Seyednima (Nima) Khezr (He/Him)

Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Lakehead University [skhezr AT lakeheadu.ca].

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." – Benjamin Franklin.

I am currently a Full-time Professor in the Information Systems Engineering program at Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, Humber College. I have been working in the higher education sector for over 12 years, and have taught a broad range of courses in colleges and universities in Alberta, and Ontario. I have a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Lakehead University, focusing on blockchain, cryptography, game theory, and software security.

Apart from being a researcher and lecturer, I enjoy most of my time being outdoors. I am an avid hiker. I've been hiking for about seven years now. Hiking is perhaps my greatest passion. Nothing comes close to the challenge, excitement, satisfaction I experience while on a trail. In July 2021, I hiked the Pukaskwa Coastal Trail. One of the best experiences I have ever had. A super difficult and highly technical 65-kilometers hike with beautiful views and a great payoff at the end with two suspension bridges. My dream (maybe an upcoming event) is to hike Pacific Crest Trail.
I love waterfalls and sometimes try to find one! Secret gems! I used topographic maps to find them. If you wish to explore secret gems in Northwestern Ontario, let me know!

Education

Lakehead University

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Thesis title: Towards a Blockchain-based Trustful Mechanism for IoT-Enabled Data Trading Systems.
Advisors: Prof. Abdulsalam Yassine & Prof. Rachid Benlamri
September 2018 - May 2022

Tehran Science & Research Branch, Azad University

Master of Science - MSc in Computer Engineering
Thesis title: Task scheduling in the cloud environment using MapReduce framework and genetic algorithm.
Advisor: Prof. Nima Jafari Navimipour
January 2014 - January 2016

Experience

Confederation College

Part-time Faculty

CP465: Systems Security, Winter 2022.
IM315: Web development III, Fall 2019, Winter 2021, 2022, Spring & Summer 2021, 2022.
CP240: Advanced Web Applications, Winter 2020, 2021.
CP180: Introduction to Databases, Fall 2020, Spring & Summer 2021, 2022.
IC210: Windows Server Operating System, Spring & Summer 2020.

September 2019 - August 2022

Lakehead University

Contract Lecturer

ESOF2571: Computer Hardware and Software Systems, Winter 2022.

Graduate Assistant

ESOF4250: Software Safety and Security, Fall 2020.
ESOF2571: Computer Hardware & Software Systems, Winter 2019, 2020, 2021, Spring 2020.
ESOF0152: Agile Software Development, Winter 2019, 2020, 2021.
ESOF3566: Principles of Operating Systems, Fall 2019, 2020, 2021.
ESOF5334: Web Engineering, Fall 2019.
ESOF3675: Database Systems, Winter 2019.

September 2018 - April 2022

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Adjunct Instructor

ITSC308: Security Policies & Operations, Winter 2022.
ITSC304: Operating System Exploitation, Fall 2021.

September 2021 - April 2022

Conestoga College

Part-time Faculty

PROG8270: Software Application Security I, Winter 2021, Spring & Summer 2021, Fall 2021.
PROG8290: Software Application Security II, Spring & Summer 202.
INFO2310: Application Project (Capstone), Winter 2021.

January 2021 - December 2021

Publications

Journal Papers
  • Khezr, S., Yassine, A. and Benlamri, R. (2022). Towards a secure and dependable IoT data monetization using blockchain and fog computing, Journal of Cluster Computing, Springer.
  • Khezr, S., Yassine, A. and Benlamri, R. (2022). Towards a Trustful Game-Theoretic Mechanism for Data Trading in the Blockchain-IoT Ecosystem, Journal of Network and Systems Management, Springer.
  • Khezr, S., Yassine, A. and Benlamri, R., M. Hossain (2022). An Edge Intelligent Blockchain-based Reputation System for IIoT Data Ecosystems, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics.
  • Khezr, S., & Navimipour, N. J. (2020). Task scheduling in the cloud environment using MapReduce framework and genetic algorithm, Journal of Information and Communication Technology (in Persian).
  • Moniruzzaman, M., Khezr, S., Yassine, A., & Benlamri, R. (2020). Blockchain for smart homes: Review of current trends and research challenges, Journal of Computers & Electrical Engineering, Elsevier.
  • Khezr, S., Moniruzzaman, M., Yassine, A. and Benlamri, R., (2019). Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review and Directions for Future Research, Journal of Applied Sciences, MDPI.
  • Khezr, S. N., & Navimipour, N. J. (2017). MapReduce and Its Applications, Challenges, and Architecture: a Comprehensive Review and Directions for Future Research, Journal of Grid Computing, Springer.
  • Khezr, S. N., & Navimipour, N. J. (2015). MapReduce and its application in optimization algorithms: A comprehensive study, Journal of Multimedia Processing, Majlesi.

Conference Papers
  • Khezr, S., Benlamri, R., & Yassine, A. (2020, August). Blockchain-based Model for Sharing Activities of Daily Living in Healthcare Applications. In 2020 IEEE Intl Conf on Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Computing, Intl Conf on Pervasive Intelligence and Computing, Intl Conf on Cloud and Big Data Computing, Intl Conf on Cyber Science and Technology Congress (DASC/PiCom/CBDCom/CyberSciTech) (pp. 627-633). IEEE.
  • Ashouraei, M., Khezr, S. N., Benlamri, R., & Navimipour, N. J. (2018, August). A New SLA-Aware Load Balancing Method in the Cloud Using an Improved Parallel Task Scheduling Algorithm. In 2018 IEEE 6th International Conference on Future Internet of Things and Cloud (FiCloud) (pp. 71-76). IEEE.
  • Khezr, S. N., & Navimipour, N. J. July 2015, Entitled “A review of the large data processing method based MapReduce Framework”; 7th Iranian Conference on Electrical & Electronics Engineering - ICEEE 2015, At Azad University of Gonabad, Volume: 7th (in Persian).

Projects

Blockchain-based Model for Sharing Data in Healthcare Applications, Lakehead University
Daily activity recognition patterns provide useful insights to healthcare providers, allowing them to remotely monitor the well-being of the elderly and make appropriate actions. In this project, we proposed a blockchainbased model in Hyperledger for sharing activities of daily living in healthcare applications.

2020
Real-Time Facial Expression Recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks, Lakehead University
In this project, we used Kaggle 2013 challenge about facial expression. Besides benchmark models (AlexNet, VGG16, and VGG19), we created 3 CNN models and trained them from scratch the first model is a simple CNN with 8 layers. The model obtained 61% accuracy on test data. The second model is a deep CNN with 22 Layers, which is accuracy is 82.3%, and the third model with 26 layers obtained 83.6% accuracy on test data.

2019
Fuzzy-based Light Change System for Stop Lights: Based on Pedestrian and Crowd Density, Lakehead University
Extracting features and classification are two-step of detecting objects. In this project, a combination of Histograms of the oriented gradient (HOG) and a multi-class support vector machine (M-SVM) alongside multi-layer perceptron (MLP) is used to gain a better accuracy in pedestrian detection. After detection and extracting number of human pedestrian by HOG and MM-SVM, a fuzzy-based light change system for stop lights is introduced. This system is designed to manage red/green light duration automatically according to the velocity of pedestrian and aims to reduce wasted time.

2019
Introduction to Market Basket Analysis with a Big Data Analytics Approach, Lakehead University
In this project, we proposed a technical study on Market Basket Analysis (MBA) using Big Data Analytics and Machine Learning techniques. The implementation provided by Spark of the FP-Growth Algorithm and Apriori Algorithm.
2018

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
  • Skilled in C#, Python, and MATLAB.
  • Experienced in Raspberry Pi (Sense Hat), Tensorflow, H2O/Spark, Docker, Hyperledger Fabric & Caliper, Computer Vision Toolbox, and Keras.

Security Tools
  • Skilled in Nessus, BurpSuite, Metasploit, ZAP, WireShark, FTK® Imager and Caine.

Web
  • Experienced in modern web application development, Web design, WordPress, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery mobile.

Invited Reviewer
  • IEEE Internet of Things Journal.
  • Journal of Kybernetes, Emerald Group Publishing.
  • Jounral of Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, Wiley.
  • Journal of Grid Computing, Springer Nature.
  • Journal of Applied Sciences, MDPI.
  • Jounral of Energy Systems, Springer Nature.
  • ACM Transactions on Multimedia Computing.
  • Journal of Electronics, MDPI.
  • Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press.
  • Journal of Human Systems Management, IOS Press.

Certifications

Micro-credentials
  • Inclusive Teaching Practices for Post-Secondary Courses.
  • Academic Integrity in Post-Secondary Teaching.
  • Teaching in Trades and Apprenticeship Programs.
  • Teaching Synchronously and Asynchronously.
  • Collaborative and Team-Based Learning in Post Secondary Education.
  • Intercultural Teaching Skills for Post-Secondary Courses.

Certifications
  • Post-Secondary Teaching College Certificate.
  • CSSLP Cert Prep: 1 Secure Software Concepts.
  • Program Databases with Transact-SQL.
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Essential Training.
  • IBM Blockchain Foundation Developer.
  • IBM Blockchain Essentials.
  • IBM Python for Data Science.
  • IBM Machine Learning with Python.
  • IBM Data Analysis with Python.
  • IBM Data Visualization with Python.
  • IBM Applied Data Science with Python.
  • IBM Docker Essentials: A Developer Introduction.

Awards

  • President International Scholar Award - Lakehead University.
  • Faculty of Engineering Award - Lakehead University.
  • Faculty Research Award - Lakehead University.