People

Professor Fergal McCaffery is founder and director of the Regulated Software Research Centre, and a Professor of Computing Science in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). He is the Medical Device Software Engineering competency area leader in Lero. He is a co-founder of Nova Leah (a spin out company from the Regulated Software Research Centre). Over the past few years, he has taken a part time career break to work with Nova Leah and also as Chief Scientific Officer for STATSports. He has been awarded over €16 million in research funding through highly competitive national and European funding calls to research the area of medical device software, including SFI awards of Stokes, Principal Investigator and a Lero Co-PI. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed conference and journal papers and is on the editorial board/programme committee for a number of leading software engineering conferences and journals. Winner of the SFI Enterpreneurship Award 2020, Winner of DkIT Established Researcher of the Year Award in 2017. Winner of the Lero Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2019. Finalist for the Irish Software Association/IBEC Outstanding Academic of the year Award in 2015 & 2019. He is internationally recognised for his contributions to medical device software engineering. His research team have led the development of 5 International Standards/Technical reports for medical device software. He was the Leader for the development of IEC/TR 80002-3 for medical device software processes in collaboration with the ISO/IEC 62304 development team.  He also was appointed to the Health Products Regulatory Authority Advisory Committee for Medical Devices.

Niamh St John Lynch is a PhD Candidate for Regulatory Requirements of Artificial Intelligence-enabled Medical Devices at DkIT, Regulated Software Research Centre.  Awarded MSc Organisation Psychology, UL, MScSED Software Engineering and Database Technologies and MSc Neuropharmacology, NUIG.  PostGrad Diploma for TechInnovate, an engineering branch of BioInnovate, utilising the same methodologies from Stanford University for Needs Analysis and Design to Funding & Start-up.  BSc (Hons) Cognitive Science (Artificial Intelligence) from University of Hertfordshire UK (1998), leading to Systems Engineer role with EDS, Europe.

25+ Years’ Life Science experience and leader of Quality & Regulatory departments and teams with numerous continuous improvement projects within the Medical Device sector, including Boston Scientific, J&J, Merit Medical, Olympus and most recently, as Director of QA/RA with Atlantic Therapeutics.  Recipient of J&J award for delivering Risk Management integration with Change Management within J&J family of companies in compliance with ISO 14971. 

Ex-Notified Body Certification Officer with NSAI, having lead role as technical reviewer of Active Medical Devices and Software, including to the requirements of ISO 62304 and ISO 60601 family of standards.

Leader and Committee Member of Technical Standards within Medical Devices including convenor of Risk Management Standards and more recently actively engaged in development of ISO/IEC 63450 AIeMD – Methods for Verification and Validation and ISO/IEC 62304 2^nd Ed, Software Development Lifecycle

Dr Róisín Loughran is the Manager of the Regulated Software Research Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Dr Loughran obtained a Bachelors degree in Electronic Engineering in UCD before undertaking a MPhil in Music and Media Technology at Trinity College Dublin.

She completed her PhD entitled Musical Instrument Identification with Feature Selection Using Evolutionary Methods at the University of Limerick and worked for a number of years as a post-doctoral researcher within the Natural Research and Applications Group (NCRA) in UCD.

Dr Loughran has extensive knowledge and publications in the area of AI and Evolutionary Computing (EC), in particular in the application of EC methods to interdisciplinary projects such as those in digital signal processing, music generation and creativity.

Dr Loughran is researching the application of EC and other AI methods to investigate and mitigate unwanted detrimental biases in algorithmic systems. Dr Loughran is an active contributor to the working group for the IEEE P7003 upcoming Standard on Algorithmic Bias Considerations.

Dr Gilbert Regan is a senior postdoctoral researcher within the Regulated Software Research Centre at DKIT. Gilbert completed his PhD in 2017 where he developed a framework for the assessment and implementation of traceability within the medical device software domain. Previous to this, he completed degrees in electronic engineering and technology education. Additionally, he has completed a higher diploma in computer science. He has held engineering and management roles in a number of multinational companies where the focus of his work was product and process improvement. Gilbert has recently worked on both the DEIS and Maestro projects. DEIS is a H2020 funded project which aims to improve the dependability (namely safety and security) of cyber physical systems by developing technologies that enable a science of dependable system integration. Maestro is funded by the European Ambient Assisted Living programme and aims to develop a Reference Framework for evaluating quantified-self equipment and services for seniors. Currently, Gilbert is working on the Enterprise Ireland funded Med-I project. Med-I aims to develop a platform to advance the adoption of artificial intelligence within the medical imaging domain.

Dr Muhammad Adil Raja is a postdoctoral researcher in the "Regulated Software Research Centre” (RSRC) where his role is to research in the broad area of applications of artificial intelligence in medical device software innovation. Prior to this, he obtained his PhD from the University of Limerick and he also worked there as a postdoctoral researcher in the Bio-computing and Developmental Systems (BDS) research group. His main areas of research intersts are theory and applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Misheck is a PhD student in the Regulated Software Research Center (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the application of agile practices in medical device software development to prevent defects. Misheck joined the RSRC in September 2021 on the Landscape scholarship. Prior to joining the RSRC, Misheck worked as a Lecturer in the Department of Information and Communication Technology at Mzuzu University in Malawi.

Misheck received his Master of Science in Information and Communications Technology from Durban University of Technology in South Africa in 2017. He received his Bachelor of Science in Information and Communication Technology from Mzuzu University in 2009. His research interests include Medical Device Software Development, Agile Software Development, System Specification using Formal Methods, Computer Networks (Software Defined Networking, Network Security), and ICT4D- to improve human conditions in underserved communities through technological solutions.

Maliheh Heidarpour Shahrezaei got her bachelor's and master's in information technology engineering (IT) in Iran.

She tries to follow her interest through her studies, publications, and work experience, which is Ethical AI, and particularly bias and security.

In 2022 she joined RSRC (Regulated Software Research Center) in DKit as a Ph.D. student to Investigate mitigation techniques for detrimental algorithmic bias.

Karla Cepeda is a PhD Student in the Regulated Software Research Center (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Karla is working on developing a framework to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms as part of a Medical Device to ensure safety and trustworthiness. She believes that the use of AI in the healthcare industry is key to exploiting the vast amount of clinical data and leveraging the health service for better and faster assistance to patients and users.

She holds a BA in Computer Science from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León in Mexico and an MSc in Data Analytics from the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland. Karla earned the 2021 DkIT President’s Award for Academic Excellent after achieving First Class Honours on the MSc in Data Analytics.

Zahid Irfan is a Regulated Software Research Centre research student at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Zahid obtained his bachelor’s in engineering from GIK Topi, Pakistan, and his master’s degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.

Zahid has taught at top universities in Pakistan and successfully built two start-ups from scratch. His area of interest is fairness in artificial intelligence systems, particularly in applying causal inference and evolutionary methods to mitigate bias. He has four publications to his credit. His passion is reading science fiction.

Jawad Mahmood is a PhD student in RSRC in DkIT. His research project is the Development of a Distributed and Scalable Testbed for UAVs. He got his master's degree from China, and he is the winner of prestigious Chinese Government Scholarship.

He has published 3 research papers in the international Journals of high impact factor as the First author.

Buddhika Gayashani is a PhD student in the Regulated Software Research Centre (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology. Buddhika has joined the RSRC in March 2023.

She has obtained a Bachelor of Science (Special) Degree in Computing and Information Systems from Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka in 2018. Prior to joining the RSRC Buddhika has worked as a lecturer in the Department of Information and Technology, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, which is one of the top state universities in Sri Lanka.

She has lecturing experience for more than four years. Her research focuses on assuring security of AI models in Medical Device Software. Her research interests include Medical Device Software Development, Artificial Intelligence, and data Security.

Dr. Kaushik is a dedicated and accomplished academic, currently serving as an Assistant Lecturer at DkIT (Dundalk Institute of Technology) in Ireland. With a strong educational background and diverse research experience, he has made significant contributions to the fields of Explainable AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Conversational Search, and Information Retrieval.

He embarked on his academic journey by completing his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Kurukshetra University in India in 2012. Building upon his passion for technology, he pursued a Master's degree in Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence from Fachhochschule Kiel in 2016, further honing his skills and knowledge in the field.

Driven by a thirst for knowledge and innovation, Dr. Kaushik sought higher academic pursuits and earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Information Retrieval, Artificial Intelligence, and Computing from Dublin City University. His PHD research focused on Conversational Search, a vital area at the intersection of human-computer interaction and NLP.

Following the successful completion of his PhD, Dr. Kaushik's passion for research led him to a postdoctoral research fellowship at University College Dublin, where he collaborated with industrial partners to delve deeper into the domains of Explainable AI and NLP. His work in this area has garnered recognition, with awards such as the Science Foundation Research Award, the Research Postdoc Fellowship from the Irish Research Council, and funding support from Enterprises Ireland for his postdoctoral research.

Dr. Kaushik is a multifaceted individual, having also pursued a Level 9 Professional Certificate in Creativity & Innovation in Education from University College Dublin, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing education through innovative methods.

His research interests span a wide spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, including Human-Computer Interaction, Conversational Search, Explainable AI, Information Retrieval, and Smart Technology. Additionally, he is keenly interested in exploring the potential of IoT devices and bots in the context of Smart Farming, an area that has significant implications for sustainable agriculture and food production.

Beyond his academic achievements, Dr. Kaushik's talent extends to creative endeavors, as he has been recognized for his poetic abilities with the prestigious Scientific Poet Award during his time as a PhD student.

Dr. Kaushik takes immense joy in supporting aspiring PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who share his passion for cutting-edge research in the fields of AI, NLP, and related disciplines. As a mentor, he actively encourages and guides them to pursue their academic interests and nurtures their potential for innovative contributions to the field. Having experienced the transformative power of research and the academic journey himself, he is eager to create an inclusive and collaborative environment for his mentees.

He believes in fostering a culture of curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity, where ideas can flourish, and novel solutions can be explored. Through his experiences as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant lecturer, he understands the importance of offering guidance and support to those embarking on their research careers.

With a warm and approachable demeanor, Dr. Kaushik makes himself available to his mentees, ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive academically and professionally. Whether it's brainstorming sessions, feedback on research proposals, or career advice, he takes great satisfaction in witnessing the growth and success of those he supports.

His dedication to nurturing the next generation of researchers extends beyond the classroom or lab, as he actively participates in academic conferences and workshops, where he engages with young researchers and fosters a vibrant research community.

Dr. Kaushik's enthusiasm for supporting PhD and postdoc students with a genuine desire to make a positive impact in the field of AI and NLP, Dr. Kaushik continues to be a source of inspiration for his students, colleagues, and the research community as a whole. Details about his projects is available on his webpage.

I am a PhD candidate in artificial intelligence at the Regulated Software Research Centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology. I did my masters in data analytics from Dublin business school. My research topic is "Developing Interpretable Artificial Intelligence Tool Kit for Detecting Misogynistic Mixed-code Online Content in South Asian Countries". The objective of my research topic is to assemble a dataset in mix-code Hinglish that can be used to train machine learning and deep learning models for detection of misogynistic hate speech comments. The study also explores explainability of the classifiers through XAI and attempts to mitigate bias.

My other research interests include sentiment analysis, fairness and bias, explainable artificial intelligence, smart farming technologies, dialogue systems, and more. My previous research work has included review papers on artificial intelligence technologies in the healthcare sector, evaluation of dialogue systems, sentiment analysis in code-mixed Hinglish using traditional machine learning classifiers and state-of-the-art Transformer models such as BERT, XLM-RoBERTa, IndicBERT, and more. I was also part of the group project that created and evaluated the ‘Atreya chatbot’ for chemical scientists. I also authored a survey paper for comparing Cloud-IoT systems that were used to track Covid-19 cases during the pandemic.

Bibliography:

1)      Yadav, S., Kaushik, A., Sharma, M., & Sharma, S. (2022). Disruptive technologies in smart farming: an expanded view with sentiment analysis. AgriEngineering, 4(2), 424-460.

2)      Yadav, S., Kaushik, A., & Sharma, S. (2021). Simplify the difficult: artificial intelligence and cloud computing in healthcare. IoT and Cloud Computing for Societal Good, 101-124.

3)      Yadav, S., & Kaushik, A. (2022). Do You Ever Get Off Track in a Conversation? The Conversational System’s Anatomy and Evaluation Metrics. Knowledge, 2(1), 55-87.

4)      Sharma, M., Kaushik, A., Kumar, R., Rai, S. K., Desai, H. H., & Yadav, S. (2021). Communication is the universal solvent: atreya bot--an interactive bot for chemical scientists. arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.07257.

5)      Yadav, S., Kaushik, A., & Sharma, S. (2021, December). Cooking well, with love, is an art: Transformers on youtube hinglish data. In 2021 International Conference on Computational Performance Evaluation (ComPE) (pp. 836-841). IEEE.

6)      Mahak, S., Abhishek, K., Shubham, S., & Sargam, Y. (2022, February). Communication is the Universal Solvent: Usability Study on Atreya Bot–An Interactive Bot for Chemical Scientists. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Best Innovative Teaching Strategies (ICON-BITS 2021).

7)      Sharma, M., Yadav, S., Kaushik, A., & Sharma, S. (2021, December). Examining Usability on Atreya Bot: A Chatbot Designed for Chemical Scientists. In 2021 International Conference on Computational Performance Evaluation (ComPE) (pp. 729-733). IEEE.

8)      Yadav, S., & Kaushik, A. (2023). Comparative Study of Pre-trained Language Models for Text Classification in Smart Agriculture Domain. In Advances in Data-driven Computing and Intelligent Systems: Selected Papers from ADCIS 2022, Volume 2 (pp. 267-279). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

9)      Yadav, S., Kaushik, A., & Sharma, M. (2022). A Comparison of Cloud-IoT-Based Frameworks of Identification and Monitoring of Covid-19 Cases. In Cloud IoT (pp. 125-142). Chapman and Hall/CRC.

10)   Yadav, S., & Kaushik, A. (2022, November). Contextualized Embeddings from Transformers for Sentiment Analysis on Code-Mixed Hinglish Data: An Expanded Approach with Explainable Artificial Intelligence. In International Conference on Speech and Language Technologies for Low-resource Languages (pp. 99-119). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

11)   Kovvuri, R. R., Kaushik, A., & Yadav, S. Disruptive technologies for smart farming in developing countries: Tomato leaf disease recognition systems based on machine learning. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, e12276.

Dr Jack McDonnell is a lecturer in mathematics and data science in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Dr McDonnell obtained Bachelors and Masters degrees in pure mathematics from Maynooth University. He completed his PhD in Maynooth University in collaboration with Met Éireann and Teagasc, before joining Met Éireann as a postdoctoral researcher.

His main research interest is the application of statistics and machine learning to climate, agriculture and sport.

Asifa Mehmood is a PhD candidate in the Regulated Software Research Centre (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology. She obtained her master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from Air University Islamabad, Pakistan in 2023. She has also worked as a Research Assistant at the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST-NUCES) for one year. Her research focuses on developing assurance data for AI-enabled medical device software.

Links:

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Asifa-Qureshi-2
• https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=49bWOr8AAAAJ

Pranay Jaiswal is a PhD candidates in Regulated Software Research Centre (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT). Pranay obtained his undergraduate and graduate(BS-MS) dual degree from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, India in 2023. Pranay had also worked as a Research Assistant at Indian Institute of technology (IIT) Ropar for 6 months. His PhD is focused on AI for athlete activity recognition and analysis.

ResearchGate profile:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pranay-Jaiswal-3

Mugdha Srivastava is a PhD candidate in the Regulated Software Research Center (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). She is a part of the project called "Regulatory Compliance Framework for Trustworthy AI Medical Device Software (Reg-Fr-AIMs)".

She comes from an AI and analytics background and is currently working towards studying Blockchain for Medical Device Trustworthiness. She holds a BTech in Computer Science with Specialization in Open-Source Software and Open Standards from UPES University, India, and an MTech in Data Science from the Birla Institute of Technology Pilani, India. Mugdha has industry experience of 4.5 years during which she worked on multiple projects ranging from ETL pipelines and analytics dashboards to NLP for mental health chatbots.