Mahamat Moussa Abbas Ali

Name: Mahamat Moussa Abbas Ali
Nationality: Chad
Current Role: CTO & Co-founder at Messengerco Gift Sdn Bhd (Malaysia)

Were you working previously, and if so, what was your position and company?

Prior to my current study, I worked as a software engineer at Transportation and Crowd Management Center of Research Excellent (TCMCORE), at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. My key responsibilities during this work involve web application development as well as developing various technologies for different in-field research projects that the center was implementing for the Government.

Please tell us about your postgraduate research.

The primary focus of my current research is on visual understanding using computer vision and deep learning. Specifically, I am working on how to make computers understand visual contents that involve cognitive level understanding, a task that Humans can do easily, unlike machines. I am most interested in understanding the semantic relationship between what we see (visually) and what we understand (from that visual) so that an algorithm can be developed around this concept to let computers understand visual contents in a better way.

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

The main reason why I chose MONASH MALAYSIA is that I found a great match with regard to my research topic, my supervisor interest, the institutional culture, the quality of education I was looking for, and the scholarship opportunity. Matching these elements is a significant concern for most international students, which I found it right here.

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

During my first year at MONASH, I was fortunate enough to participate in a few different opportunities, which was a great asset to my study life. Last August 2019, I was select to participate at the first Machine Learning Research Summer School, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. In September 2019, I joined my supervisor as a student helper in organizing the MMSP2019 conference here in Kuala Lumpur; it was my first experience in conference organization, which allowed me to closely monitor and see how such big international events were organized.

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

What I like the most about my study life here is the organizational culture we live in. Receiving excellent support from supervisors, the school, as well as colleagues, is always what keeps me motivated while being away from home.

What is your biggest career goal? What’s the difference you’d like to make?

Being in the field of computer science, specifically in Artificial Intelligence, my biggest goal is to be at the forefront of AI research and developments community, where I can contribute significantly to the society as we are more likely to be driven by AI based solutions in the coming years.