Research Team

Meet Our Research Team

An interdisciplinary team combining expertise in computer science, agricultural sciences, and animal nutrition to advance methane emission detection and mitigation technologies.

Dr. Khaled R. Ahmed
Dr. Khaled R. Ahmed
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor & Graduate Program Director
School of Computing
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Dr. Ahmed leads the AI and computer vision aspects of the project, focusing on developing advanced deep learning models for methane detection and quantification. With over 19 years of experience in academia, research, and industry, he previously served as Associate Professor at King Faisal University and was a postdoctoral researcher at University of Tokyo, Japan. He has authored 69 publications and edited four books, serving as PI and Co-PI on 11 funded research projects including three current federal/state research funds.

Education:

Ph.D. in Computer Science

Expertise:

Computer VisionMachine LearningDeep LearningSoftware EngineeringDistributed SystemsParallel ComputingBig DataIntelligent Transport Systems
Dr. Amer AbuGhazaleh
Dr. Amer AbuGhazaleh
Co-Principal Investigator
Professor
School of Agricultural Sciences
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Dr. AbuGhazaleh brings expertise in livestock nutrition and methane production, leading the experimental design and biological validation aspects of the research. After completing his PhD, he worked as a research scientist in the Department of Animal Science at Clemson University, South Carolina. He currently serves as coordinator for the department's Online Companion Animal Nutrition Program and advisor for the Saluki Service Dawgs Club.

Education:

Ph.D. in Dairy Science, South Dakota State University

Expertise:

Animal NutritionRuminant PhysiologyMethane MitigationFeed Science
Mohamed G. Embaby, PhD
Mohamed G. Embaby, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator / Postdoctoral Researcher
Postdoctoral Researcher at UC Davis (Clear Center)
University of California, Davis
Formerly: Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Dr. Embaby contributed expertise in experimental design, laboratory analysis, and data interpretation for the agricultural and nutritional aspects of the research during his time at SIU. He has over 8 years of research experience, previously serving as Research Assistant at the National Research Centre in Egypt's Dairy Cattle Production Department, and has background in statistics and geoinformation systems. He is now continuing his postdoctoral research at UC Davis.

Education:

Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2018-2024); M.Sc. in Animal Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2016-2018); Master of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (2013-2014)

Expertise:

Animal NutritionGas ChromatographyIn Vitro FermentationStatistical AnalysisRemote SensingGISEnvironmental SciencesDairy Cattle Production
Toqi Tahamid Sarker
Toqi Tahamid Sarker
PhD Student
Graduate Research Assistant
School of Computing
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Toqi is a third-year PhD student in Computer Science, focusing on developing the computer vision architecture and advancing AI techniques for environmental monitoring applications and precision agriculture.

Education:

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Present); B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University, Bangladesh (2012-2016)

Expertise:

Computer VisionSemantic SegmentationObject Detection/TrackingTransformer ArchitecturesDeep LearningPyTorch
Taminul Islam
Taminul Islam
PhD Student
Graduate Research Assistant
School of Computing
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Taminul Islam is a doctoral student in Computer Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, currently serving as a Research Assistant at the BASE: Bridging AI, Systems, and Environment Research lab. His research focuses on developing innovative artificial intelligence and computer vision solutions for agriculture, environmental monitoring, and food safety applications. He specializes in advanced deep learning techniques including semantic segmentation, object detection, and tracking systems that address real-world challenges in precision agriculture and sustainable food production.

Education:

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Present); B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh (First-class honors with Full Free Scholarship)

Expertise:

Computer VisionDeep LearningSemantic SegmentationObject Detection/TrackingNatural Language ProcessingHealthcare AIAgricultural AICybersecurity
Grace C. Handlos, M.S.
Grace C. Handlos, M.S.
PhD Student
Graduate Research Assistant
School of Agricultural Sciences
Southern Illinois Universiry Carbondale

Grace is a third year PhD student, specializing in alternative proteins in ruminant feeds and methane analysis for applications in livestock nutrition.

Education:

PhD in Agricultural Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (present); M.S. in Animal Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2021 - 2023).

Expertise:

Animal NutritionAnimal ProductionForageDigestive PhysiologyRuminant Nutrition

Interested in Collaboration?

We welcome collaborations with researchers, industry partners, and institutions working on climate solutions and agricultural sustainability.