Prof. Mohammed Awad

In the fall of 2013, Dr. Mohammed Awad joined the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the School of Engineering in the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Immediately prior, he worked as an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department of Al-Ahliyya Amman University in Amman, Jordan where he had the opportunity to focus on teaching and learning and was ranked number one professor by the students of the school of Information Technology. During his time at AURAK, Dr. Awad has received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the President’s Award for Leadership in Service.

Dr. Awad earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Houston in the United States in 2011. He earned a MSc in Computer Science at the same university in 2006. He completed a BSc in Computer Science at Yarmouk University in Jordan in 2003. During his graduate studies at the University of Houston, Dr. Awad worked as a teaching assistant for various courses from the freshman to graduate levels and had the opportunity to develop his skills as an educator.

Dr. Awad’s research interests include cybersecurity, more specifically in E-voting and I-voting security. Previously, he was involved in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant where he developed a curriculum module to illustrate electronic voting for non-Computer Science majors. Additional areas of interest include machine learning, data analytics, and technology education.

• Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA, 2011.
• M.Sc., Computer Science, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA, 2006.
• B.Sc., Computer Science, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 2003.

Research Interests

Cybersecurity, Electronic Voting, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, E-learning

List of Recent Publications

• Sarah Elfattal, Mohammed Awad, and Shadi Ben Abderrahmen, “E-voting in Literature: Analyzing Nations’ Interest,” In Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov Days 2023 (CEEeGov ‘23), September 14, 15, 2023, Budapest, Hungary. ACM, New York, NY, USA, pp. 41-46.
• M. Awad and S. Fraihat, “Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross-Validation with Decision Tree: Feature Selection Method for Machine Learning-Based Intrusion Detection Systems,” Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, vol. 12, no. 5, p. 67, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.3390/jsan12050067.
• S. Fraihat, S. Makhadmeh, M. Awad, M. Azmi Al-Betar, and A. Al-Redhaei, “Intrusion detection system for large-scale IoT NetFlow networks using machine learning with modified Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm,” Internet of Things, Volume 22, 2023, 100819, ISSN 2542-6605
• I. Magomadov, S. Balhasan, S. Khalifa, M. Awad, and S . Yaqoob , “ Challenges in Original Oil-In-Place Estimation: Selection of the Best Method for a Field with Non-Uniform Geological Parameters ,” The SPE Annual Caspian Technical Conference, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, November 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/212112-MS
• R. Al-Omoush, S. Fraihat, G. Al-Naymat and M. Awad, “Design and Implementation of Business Intelligence Framework for a Global Online Retail Business,” 2022 International Conference on Emerging Trends in Computing and Engineering Applications (ETCEA), Karak, Jordan, 2022, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ETCEA57049.2022.10009688.
• Mohammed Awad, Aisha El Allam, Khouloud Salameh, and Reem Al Mazrouei, “ Phishing for Legitimacy: The Use of SSL Certificates to Ensnare Internet Users,” 2022 International Conference on Electrical and Computing Technologies and Applications (ICECTA’2022). November 2022, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.
• Sidharth Kishore, Mohammed Awad, and Ahmed Al-Zubidy, “Spam Detection Techniques Recapped,” 2022 International Conference on Electrical and Computing Technologies and Applications (ICECTA’2022). November 2022, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.
• M. Awad, K. Salameh, and A. Al Redhaei, “Gamification in higher education: assessing its impact in on-line and traditional classes,” Global Journal of Engineering Education, Vol . 24, No. 3, pp. 226-231, 2022
• M. Awad, S. Fraihat, K. Salameh, and A. Al Redhaei, “ Examining the Suitability of NetFlow Features in Detecting IoT Network Intrusions ,” Sensors 2022, 22, 6164. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22166164
• M . Awad, K . Salameh, A . M . Ngoungoure, and M . Abdullah , “ Opinion Spamming: Analyzing the Accuracy of Online Detection Tools ,” In Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov Days (CEEeGov), September 22, 23, 2022, Budapest, Hungary. ACM, New York, NY, USA, pp. 142-146 .
• M . Awad, A . Al Redhaei, and S . Fraihat , “ Using Business Intelligence to Analyze Road Traffic Accidents ,” In Central and Eastern European eDem and eGov Days (CEEeGov), September 22, 23, 2022, Budapest, Hungary. ACM, New York, NY, USA, pp. 83-92 . (Best Paper Award).
• Y. Albadawi, M. Takruri, and M. Awad “A Review of Recent Developments in Driver Drowsiness Detection Systems,” Sensors 2022, 22, 2069 , https://doi.org/10.3390/s22052069
• A. Al Redhaei, M. Awad and K. Salameh, “Assessing the Impact of Gamification in Higher Education: An Experimental Study using Kahoot! and Nearpod During COVID-19 Pandemic,” 2022 Advances in Science and Engineering Technology International Conferences (ASET), 2022, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ASET53988.2022.9734892.
• M. Fraihat, S. Fraihat, M. Awad, and M. AlKasassbeh, “An efficient enhanced k-means clustering algorithm for best offer prediction in telecom, International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE), Vol. 12, No. 3, June 2022, pp. 2931~2943, ISSN 2088-8708
• A. K. El Allam, A. -H. M. Jallad, M. Awad, M. Takruri and P. R. Marpu, “A Highly Modular Software Framework for Reducing Software Development Time of Nanosatellites,” in IEEE Access , vol. 9, pp. 107791-107803, 2021, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3097537
• Dana Shahin, Mohammed Awad, and Salam Fraihat, “Meteorological Data Analytic System: Descriptive and Predictive Analysis,” Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology (JTAIT), Vol 99, No 14 (2021), ISSN 1992-8645
• Khouloud Salameh, Mohammed Awad, Aisha Makarfi, Abdul-Halim Jallad, and Richard Chbeir, “Demand Side Management for Smart Houses: A Survey,” Special Issue of Sustainability: Big Data and Sustainability, (2021), ISSN 2071-1050
• Salam Fraihat, Mahmoud AlMomani, Malak Fraihat, and Mohammed Awad, “Telecom Big Data: Social Media Sentiment Analysis,” International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering (IJATCSE) Vol 9, No 4 (2020)
• Sahar Idwan, Shereen Ismail, Moh’d Sami Ashhab, Mohammed Awad, and Izzeddin Matar, (in press), “Artificial Neural Network Tactic to Predict Interest in Majors in Computing,” International Journal of Computer Aided Engineering and Technology, Vol 17 , No 3 ( 2022 ) , doi: 10.1504/IJCAET.2022.10043009
• AbdulHalim Jallad, Prashanth Marpu, Zulkifli Abdul Aziz, Abdulla Al Marar, and Mohammed Awad, “MeznSat – A 3U CubeSat for Monitoring Greenhouse Gases Using Short Wave Infra-Red Spectrometry: Mission Concept and Analysis,” Aerospace Vol 6, No 11 (2019)
• Maen Takruri, Shereen Ismail, Mohammed Awad, Mohammad Al-Hattab, and Nasser Hamad, “A Comparative Study of Energy Consumption Required for Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks,” International Journal on Communications Antenna and Propagation (IRECAP) Vol 9, No 4 (2019).
• M. Awad, K. Salameh, and E. L. Leiss, “Evaluating Learning Management System Usage at a Small University,” 2019 The 3rd International Conference on Information System and Data Mining (ICISDM 2019), April 6-8, 2019, Houston, TX, USA
• M. Awad, Z. Al-Qudah, S. Idwan, A. Jallad, “Evaluating Password Behavior at a Small University,” Journal of Computer Science, Science Publications, Vol. 15, Number 9, 2019, pp. 1-9, ISSN: 1549-3636.

• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Fundamentals of Information Technology
• Introduction to Computer Programming
• Senior Design Project II
• Undergraduate Research Project
• Introduction to Computing
• Object Oriented Programming
• Operating Systems Fundamentals
• Information Security and Privacy
• Formal Methods
• Professional Software Practice