Adil Ahmad

Adil Ahmad has been drawn to computers ever since his dad brought home a computer running Windows 95.

“I was incredibly fascinated and could not wait to understand what made this piece of plastic and metal tick,” Ahmad says. “My family always lovingly joked that I would end up choosing computer science for my work and I guess they know me infuriatingly well.”

His passion for computer science led him to take on a new role as an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven schools in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

“ASU has world-class facilities and provides a refreshing diversity of faculty expertise, with whom I’m extremely excited to work with,” Ahmad says. “As a young researcher, it is vital to start at a place that will challenge me to become better. In that regard, ASU fits the bill incredibly well.”

Outside of ASU, Ahmad’s experience in computer science has taken him all over the world, studying at multiple academic institutions in the United States and Pakistan. During this time, he witnessed the inequity younger populations face in their pursuit of education in the industry.

“Computer science education is not equally accessible to people from various backgrounds and identities,” Ahmad says. “An effective way to counter this is for higher-learning academic institutes to engage with the general society at the grassroots level to ensure a more equitable distribution of knowledge in the next generation. That’s something I’m eager to explore at ASU.”

As he prepares to teach a research topics course on privacy issues surrounding cloud computing this fall semester, Ahmad looks forward to engaging in structured classroom discussions and interactive learning activities with his students. With student feedback, he strives to constantly improve his teaching style to aid in their learning.

When he’s not working with computers, Ahmad likes to spend his time exploring Latin dances like salsa and bachata or playing table tennis.

Meet the newest faculty members of the Fulton Schools of Engineering here.

Written by Annelise Krafft