Biography
Dr. Vala Ali Rohani obtained his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Malaya (UM) in 2014, which is currently ranked 70th in the QS World Ranking. During his academic journey, he secured several research grants such as Bright Sparks, FRGS, EIT Digital, and EC PRR.
Following his doctoral studies, Vala undertook a post-doctoral position at UM, focusing on the field of data science. This experience allowed him to make significant contributions to the field, publishing numerous papers in prestigious international journals specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Vala has held the position of lead data scientist, managing various big data analytics projects at national and international levels. His expertise encompasses diverse areas, including recommender systems, skyline queries, talent discovery and upskilling, social network and sentiment analysis, logistics optimization, and credit scoring in financial institutions.
With over 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in esteemed institutions across Iran, Malaysia, and Portugal, Vala currently serves as an invited associate professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Setubal. As this role, he actively teaches and coordinates the master's programs in data science. One of Vala's notable achievements includes winning the first-place award in an international AI Hackathon organized by the Big Data Society of Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, in July 2021. Furthermore, Vala collaborates with the European Commission on talent discovery and upskilling in artificial intelligence and data science through initiatives like Pack for Skills and EIT Deep Tech. His involvement in these initiatives demonstrates his dedication to advancing the fields of AI and data science on a broader scale.