Dr. Yahya Zweiri received his Ph.D. degree from King’s College London, UK. He is currently a Professor, Director of the Advanced Research and Innovation Center, and Associate Chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Khalifa University. He was a Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in USA, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at King's College London (KCL), UK. Dr. Zweiri worked for more than twenty years on research projects funded by the British Ministry of Defense, Field and Space Robotics Laboratory (MIT), Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in the field of unmanned vehicles used for autonomous tasks. He was also the Research and Development Director at (KADDB) and Director of Research & Enterprise at Kingston University. Dr. Zweiri has published over 130 refereed research papers. As an innovator and entrepreneur, he has eight patents and a spin-off company. As an educator, he has mentored over 60 Ph.D. & MSc students and research staff as well as many intern students.
Dr. Zweiri’s central research focus is in the area of robotic systems for extreme conditions with particular emphasis on applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) aspects and neuromorphic vision systems. He has been the Principal Investigator of many research projects (~US$10 million) on in-flight learning approaches using neuromorphic vision systems and applied artificial intelligence to improve situational awareness and navigation ability of drones, also in the area of aerospace precision manufacturing. Dr. Zweiri is the Guest Editor of Sensors Journal, Associate Editor for IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), and IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). He is IEEE Member and Fellow of the UK higher education academy (FHEA).
“Vision-based Approach for Aerospace Robotic Manufacturing” (Sponsor: STRATA Manufacturing PJSC Company, Principal Investigator, 07/2018-12/2022)
“Firefighting Unmanned Aerial Systems for High Rise Building” (Sponsor: EMAAR company, Principal Investigator, with Co-I: Prof Lakmal Seneviratne, 07/2018-05/2023)
“Robotic Systems Interventions in Harsh Environments” (Sponsor: Khalifa University Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems, Principal Investigator, with Co-I: Prof Lakmal Seneviratne, 07/2018-06/2023)
“Design of Generalized System Identification Policy for Unmanned Vehicles Trajectory Tracking in Uncertain Environments using Reinforcement Learning” (Sponsor: CIRA call-Khalifa University, Principal Investigator, with Co-I: Prof Igor Boiko, 07/2020-06/2023)
“Gas Turbine Engine Blade Sorting using Robotic System” (Sponsors: SANAD Aerotech, and Mubadala Aerospace Company, Principal Investigator, 01/2022-12/2022)
“Inspection of Gas Turbine Engine Blades using Robotic System” (Sponsors: SANAD Aerotech, and Mubadala Aerospace Company, Principal Investigator, 07/2022-06/2024)
