Sameer Alawnah

Sameer Alawnah

Senior Laboratory Instructor
Machine Learning Research Engineer
Software Developer

About Me

Senior Lab Instructor and Machine Learning Research Engineer with more than 10 years of experience in artificial intelligence, software development, and computer engineering education. I currently work at the American University of Sharjah, where I teach computer engineering laboratories in programming, digital systems, and web development, and supervise undergraduate senior design projects.

My research focuses on applying machine learning to healthcare problems. I have worked on projects related to predicting rare neuromuscular diseases using MRI data, predicting treatment response for severe asthma patients, and estimating breast cancer risk using machine learning models. These projects involve collaboration with clinicians and academic researchers.

I also work on developing end-to-end machine learning systems, including data preparation, model development, evaluation, and deployment. Recently, I have been working on generative AI systems, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures for intelligent advisory systems.

In addition to research, I have experience designing and developing software systems used by the College of Engineering at my university, including academic advising platforms, internship management systems, and research dashboards.

My main interests include applied machine learning, healthcare AI, generative AI systems, and building practical machine learning solutions for real-world problems.

  • ResidenceUnited Arab Emirates
  • e-mailsameer@alawnah.com
  • Phone+971-509792242

What I Do

Teaching

I teach programming, digital design, and web programming labs to our department students.

Software Development

I created many software systems for my department and my college, like the students' advising system, which is in use by all students in the college starting from 2017, and the internship portal system, which is in use beginning in 2022.

Training

I have conducted several HP ATA training sessions for our students; I am currently conducting Red Hat System Administration training for them.

Research

My research focus on:
  • Applied machine learning in healthcare.
  • Predictive modelling for clinical decision support.
  • Generative AI and RAG systems
  • End-to-end machine learning systems development and deployment.
  • Interdisciplinary research collaboration between AI and healthcare.

Some Facts

Programming 1 & 2 Students I taught

2,269

Digital Systems Students I taught

505

Internet Computing Students I taught

184

Resume

Education

2013 - Sharjah - UAE
American University of Sharjah

Master of Science | Computer Engineering

Graduated with CGPA 4/4, Thesis Title: Modeling Smartphone Power.

2009 - Nablus - Palestine
An-Najah National University

Bachelor | Computer Engineering

Graduated with honors (Percent Grade: 92.5 %). Top student in the Computer Engineering Department in Spring 2009. 

Awards

05/2021
American University of Sharjah - UAE

CEN Excellence in Lab Instruction Award

This award recognizes a lab instructor's contributions to pedagogical innovations, educational technology development, laboratory experience improvement, educational software usage, and lab and curriculum development.

05/2009
An-Najah National University - Palestine

Top Students in the class

I graduated as the top student in the class for the Computer Engineering Bachelor program in Spring 2009 with an average grade of 92.5/100.

Academic Work Experience

01/2024 - Current
American University of Sharjah - UAE

Senior Lab Instructor (Full Time)

College of Engineering

Teaching programming, database, web programming, and digital systems to the computer science and engineering students, in addition to technically supervising student projects, which usually involve designing, implementing, validating, and deploying machine learning models. Working with other internal and external researchers to solve real-life problems using AI techniques. 

2018 - Present
American University of Sharjah - UAE

RHCSA Instructor (Occasional)

College of Engineering

Teaching undergraduate students Red Hat Linux System Administration as part of Red Hat Academy.

09/2013 - 01/2024
American University of Sharjah - UAE

Lab Instructor (Full Time)

College of Engineering

Teaching programming, database, web programming, and digital systems to the computer science and engineering students, in addition to technically supervising student projects, which usually involve designing, implementing, validating, and deploying machine learning models. Working with other internal and external researchers to solve real-life problems using AI techniques. 

2015 - 2017
American University of Sharjah - UAE

HP ATA Instructor (Occasional)

College of Engineering

Teaching HPA ATA Connected Devices, Networks, and Servers and Storage training courses.

2010 - 2012
American University of Sharjah - UAE

Teaching and Research Assistant

College of Engineering

  • Assisted in teaching C and C++ language, MATLAB, and FPGA to undergraduate students.
  • Assisted senior students with their senior design projects.
  • Graded assignments and quizzes.

Non-Academic Work Experience

2016 - Current
American University of Sharjah - UAE

Software Engineering & Development

College of Engineering

In addition to my main work as a senior lab instructor, I developed the web portal for the computer science and engineering department (auscse.com) and many internal web applications for the College of Engineering; examples are listed below:

  • Working on a project for an internal Research Dashboard for the College of Engineering using Oracle APEX.
  • Students' Internship management systems that digitize the internship process (Students, companies, and coordinators) using PHP and MySQL with the help of the CakePHP framework.
  • Students advising System for the College of Engineering using PHP and MySQL.
  • Waiting List and Wish List systems for the College of Engineering using PHP and MySQL with the help of the CakePHP framework.
  • Worked with a team to build a Mobile-based student attendance system using PHP, MySQL, Swift, and Java.
09/2012 - 09-2013
American University of Sharjah - UAE

IT Support Specialist (Part Time)

Academic Computing

I was responsible for the following as part of my job duties:

  • Provided Network and PC/Laptop support in a Windows XP/7 environment for IT clients (students, staff, and faculty).
  • Set up and supported a Linux-based Electronic Design Automation laboratory and software (Synopsys and Cadence).
  • Conducted training on Red Hat Linux for IT Specialists in Academic Computing.
  • Resolved many common computer problems, including backing up data, securing computers, setting up, deploying, creating PC images, and updating operating systems and applications.
06/2012 - 08/2012
American University of Sharjah - UAE

System Engineer (Part Time)

Academic Computing

Developed a Graphical User Interface management system for the CAD department rendering farm computers. I wrote a server program that interacts with the farm APIs and provides the services to the client's programs I developed for Mac OSX and Windows operating systems.

Languages

Languages

  • ArabicNative
  • EnglishFluent

Research Contributions

Applied Machine Learning in Healthcare

Developed machine learning models to support healthcare research, including disease prediction and treatment outcome analysis. This work involved preparing and analysing clinical datasets, designing predictive models, and evaluating their performance to support data-driven medical decision making.

Clinical Decision Support Using Predictive Modelling

Designed predictive modelling approaches to estimate patient outcomes and support treatment selection using structured clinical data. The work included data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, and performance evaluation.

Biomedical Data Analysis and Disease Classification

Collaborated with clinicians and researchers to analyse biomedical datasets and develop machine learning models for disease classification and risk prediction. This research focused on applying machine learning techniques to extract meaningful patterns from medical data.

Generative AI and Intelligent Advisory Systems

Developed generative AI applications using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures. These systems integrate large language models with institutional knowledge sources to provide intelligent responses and decision-support capabilities.

End-to-End Machine Learning System Development

Designed and implemented full machine learning pipelines, including requirements analysis, data preprocessing, feature engineering, model development, evaluation, and system deployment.

Interdisciplinary AI Research Collaboration

Worked with interdisciplinary teams that included clinicians, engineers, and academic researchers to develop machine learning solutions for real-world problems in healthcare and education.

Supervision of Student Research Projects

Supervised undergraduate research and senior design projects involving machine learning applications. Guided students in designing experiments, implementing models, evaluating results, and preparing research outputs.

TOEFL iBT - Taken July 27, 2024 (105/120)

Reading (29/30)

96.67%

Listening (30/30)

100%

Speaking (24/30)

80%

Writing (22/30)

73.33%

Skills

Machine Learning

  • R (caret , Tidyverse, and ggplot)
  • Sikit-learn
  • Boosting (XGBoost, CatBoost, & LightGBM)
  • Tensorflow
  • AutoML (autogluon)

Programming Languages

  • PHP
  • CakePHP
  • Oracle APEX
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • dotnet Core
  • JSP
  • Servlets

Desktop and Mobile Applications

  • Flutter (iOS & Android)
  • Xamarin Forms
  • Windows Forms
  • UIKIT (iOS and macOS)

Cloud Technologies

  • Docker
  • Red Hat OpenShift
  • Kubernetes

Databases

  • MySQL/MariaDB
  • Oracle
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite

Measurements and Instrumentations

  • Voltmeters
  • Ammeters
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Logic Analyzers
  • Computer to instruments interfacing using VISA protocol

Digital Design

  • Microcontrollers
  • PLCs
  • FPGA

Certificates

Generative AI Nano Degree

Udacity
05/2025

PostgreSQL for Everybody

University of Michigan on Coursera
01/2025

React Nano Degree

Udacity
08/2024

Professional Certificate: Full Stack Developer

IBM, in collaboration with edX
03/2024

Professional Certificate in Data Science

HarvardX, in collaboration with edX
01/2024

RHCSA - Red Hat Certified System Administrator

Red Hat : License: 180-191-561
08/2018 - 08/2021

Big Data Developer - Mastery Award for Students

IBM Skills Academy https://www.credly.com/users/sameer-alawnah
03/2017

Data Scientist - Mastery Award for Educators

IBM Skills Academy https://www.credly.com/users/sameer-alawnah
01/2017 - 01/2019

HP ATA - Cloud

License: 2UMS-XL83
2014

HP ATA – Servers & Storage

License: eFTU-4TTR
2014

HP ATA – Networks

License: mnmu-XVLm
2014

HP-ATA – Connected Devices

License: wCyur-4SXA
2013

Publications

  1. A. Siddiqui, E. Shahzad, M. Noshin, M. Ghani, S. Dhou and S. Alawnah, "Early Breast Cancer Risk Prediction and Breast Density Estimation Using Machine Learning," 2025 IEEE 25th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering (BIBE), Athens, Greece, 2025, pp. 500-504. https://doi.org/10.1109/BIBE66822.2025.00089.

  2. Salameh, L., Dhou, S., Alawneh, S., Sagahyroon, A., & Mahboub, B.(2024, September 14). Personalized medicine for severe asthma: Machine learning guides biologic treatment choices. ERS Congress 2024 Abstracts. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2024.PA2169

  3. Alawnah, S., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Sagahyroon, A. (2021). Universal Adaptive Stabilization-Based Trend Filtering for Impending Battery Voltage Collapse Detection. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 5(2), 635–640. https://doi.org/10.1109/LCSYS.2020.3004707

  4. Hallal, H. H., Aloul, F., Alawnah, S., Kolli, P., & Alnabulsi, A. (2020). Improving Student Experience Using Automated Toolset of Academic Services. Proceedings of the 2020 6th International Conference on Computer and Technology Applications, 97–101. https://doi.org/10.1145/3397125.3397138

  5. AlHamaydeh, M., Aly, N., Najib, M., & Alawnah, S. (2019). INSPECT-PBEE: A performance-based earthquake engineering GUI for IDARC-2D. SoftwareX, 9, 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2019.01.010

  6. Alawnah, S., & Sagahyroon, A. (2017). Modeling of smartphones’ power using neural networks. EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems, 2017(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13639-017-0070-1

  7. AlHamaydeh, M., Najib, M., & Alawnah, S. (2016). INSPECT: A graphical user interface software package for IDARC-2D. SoftwareX, 5, 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2016.10.004

  8. Alawnah, S., & Sagahyroon, A. (2015). Smartphones power. 2015 International Conference on Electrical and Information Technologies (ICEIT), 100–103. https://doi.org/10.1109/EITech.2015.7162937

  9. Al-Radaideh, A., Al-Ali, A. R., Bheiry, S., & Alawnah, S. (2015). A wireless sensor network monitoring system for highway bridges. 2015 International Conference on Electrical and Information Technologies (ICEIT), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1109/EITech.2015.7162953

  10. Alawnah, S., & Sagahyroon, A. (2013). Modeling smartphones power. Eurocon 2013, 369–374. https://doi.org/10.1109/EUROCON.2013.6625010

Contact

Sharjah - UAE

+971-509792242

sameer@alawnah.com

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