Software training based on artificial intelligence

Full Professor Foutse Khomh (Department of Computer and Software Engineering), is co-applicant of a training program for the development, deployment, and maintenance of software based on artificial intelligence, whose primary candidate is Associate Professor Emad Shihab, from Concordia University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

This program will train highly-qualified personnel to develop software based on artificial intelligence, by providing them with the technical skills required for the development and production of such systems, as well as experience in ethical and social understanding of the AI environment. It consists of courses devoted to the engineering and social aspects of artificial intelligence-based software systems, professional development modules for practitioners, and internship opportunities with industrial partners for graduates. Webinars and seminars, specialization courses in artificial intelligence, software engineering, and social element, as well as training in leadership and mentoring are also part of the training program.

Researchers from Concordia University, Queen's University, and the University of Alberta are also involved in this multifaceted training and mentoring program.

Professor Khomh is currently recruiting students to begin the training and mentoring program in the Autumn 2021 semester.

Training in intelligent autonomous robotics technology for space exploration

Assistant Professor Abolfazl Mohebbi (Department of Mechanical Engineering) is a co-applicant in the SMART Autonomous Robotic Technology for Space Exploration (SMART-ART) program for space exploration research, whose principal candidate is Professor Zheng Hong Zu, from York University, Ontario's Mechanical Engineering Department.

This program will train students and postdoctoral fellows in the development of technical and professional skills - both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary - in artificial intelligence, computer vision, autonomous robotics, and engineering systems for space exploration. This program will address Canada's current challenges of a skills shortage, an aging workforce and gender inequity in the aerospace sector. Industrial visits and internships, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives and leadership training, technical and professional training, as well as opportunities for mentorship, entrepreneurship, student mobility and enriched training are all components of the program.

Researchers from York University, Carleton University, Concordia University, University of Manitoba, McGill University, University of Regina, Ryerson University, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Western Ontario intend to participate in the training and mentoring program.

Further, researchers from other notable universities are also part of the program, including: Germany's University of Würzburg, England's the University of Surrey, and the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Add to the above, the United States' University of California at Berkeley, the University of Cincinnati, Harvard University, and Stanford University. Italy's Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Rome "La Sapienza", the Netherlands' University of Technology of Delft, and Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan, will also be involved in this program.

Professor Mohebbi is currently recruiting doctoral students for this program, whose activities will begin in the Summer 2022 semester.

NSERC financial support for each of these training and mentoring programs may reach $1,65 million over six years. Researchers from research institutes, government agencies, and private companies will also participate in these programs.

About the CREATE program

NSERC's Collaborative and Experiential Training Program (CREATE) program supports the training and mentoring of highly-qualified teams of students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and the rest of the world via innovative training programs. These programs encourage collaborative and integrative approaches, and address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities. These programs help new researchers move from the role of trainee to that of productive employees in the Canadian workforce.

The training and mentoring programs supported by CREATE must foster, among students and postdoctoral fellows, the acquisition and development of important professional skills that complement their general skills, particularly at the technical level. Further, these programs must improve the employability of participants with a view to a career in the industrial, public, and post-secondary sectors or in non-governmental organizations.

Learn more

Professor Foutse Khomh expertise
Professor Abolfazl Mohebbi expertise
Department of Computer and Software Engineering website
Department of Mechanical Engineering website
Training program for the development, deployment and maintenance of software based on artificial intelligence website
NSERC CREATE website