Research groups are considered one of the important factors of upgrading the process of scientific research in research institutions. They are also considered very successful in terms of transferring experience to its organizers since collective research work is often better in quality and more useful than individual work. Besides, they form research reference body in any organization, and by doing so, they contribute in solving many urgent issues by creating an interactive climate among researchers and closer ties among them, in addition to preparing qualified research human cadres who can do their duties. Consequently, the style of forming shared specialized research groups are being adopted so that they can contribute in supporting research projects and the adoption of graduate students. These research groups also form the starting point of distinguished research centers that are able – God willing – to carry out their research tasks perfectly.
In order to achieve the intended objectives of establishing research groups, there must be rules and regulations that control them. They can be summarized as follows:
Software Engineering and Distributed Systems .
Software Engineering and Distributed System, Head: Prof. Fathy Elbouraey
Software engineering and distributed system is one of the major research groups created and supervised by Prof. Fathy Elbouraey. In last year, the research group has published 11 publications in various areas of software engineering. In addition, the research group is providing the opportunities to the faculty members and postgraduate students to work under the supervision of Prof. Fathi. The group has managed to supervise several postgraduate students, studying in Masters and PhD programs.
Information Security, Head: Prof. Daniyal Alghazzawi
The second active group at FCIT is information security group generating research on numerous areas of information security under the supervision of Prof. Daniyal Alghazzwai. It was established on Sep 1, 2012 with a focus on challenging issues of information security and cryptography. The main theme of research is to find innovative security solutions that enable safe emerging technologies constraint by low computational capabilities and storage. These include but not limited to digital forensics and computer forensics, analysis and design of Cryptographic Protocols/Cryptographic primitives, Cryptanalysis, Security proving, data fusion, secure wireless mobile computing applications, intrusion detection, early warning systems as well as workflow security and IoT security and privacy.
Cloud Computing and Big Data, Head: Prof. Ahmed Barnawi
The Cloud Computing and Big Data research group is supervising by Prof. Ahmed Barnawi. In the last year, the research group has shown remarkable performance by publishing 16 research papers.
Immersive Virtual Reality, Head: Prof. Wadee Alhalabi
Immersion into virtual reality is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. In addition to the entertainment and gaming industry, Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) is a powerful technology that can be integrated into various solutions for real-world problems in different fields, including health, education, and business. The Immersive Virtual Reality Research Group (IVRRG) works in the interdisciplinary with a large number of researchers from other majors, including medicine, surgery, dental, education, etc. The IVRRG members include researchers from FCIT, KAU, and students in the FCIT graduate programs. The research group collaborates with researchers from international universities to build advanced collaboration within its academic setting.
High Performance Computing (HPCC), Head: Dr. Ehab Abozinadah
The research center is headed by Dr. Ehab Abozinadah. The research has provided lot of opportunities for faculty members and postgraduate students. Within short period of time, the center has progressed in an efficient way by organizing several event, seminars, and workshops. It has worked collaboratively and participated in multiple national and international events.
Smart Environment: Head: Dr. Falwa Abukhodair
Smart environment is another research center in the faculty, which has been supervising by Dr. Falwa Abukhodair. The research center’s main objective is to generate research related to different aspects of smart environment. The major areas of their research evolve around security, privacy, knowledge base, internet of things, and changes in digital age. Recently, in 2019 they organized a research seminar titled “Forces of Change in the Digital Age”.