Current Projects
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"Influence of Cyber Behaviors on Young People's Mental Health in the United Arab Emirates: The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits" is led by Principal Investigator (PI) Areej ElSayary and Co-PI Juan Calmaestra. This research aims to explore the impact of cyber behavior on mental health among the youth, focusing on how personality traits mediate this relationship. It addresses critical concerns like online moral disengagement, problematic internet use, and cyberbullying, offering insights into developing supportive interventions for young people's well-being in the digital age.
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The project titled "Global Knowledge Local Impact: Domain Adaptation and GANs (A Dynamic Duo) Against Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency in the UAE" is spearheaded by Dr. Asad Khattak as the Principal Investigator, with Dr. Mohammed Imran Taj, Dr. Fatme Al Anouti, and Dr. Wajahat Ali Khan serving as Co-Principal Investigators. This initiative aims to tackle the prevalent issues of obesity and vitamin D deficiency in the UAE through innovative AI-driven methods, specifically using domain adaptation techniques and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to adapt global health data to the UAE's unique context.
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The project titled "Machine Learning Models to Monitor and Detect Diseases in Crops" is led by Principal Investigator Munir Majdalawieh from Zayed University's College of Technological Innovation, with Shafaq Khan, Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor, Canada, serving as Co-PI. This research focuses on utilizing machine learning to enhance the monitoring and detection of diseases in crops, aiming to improve agricultural productivity and food security by employing advanced computational models for real-time disease identification.
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The project, "Transforming Learning and Teaching Experience through Metaverse and AI," is led by Principal Investigator Ouns Bouachir, alongside Co-Investigators Safa Otoum, Efthymia Efthymiou, and Amr Taha Mohamed. It aims to explore the integration of Metaverse and AI technologies to enhance educational experiences, focusing on creating immersive, interactive learning environments that overcome the limitations of traditional education systems.
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The project titled "Digital Social Innovation for Sustainable Development in the UAE" is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Ravi S. Sharma, with collaborators Dr. Intan A. Mokhtar, Dr. Aijaz A. Shaikh, and Dr. Ashraf Khalil. It aims to explore the impact of digital social innovation through Web 3.0 technologies like AI, Blockchain, and the Metaverse on socio-economic transformation and sustainable development, focusing on the UAE's context.
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The project titled "Understanding the Prevalence, Drivers, and Attitudes Towards Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the UAE" is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Elena Nikolova, with Co-Principal Investigators Aaina Menon and Dr. Rawia Ahmad, and Research Assistant Narmeen Almarzooqi. It aims to conduct a comprehensive study on GBV in the UAE to inform public policy and civil society, using a new survey at Zayed University alongside workshops and webinars to create community impact and disseminate findings effectively.
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The project titled "Cultivating Practice Excellence and Community Impact: The Development of Guidelines for Social Professionals in the UAE" is spearheaded by Dr. Mazna Patka, Dr. Hana Shahin, and Dr. Linda Smail. It focuses on developing competency and practice guidelines for social professionals in the UAE to enhance professionalism and community impact, addressing the lack of formal recognition and regulation for social professionals in the region.
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The project titled "Changing Emirati Women’s Mindsets Through Reading to Foster Agency and Intrinsic Motivation" is led by Principal Investigator Dina Tbaishat, with team members Rana Dajani, Praveen Kumar, and Catherine Panter-Brick. It aims to explore how the "We Love Reading" program can influence Emirati women's sense of agency, motivation, and leadership identity, leveraging reading as a tool for personal and societal transformation in line with UAE's efforts to promote a culture of knowledge and reading.
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The project titled "Educational Consultancies and Changing Brokerage in the Migration Industry in the UAE" is led by Principal Investigator David Sancho from Zayed University, with Co-PI V.J. Varguese from the University of Hyderabad, India. This study aims to shift the paradigm in migration and mobility studies within the Gulf, focusing on the role of private brokerage and educational consultancies in facilitating student migration. It explores the dynamic interactions between student migrants, their families, and educational consultancies, shedding light on the evolving landscape of migration as an industry.
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The project "Neurodiversity and Service Provision: Leveraging Inclusive Technologies for Enhanced Engagement and Outcomes" is led by Primary Investigator Saifeddin Alimamy from Zayed University's College of Interdisciplinary Studies, with Co-PI Mathew Chylinski from UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. It aims to explore how inclusive technologies can be tailored to the unique needs of neurodiverse individuals, such as those with ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia, to improve their engagement and outcomes in various service provisions.
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The project "The Fresh Press Enterprise" aims to innovate sustainable paper production in the UAE using locally sourced agricultural waste. Led by Principal Investigator Tina Sleiman of Zayed University, with Co-PIs Eric Benson from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Dr. Fatme Al Anouti from Zayed University, this initiative seeks to utilize agri-pulp from palm leaves or corn stalks, reducing environmental impact and fostering ecological restoration and sustainable material engineering.
