Zahid Akhtar of State University of New York Polytechnic Institute

Abstract: AI is transforming numerous application domains while simultaneously introducing new security, privacy, and trust challenges. This seminar will provide an overview of emerging research directions in trustworthy AI, with a particular focus on adversarial machine learning and AI-generated deepfakes. I will discuss recent advances in adversarial attacks and defenses, multimedia forensics, and the growing need for robust, explainable, and secure AI systems. The seminar will also present a practical framework for identifying impactful research opportunities and driving innovation in rapidly evolving AI domains, highlighting open challenges and future directions for researchers.

Biography:

Dr. Zahid Akhtar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the Cybersecurity Program at the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, USA, where he has served since August 2020. He received his Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering from the University of Cagliari, Italy, and has held research and academic positions in the United States, Canada, Italy, Turkey, and India. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, deepfake detection, digital media forensics, biometrics, adversarial machine learning, emotion recognition, AI-enabled healthcare systems, medical diagnostics, and audiovisual multimedia quality assessment. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, along with books and book chapters, and has established extensive international research collaborations across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Dr. Akhtar is a Senior Member of IEEE and serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, and Neural Processing Letters (Springer). He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence Outstanding Associate Editor Award (2023), the IEEE Access Outstanding Associate Editor Award (2023), the IET Biometrics Premium Award for Best Paper (2014), and multiple reviewer excellence awards.

Address:Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, New York, United States