Hafiz Alaka is a Professor, the Associate Dean Research and the founding Director of the Big Data Technologies and Innovation (BDTI) laboratory at University of Hertfordshire. The lab currently hosts 15 members of staff including postdoctoral research fellows, machine learning scientists, data warehouse/analyst expert, general software developers and still recruiting. He also leads the ‘Prediction of Climate and its Impacts (PCI)’ group in the Centre for Climate Change Research (C3R).
Hafiz favours cross-disciplinary collaborative research for solving real-life challenges. He explores innovative strategies for enhancing teaching and learning through digital tools. His focus area is application of contemporary technologies (big data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, adaptive learning technologies, virtual reality, etc.) to education among other areas. He examines the integration of these technologies to create personalized, engaging educational experiences. He is also deeply interested in data-driven insights for improved learning outcomes and scalable online education models.
Hafiz has secured, led and participated in over £14million worth of funded research projects. Clients/Partners on projects include, Smartella (learning management), EduRight, Educating Excellence Limited, and Birmingham City Council, among many others. He has managed multiple complex projects simultaneously, collaborating with cross-functional teams on EdTech projects.
Hafiz is a funding application assessor for Innovate UK, Small Business Research Initiative, UK, and The National Centre of Science and Technology Evaluation, Kazakhstan. He is an editorial board member of three international journals and part of the International Scientific Committee for three international conferences. He has acted as an examiner for five PhD viva and has completed six PhD supervisions. He is currently supervising more than six PhD students as Director of Studies/Lead Supervisor.
Hafiz is a reviewer for many top journals and has been invited as guest/contributor/keynote speaker or speaker to numerous workshops/conferences/seminars. He has produced over 70 peer-reviewed articles and currently has over 5900 citations with H-index=3 and i10-index=55 on Google Scholar.
