Newsroom
Two CSE PhD Students received the Dissertation Completion Fellowship
CSE PhD students Shakil Mahmud advised by Dr. Robert Karam, and Md Rubel Ahmed, advised by Dr. Hao Zheng, were selected by a university-level faculty committee to receive a Dissertation Completion Fellowship from the Office of Graduate Studies at the University of South Florida for the Summer semester of 2023.
Md Rubel Ahmed’s dissertation aims to develop an intelligent post-silicon validation framework using sequential pattern mining and machine learning techniques. “It is exciting to be at the forefront of this field, and I am eager to see our work's impact on the semiconductor industry," said Rubel.
His work addresses technical limitations of the current framework, including high computation and time complexity and energy efficiency. For instance, he combined association rule mining with domain knowledge to find shorter patterns with high accuracy.
The dissertation abstract was recently accepted for presentation at ASP-DAC'2023, an esteemed design automation conference. "I am proud to be a part of this research project which addresses the critical need for comprehensive validation of system-on-chip designs and advances our understanding of complex communication scenarios.”
PhD Candidate, Shakil Mahmud, received the Fellowship to assist his research on enhancing the security and reliability of physiological closed-loop control systems (PCLCS). “One crucial contribution of this dissertation is the development of a hardware emulation platform capable of simulating various faults and attacks,” said Shakil Mahmud.
PCLCS are an automated variety of medical devices that apply consistent care in response to changes in a patient's physiological parameters, such as blood pressure, glucose levels, or heart rate. For instance, an artificial pancreas system can automatically regulate the amount of insulin delivered to a diabetic patient based on their blood glucose levels.
“This research is highly significant as it has the potential to strengthen the security and reliability of PCLCS, ultimately benefiting patients and healthcare providers alike.” said Shakil Mahmud.
The technology has a wide range of benefits, including reducing the cognitive overload of medical professionals and minimizing human error during both routine and emergency medical situations.
The USF Dissertation Completion Fellowship recognizes their academic abilities and is intended to assist them during the last sprint of their graduate studies. The award includes a $9000 stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance, allowing them to focus on their dissertations.
“Congratulations, Shakil and Rubel – finish on a high note and make us even more proud!” said Dr. Sudeep Sarkar, Distinguished University Professor, and CSE Department Chair.