Webinars

Fall 2025 CINSER Webinar Series

Computational Devices and Applications of 2D Materials

Speaker: Dr. Shaloo Rakheja, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Chips with Accelerated Performance (ASAP), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Date and Time: November 5, 2025 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Central Time

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising candidates for beyond-silicon channel materials in gate-all-around (GAA) transistor architectures, thanks to their exceptional performance at the atomic scale. Their atomically thin nature gives rise to strong coupling between electronic, optical, and mechanical properties, enabling functionalities that are difficult to achieve with bulk materials. Thousands of 2D materials with intriguing electronic characteristics have been computationally predicted, offering a vast design space for next-generation devices.

In this talk, the focus is on a particularly important class of 2D materials—transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)—which are not only integral to beyond-silicon logic transistors but also hold significant potential for emerging technologies such as memristive devices for neuromorphic computing and reconfigurable electronics for hardware security. The webinar will cover recent advances in TMD-based transistors, emphasizing the role of mechanical strain in enhancing carrier mobility and device performance, and will present benchmarking results against projected silicon-based technologies. Furthermore, the speaker will share latest research on non-volatile devices that combine 2D ferroelectrics with TMD channel materials in Schottky barrier transistor architectures. These devices are reconfigurable, that is, they can dynamically alter their functionality, enabling logic locking and offering a lightweight, robust solution for integrated circuit security. Finally, the speaker will outline a vision for a "More-than- Moore" future, where 2D materials and devices unlock entirely new functionalities and computing paradigms beyond conventional scaling.

Biography

Shaloo Rakheja is an Associate Professor and Intel Alumni Endowed Faculty Fellow in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Previously, she was Assistant Professor of ECE at New York University (2015 – 2019) and a Postdoctoral Associate at the Microsystems Technology Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2012 – 2014). She leads the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Chips with Accelerated Performance (ASAP) – an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center, funded by the NSF, industry, and government and addressing the energy challenge of computing systems. She is also the Director of Illinois Semiconductor Workforce Network (ISWN), a collaboration between academic institutions, national labs, industry, and IL ecosystem to address the workforce needs of the semiconductor industry. Shaloo is an expert in physics-based modeling of nanoelectronic devices for energy-efficient computing and communication. She has developed multi-scale models that enable materials-to-circuits co-design for a wide range of technologically relevant applications.

Fall 2025 Artificial Intelligence Initiative Webinar Series

AI Education across Disciplines

Speaker: Florence Hudson, Executive Director, Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub at Columbia University & Emily Rothenberg, National Student Data Corps Program Manager, Columbia University

Date and Time: Nov 12, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is inflitrating our everyday lives, from smart devices to medical diagnoses and education. Getting up to speed on AI and the data science field is a great opportunity across many domain areas. Join us to participate in a discussion with Florence Hudson who is Executive Director of the Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub (NEBDHub) and Founder of the National Student Data Corps (NSDC), and Emily Rothenberg who is Program Manager of the NSDC, as they share the many open online resources available for learners, educators, professionals and citizens of all ages to learn, teach and leverage data in their learning and lives.

Biography

Florence Hudson is Executive Director of the Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub at Columbia University, Founder of the National Student Data Corps, and Founder & CEO of FDHint, LLC, a global advanced technology consulting firm. A former IBM Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Internet2 Senior Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Special Advisor for the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, and aerospace engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and Grumman Aerospace Corporation, she is an Editor and Author for Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, IEEE, and other publications. She leads the development of global IEEE/UL standards to increase Trust, Identity, Privacy, Protection, Safety and Security (TIPPSS) for connected healthcare data and devices and other cyber-physical systems, and is Vice Chair of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society Standards Committee. She earned her Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree from Princeton University, and executive education certificates from Harvard Business School and Columbia University.

Emily Rothenberg is the Program Manager of the National Student Data Corps (NSDC), a global program hosted by the Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub (NEBDHub), headquartered at the Data Science Institute of Columbia University. Her passion lies in using mathematics, data science, and logic to solve real-world problems, with a focus on supporting missions that leverage data for social good. With a degree in Mathematical Finance, Information Technology, and Data Analytics, and 10 years of project management experience, she works to create data science resources, projects, and programs for learners of all ages, skill-levels, and backgrounds, and hopes to continue to broaden the community for data enthusiasts.

Advancing Transportation Assets Through AI-Powered Geospatial Analysis

Speaker: Dr. Safwan Wshah, Associate Professor, University of Vermont; Founder & Lead AI Scientist, Maplyzer LLC (https://www.maplyzer.com)

Date and Time: Dec 3, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

This talk highlights the transformative role of AI in geospatial analysis for the transportation sector. By leveraging computer vision, cross-view geo-localization, and advanced machine learning models, our work enables robust detection of road assets, evaluation of roadway safety, and integration of multi-view data sources (street-level, aerial, and satellite). We present methodologies that go beyond traditional asset management to deliver comprehensive insights into road quality, safety risks, and long-term infrastructure resilience. The discussion will also touch on broader applications in land cover mapping and environmental monitoring, emphasizing the potential of AI-driven geospatial tools to enhance decision-making across domains.

Biography

Dr. Safwan Wshah is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Vermont and the founder of the Vermont Artificial Intelligence Lab (VaiL). He is also the founder and lead AI scientist at Maplyzer LLC, a startup originated from UVM that specializes in AI-powered road-asset recognition and safety assessment. His research focuses on machine learning, computer vision, and cross-view geo-localization, with applications in transportation, environmental monitoring, and healthcare. Dr. Wshah has published extensively in top journals and conferences, holds multiple patents, and has secured over $2.8M in research funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, NOAA, and state DOTs. He is also a Fulbright Global Scholar, advancing AI research in Jordan and internationally.

PAST EVENTS

Fall 2025 CINSER Webinar Series

Aerial and RIS-assisted Edge Computing for Intelligent Transportation Services

Speaker: Dr. Wael Jaafar

Date and Time: Oct 1, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

The emergence of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) has driven the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles that support computation-intensive and delay-sensitive applications. This development has highlighted the challenges posed by the limited resources of user devices in vehicular networks. To address these challenges, innovative solutions are needed, particularly in the context of 6G, enabled by aerial platforms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). In this context, we will formulate the task offloading problems of vehicular networks when supported by aerial platforms equipped or not with RIS, then we will discuss different solutions that can be adopted to enhance the tasks success rate while preserving energy. Our proposed methods represent a significant advancement in managing ITS services through cooperative UAV-HAPS-RIS frameworks.

Biography

Wael Jaafar

Wael Jaafar (S’08, M’14, SM’20) is an Associate Professor at the Software and IT Engineering Department of École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada since September 2022. He holds Masters and PhD degrees from Polytechnique Montreal, Canada. Between 2019 and 2022, Dr. Jaafar was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow with the Systems and Computer Engineering Department of Carleton University. From 2014 to 2018, he pursued a career in the telecommunications industry where he has been involved in designing telecommunication solutions for projects across Canada and abroad. During his career, Dr. Jaafar was a visiting researcher at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2019, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan in 2013, and UQAM, Montreal, Canada in 2007. He received several prestigious grants including (the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alexander-Graham Bell scholarship, the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Nature et technologies (FRQNT) scholarship, and best paper awards at CIoT 2024, IEEE ISCC 2023, and IEEE ICC 2021. His research interests include wireless communications, integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, resource allocation, edge caching and computing, and machine learning for communication and networks.

The Evolution of Advanced Air Mobility, A New Dimension of Mobility

Speaker: Dr. Kamesh Namuduri

Date and Time: Sept 3, 2025, 11 AM CST

Abstract

Since the first announcement on November 1st, 2018, by NASA, UAM/AAM evolved into a concrete form of mobility that we can expect to be practically realized in the next few years. This presentation outlines how NASA's vision is turning into a reality in front of us, what we can expect in the short term and long term. It highlights various components of the AAM ecosystem, research topics, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead of us. This presentation is based on direct and practical experience gained over the past five years, working closely with and leading the North Texas Cohort, a public-private-academic-government-community partnership. Participants will learn the state-of-the-art and ongoing research and development activities in this exciting field.

Biography

Kamesh Namuduri is a University Distinguished Research Professor of Electrical Engineering and the director of Autonomous Systems Laboratory at the University of North Texas (UNT). Namuduri is named as a “Distinguished Lecturer” by the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society for the term 2021-2025. He is serving as a Vice Chair for “Aerial Communications”, an Emerging Technology Initiative of the IEEE Communication Society, as an Expert Adviser on UAVs, COM/Access Core Standards Committee, IEEE Communications Society, and as a Co-Chair for the IEEE Future Networks Initiative Public Safety Technology Task Force. He is a co-editor for the book titled “UAV Networks and Communications” published by the Cambridge University Press in 2017. He led the Smart and Connected Community project on “Deployable Communication Systems” in collaboration with the government, public, and private organizations. He contributed to the development of research agenda, requirements and blueprints highly deployable communications systems led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Public Safety Telecommunications Council.

Spring 2025 CINSER Webinar Series

The Malicious Manipulation and Use of AI Algorithms in the Hands of Extremist Groups

Speaker: Spiros Bamiatzis, Department Chair, and Professor of Cybersecurity, IvyTech Community College, Lake County

Date and Time: April 2, 2025 11 AM – 11:45 Central Time

Abstract: Extremist groups have increasingly spread dangerous content by exploiting AI tools
such as ChatGPT. Any attempt to block these groups’ content is challenging due to
"jailbreak" mechanisms and the flexibility these models have in continuously learning
and adapting to new data. In this presentation, we will describe the existing general
landscape of AI, along with some necessary definitions pertaining to machine
learning, deep learning, and narrow and general intelligence. Furthermore, we will
develop the concept of how new technologies contextualize the malicious use of AI.
Following that we will demonstrate the impact of AI in three categories of threat:
cyber, physical and political. We will attempt to outline the response, the inventory of
cybersecurity tools for the prevention of the malicious use of AI, and the presentation
will close with an investigating look into the future malicious uses of AI by extremist
groups and individuals.

This webinar was hosted by the Illiana Consortium for Intelligence and Critical Technology (IC2Tech)

Fall 2024 CINSER Webinar Series

Careers in Semiconductors: Opportunities and Resume Preparation

Speaker: Jessica Voss, Campus Relationship Manager, Intel Corporation

Date and Time: December 4, 2024 11 AM – 11:45 Central Time

Abstract: Are you interested in a career in the semiconductor industry? Join us to talk about career pathways in the semiconductor industry and to discover the tips and tricks of resume preparation.