Dr. Mohamed Riduan Abid, Visiting Fulbright Research Scholar, serves as an associate professor of computer science at Al Akhawayn University with research interests in distributed and cloud computing systems, big data processing, and wireless mesh sensor networks. With the support of a one-year Fulbright Joint Supervision Scholarship, Al Akhawayn University doctoral candidate Hanaa Talei’s focus is on the study of the impact of cloud computing on academic microgrid energy management systems performance.
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program, aims to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries. Fulbright grant recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.
The husband and wife team arrived were attracted by the opportunity to continue their research experiences with Dr. Driss Benhaddou, associate professor of engineering technology at the University of Houston. Benhaddou received a grant from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2012 to work on developing algorithms that smart buildings use to transmit sensory information to a main system. He spent a year at Al Akhawayn University.
"The Fulbright organization wants students to be exposed to global issues. Energy is global and the smart grid is global", says Dr. Benhaddou.