Managerial strengths: excellent communication and presentation skills,
consensus builder, able to guide projects successfully.
Analytical strengths: research oriented, problem-solving, pragmatic,
balanced understanding of software engineering and computer
engineering.
Programming skills: C++, C, Java, Perl, Awk, Prolog, Unix, X Window, Motif, DOS,
Microsoft Windows, World Wide Web CGI, HTML, Assembly (8086,
6800, 6502).
EDUCATION
Graduate: University of Southern California
Ph.D. in Computer Science, May 1996. Emphasis: Software Engineering and
Architecture.
M.Sc. in Computer Engineering, May 1990. Emphasis: Computer Architecture.
Undergraduate: California Institute of Technology
B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, June 1989. Emphasis: Digital Circuits.
WORK EXPERIENCE
[April 1998 - Present]
Owner and developer of the Online Islamic Banking Project. Established
ongoing project to promote online banking within the Islamic banking
segment of the financial community. Designed and implemented three-tier
client/server prototype accessible via the World Wide Web at
www.islamicbanking.com. Gained experience in Java, servlets, JDBC, SQL, and
Linux.
[Fall 1997 - Fall 1998]
Software Engineering Manager at Irvine Optical Company. Led a group of
12 software engineers transition from a chaotic software process to a
manageable one. Instituted the Personal Software Process, product defect
tracking and management, peer reviews, an improved hiring procedure, and
necessary documentation practices. Built up morale and satisfaction of the
engineers, and helped improve the architecture and quality of the product
line - C/C++ products on DOS, Windows, and NT. Learned the importance of
patience when dealing with employees, and relearned the importance of
building in quality from the start.
[Spring 1997 - Summer 1997]
Consulting Manager at Webvision Inc. Taught and instituted the Personal
Software Process to a group of 7 software engineers. Enabled the group to
effectively track and manage their individual projects. Provided lectures
and guidance to other managers on different software lifecycles, ISO 9001
compliance, requirements management, and technical reviews. Gained
experience in managing commercial projects within a fast-moving market.
[September 1996 - March 1997]
Postdoctor Fellow at the Center for Software Engineering at the University
of Southern California. Researched and applied state-of-the-art software
architectural analysis to U.S. government satellite ground stations.
Helped coordinate specification of a software design tool written in C using
Motif/X.
[Spring 1996]
Associate instructor for an advanced graduate computer science course at
the University of Southern California. Presented state-of-the-art research
to students. Advised and challenged students to think critically and
broadly.
[1993-1996]
Research assistant for Dr. Barry Boehm, Director of the Center for Software
Engineering. Earned Ph.D. degree under Dr. Boehm's guidance. Reduced the complexity
of identifying problems with building large software systems, and developed
a tool (Prolog/Motif/X) which aids software architects isolate those problems. Acquired the
skill of searching for the right questions, and also of coming up with
original solutions.
[1994-1996]
Project leader for a major World Wide Web development effort. Led a team of
20 dedicated people for three years to produce one of the pre-eminent WWW
sites on the religion of Islam. Managed and distributed the team workload
and projects, participated in the technical design of the site, engineered
back end repositories of data using C and Perl, and contacted numerous publishers/authors to
acquire additional data for display. This site has earned several
recognitions, including a citation in the `Top 1000 of the Web' and `Top
5%' by Point Communications.
[Fall 1993]
Teaching assistant for Dr. Barry Boehm's graduate level course on software
engineering. Instructed and advised over 110 master's and doctoral
students. Encouraged students to enjoy learning. Developed and graded
projects; evaluated student performance.
[Summer 1993]
Summer intern at TRW. Researched and assessed the strengths and weaknesses
of a software middleware tool. Co-wrote a tutorial for the tool, and helped
install it at USC for graduate software engineering courses over the
following three years.
[1993-1994]
Independent software consultant to Toro Irrigation Company. Developed
software (C) for embedded sprinkler controllers. Advised client on good
software engineering practices. Hired and managed an assistant programmer.
[1991-1993]
Independent software consultant to Irvine Optical Corporation, a
manufacturer of automated wafer-handling machines for the semiconductor
industry. Developed software (C/C++) for a variety of complex projects involving
robot control, image manipulation, and graphical user interfaces. Aided the
client in other software engineering roles including overhauling legacy
code, writing documentation, and supporting end users.
[1990-1991]
Independent software consultant to Signet Scientific Company. Developed
software (C) for embedded flow controllers. Gained deeper appreciation for
importance of software/hardware relationships. Improved negotiation and
time management skills.
[Summer 1988]
Research assistant to Dr. John Hopfield and Douglas Kerns, California
Institute of Technology. Researched the problem of miniaturizing a neural
network speech recognizer to an integrated circuit. Successfully solved
central issue of routing many signals over a few wires through a
combination of computer simulation, circuit building, and analysis of
technical papers.
[Summer 1987]
Programmer for Dr. Geoffrey Fox and David Walker, CalTech. Programmed the
NCUBE, one of the first parallel-architecture supercomputers. Aided the
research effort by improving the graphical output performance of a fluid
flow simulation.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English (native), Arabic (moderate), French (marginal).