AUM Hires New Faculty for Fall 2019

Dr. Md Baharul Islam joins AUM as Assistant Professor of Game Development and Computer Science. He will teach the technical subjects in game development, advise students in the BS in game Development program, and advance the growth of the program. Prior to joining AUM, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Miami in the United States. His current research interests lie in the area of 3D computer graphics, image processing, and AR/VR-based vision enhancement. Dr. Islam has secured several gold medals and best paper awards from various international scientific competitions and conferences. He has published more than 35 international peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. Currently, he is serving as a program co-chair for CGMIP 2019, and is an editorial board member of two international journals. Dr. Islam is an IEEE Senior Member.

Dr. Batoul Modarress is an Associate Professor of Operations and Research. She has Ph.D. in Management and Industrial Systems Engineering from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Modarress will be teaching courses in Operations, Research, Operations Management, Supply Chain and Logistics in our undergraduate and MBA programs. She has 17 years of academic experience at Seattle University, and at American Universities in the United Arab Emirates. She also has 12 years of industrial experience from the Boeing Aerospace Company as a senior manager of airplane performance, and from Boeing joint venture-Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) as a Program Director of United State Operations Safe Commerce. Her research interests are in the areas of Logistics and Supply Chain Security. She has co-authored and published numerous refereed journal articles and one book. Most recently she has focused on writing a book on Modeling Global Supply Network & Logistics Security.

Dr. Md Baharul Islam joins AUM as Assistant Professor of Game Development and Computer Science. He will teach the technical subjects in game development, advise students in the BS in game Development program, and advance the growth of the program. Prior to joining AUM, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Miami in the United States. His current research interests lie in the area of 3D computer graphics, image processing, and AR/VR-based vision enhancement. Dr. Islam has secured several gold medals and best paper awards from various international scientific competitions and conferences. He has published more than 35 international peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. Currently, he is serving as a program co-chair for CGMIP 2019, and is an editorial board member of two international journals. Dr. Islam is an IEEE Senior Member.

Dr. Vladan Jovovic holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, a master’s degree in Nuclear Physics (Radiation & Protection) and a Ph.D. in Solid State Physics (Polymer Science) from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. He has been teaching various courses in physics and engineering for more than 20 years, both in Europe and in Canada. Dr. Jovovic has also published 34 research papers and 3 textbooks. In addition to physics, he holds a teacher certificate in French. Do Jovovich will be teaching courses in physics for the engineering and for general education programs.

Dr. Renald Blundell makes the transition this year to Professor of Chemistry at AUM. He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology from Edinburgh University, Scotland. Dr. Blundell will be teaching required courses in chemistry for the engineering and general education programs. He has over 25 years of university experience, teaching chemistry, biology, biochemistry, forensic medicine, biotechnology, microbiology and food safety management courses. Dr. Blundell’s scholarship includes research in forensic science (mainly on DNA testing), stem cell storage and treatment, and he serves as a consultant in alternative therapy and biotechnology. He has numerous publications, including 10 books, over 50 peer reviewed articles, and over 200 newspapers articles of scientific nature, and he has participated in various TV and radio programs. He is also an editorial board member of 7 international scientific journals, and he has served as a member of the organizing committee for a number of conferences and as a member of various consultative boards.

Dr. Manuel Vella Rago joins the AUM faculty as Assistant Professor of Philosophy, and he will teach philosophy and comparative religion courses for the general education program, as well as a course in business ethics for students majoring in business and related fields. Dr. Vella Rago received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Malta in 2014; he also holds an M.A. with distinction and a First-Class B.A. (Hons) in Philosophy from the same university. His research focuses on the contemporary relationship between metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics and politics. Dr Vella Rago has taught at the Department of International Relations of the University of Malta, in its Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), and he has contributed to the M.A. in Public Policy and Leadership offered by the Department of Public Policy. Dr Vella has a keen interest in quality assurance in education and, from 2016 to 2019, he was the Head of Quality Assurance at the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE).

Ms Audrey Abela is joining AUM as Manager of the Teaching and Learning Center, and instructor of our required general education course in psychology. Ms. Abela is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Malta’s Departments of Psychology and Criminology, dealing with Gender Crimes on Refugee/ Displaced Men and Boys. She earned a Bachelor of Psychology degree with First Class Honours, and pursued an MBA and a Master of Arts in Diplomatic Studies, achieved with Distinction with the University of Malta. Between 2002 and 2005 Ms. Abela worked with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania in the Office of the Under-Secretary General. She has also worked within the Strategy and Implementation Department, and the People and Standards Departments within the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta. In the last three years she has been employed with the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE) as Head of Accreditation and Validation.