Hisham Al-Ward

Name: Hisham Al-Ward
Nationality: Yemen
Current Role: Cloud Security and Automation Specialist Teranet Inc. (Canada)

If previously or currently employed, what is your position and company? Can you tell us about your role and what you do?

Upon obtaining my bachelor’s degree in 2011, I worked as a Network Engineer with different companies for about 5 years. I always worked to improve the companys’ technical network and system facilities by defining, designing, implementing, and maintaining technical solutions utilizing standard engineering concepts of availability, efficiency, redundancy, scalability, and security.

In 2016, I started my research journey by pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in Chengdu, China. In there, I served as a Graduate Student Research Assistant at the Mobile Cloud-Net laboratory, where I focused on developing novel solutions for the resource limitation challenges in wireless networks and 5G enabling technologies.

Currently, I am a Graduate Research Student at Monash University Malaysia, and in addition to my research responsibilities, I have some teaching & marking duties as a recipient of the Graduate Research Merit Scholarship.

If applicable, please tell us about your postgraduate research (e.g. the issue and the solution you hope to achieve)

I am working on developing new solutions to improve the reliability and performance of Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks. By a means of providing context, the Internet of Things (IoT) will connect billions of devices to the Internet, which allows for many remarkable applications like smart homes, smart grids, smart transport, and digital health to become a reality. However, such a massive number of connections are certain to generate huge amounts of data and present a real challenge to the core network. In my research, I tackle this issue and develop new optimization solutions that will make the IoT connections more reliable and robust.

Why did you choose to pursue your postgraduate degree at Monash University Malaysia? Did it meet your expectations?

I chose Monash University because it is a place that emphasizes the real-life contributions of research. I am genuinely passionate about research, but what I truly strive for is conducting research that is impactful and brings value to society. In addition, I assumed that pursuing a PhD degree at a world-class university such as Monash means that I will have access to excellent research opportunities and facilities, and I was right about this.

Two things I am truly impressed with are the technical capabilities of the university and its staff. The university’s online system is reliable and makes it very easy for me to attend classes, find papers, and use university resources from anywhere in the world from the comfort of my own laptop. It is very clear that the university didn’t just adopt the current online system because of COVID, but that it has been carefully in development for quite a while. On the other hand, I am truly humbled by how approachable and responsive the university’s staff is- the academic and non-academic ones. They are knowledgeable and they are there to help us make the most of this experience. I am always comfortable reaching out to ask for help and guidance whenever I need to.

While at Monash, what type of opportunities did you participate in? (E.g. student exchange, clubs and societies, field trips, conferences, competitions, etc.)

I got the opportunity to apply for and get Graduate Research Merit Scholarship. Having the financial support to pursue my postgraduate research at one of the top universities in the world has been a game-changer for me. I am also aware of many other opportunities available at Monash (such as the 3MT and societies) and I plan to take full advantage of them in my second and third year here.

What did you like most about your student life at Monash? 

As I joined Monash in the middle of the COVID pandemic- August 2020, I haven’t been able to participate in any student life activities at Monash. This is one of the aspects that I am looking forward to exploring more of as life goes back to normal.

What is your biggest career goal, or what is the difference you’d like to make?

I want to always conduct practical research that makes life better. Naturally, my research directions will evolve with time, but regardless of the niche I will be working on at any given time, I want my work to make future technologies more reliable and always have positive real-life impacts on people’s lives.