wireless innovation.

Alongside the Saudi Vision 2030, Fahad’s interest lies in supporting the future of 5G and 6G. Because of this, he focuses on wireless communication systems, especially in free space optical communication (FSO).

Fares Fourati is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His work has been published in leading AI and machine learning venues, including ICML, AAAI, AISTATS, EMNLP, and ECAI.

He has received several distinctions, including consecutive CEMSE Dean’s List Awards, first place in the ACM-SIAM Student Competition (2024), and first place at the Marconi Society Connectivity Summit (2021). Fares earned his Diplôme d’Ingénieur from École Polytechnique de Tunisie in 2020 and an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from KAUST in 2022.

In addition to his research, he has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring in AI and machine learning at KAUST and across Saudi Arabia. He is also the author of To What End? Meditations on AI and Humanity, reflecting his broader interest in the philosophical implications of AI.

Fares' research focuses on reinforcement learning, deep learning, large language models, and optimization, with an emphasis on advancing the foundations of intelligent systems.