Biography

Dr Rafiq Swash is a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in international technology driven industries, academia, and world class research centres. In particular, he has years of professional working capability in autonomous vehicles, connected robotics, Ai enabled algorithms, visual information search and retrieval, advanced 3D imaging and display, financial computing, knowledge representation in behavioural and pattern modelling.

In the post-graduate sphere, Dr Swash has completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electronic and computer Engineering and BEng in Computer Systems Engineering at Brunel University London; Oxford Entrepreneurship: Venture Finance at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford; Cambridge High Impact Leadership at University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

He has been actively involved in a multitude of research projects namely, the lead research scientist and contributed hugely in multi-million funded innovation research projects RUSHES (FP6-045189-STREP: Audio-visual Search Engine), 3DVIVANT (FP6-IST-7-248420-STREP: Advanced 3D imaging and display technologies.), IoRL: Internet of Radio Light (H2020-ICT-2016-2: Complex wireless communication project develops a safer, more secure, customizable and intelligent building network that reliably delivers increased throughput) and CEPROQHA (QNRF) for cultural heritage digitization and preservation of Qatar.

Another key area is his involvement in lecturing. He was the MSc programme director for Digital Design and Branding at Brunel University London where he also was the lead for the 3D research group and supervised a large group of PhD researchers in the area of autonomous robotics, holoscopic 3D sensors, immersive 3D displays, big data, connected systems and IOTs, information search and retrieval, nano technologies and additive manufacturing at Brunel University London. He also taught multidisciplinary areas of MSc Advanced Multimedia Design and 3D Technologies, MSc Digital Design and Branding, BSc Digital Design, BEng Computer Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering and Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University London.

Dr Swash is a recipient of many outstanding awards such as Top 100 Leaders in Education by Global Forum for Education and Learning USA, the prestigious Vice-Chancellor's Doctoral Research Prize, E&T Innovation Awards 2020 finalist, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society 2013 Best Paper Award BTS’13, Academic Achievement Award, First BEST poster presentation prize in UG, Best UG Project Award in Electronic and Computer Engineering; Graham Hawkes prize, Chancellor prize and the Brunel University Medal for overall excellence achievement.

A true entrepreneur, Dr Swash has a proven track record of establishing deep tech companies internationally and is recognised as visionary thought leader in the maritime industry. He spent his early career in deep tech industry and has worked as a senior software engineer, implementation manager, technical lead, senior technology architect and technical director in Europe and USA.

Today, he is the founder of Aidrivers which provides autonomous vehicles and solutions for industrial mobility automation in ports. Dr Swash is a visiting professor in Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has given scientific talks in number of international scientific and innovation conferences as a keynote speaker in Europe, China, Qatar, India and UAE. He is a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (HEA), a Member of IEEE, a Member of IET and a reviewer to number of international IEEE/IET Journals and Editorial board in augmented technologies at Frontiers and he has over 60 published scientific papers in international journals and conferences.