Profile
Dr. Omer Ali
Lecturer in Computing · Researcher
Department of Computing, South East Technological University (SETU)
Carlow, Ireland
Biography
Dr. Omer Ali is a researcher and academic with over a decade of experience spanning engineering education, applied research, and industry-facing technology projects. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing at South East Technological University (SETU), where he teaches Software Testing, Computer Programming, and Cloud & Data-Centre modules.
His research is interdisciplinary — combining computer science with health and sports sciences through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and signal processing. He also designs and deploys lightweight machine-learning models on embedded platforms for Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications.
Research areas
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Applied ML for Health & Sports Science
- Signal Processing
- Embedded & Lightweight ML (TinyML)
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Wireless Sensor Networks
- Energy Systems & Battery SoC Estimation
- Cloud & Edge Computing
Publications & metrics
Also 1 book chapter and 2 open datasets. Citation metrics via Google Scholar (as of July 2026). See the full publication list →
Current projects & funding
EYESPEAK — Mental Fatigue Detection in Team Sports
SETU President's Award · €125,000 · 2025–Present
Developing an interpretable, low-burden machine-learning approach to estimate mental fatigue and its effect on decision quality in team field sports, using non-intrusive signals captured during routine training.
Education
- 2018 – 2022
PhD, Electronics & Automation
Universiti Sains Malaysia · Penang, Malaysia
Thesis: Extending Wireless Sensor Network Lifetime Using Battery State-of-Charge Estimation and MAC-Layer Improvements.
- 2007 – 2008
MSc, Communications Engineering
The University of Manchester · Manchester, United Kingdom
Dissertation: MMIC chipset characterisation (K, Ka, Ku and L-band components).
- 2002 – 2006
BSc, Computer Systems Engineering
NFC Institute of Engineering & Technology · Multan, Pakistan
Thesis: Vocoder algorithm enhancement for GSM networks.
Experience
- 2025 – Present
Lecturer in Computing
South East Technological University (SETU) · Carlow, Ireland
Teaching Software Testing, Computer Programming and Cloud & Data-Centre modules; supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students, including the Cybersecurity capstone cohort.
- 2023 – Present
Postdoctoral Researcher
SETU · Walton Institute · Waterford, Ireland
Horizon Europe ZeroW (Zero Food Loss and Waste) — machine-learning models for food-waste prediction, data pipelines and real-time analytics dashboards.
- 2017 – 2023
Assistant Professor
NFC Institute of Engineering & Technology · Multan, Pakistan
Electronics & computing teaching and research; Communications Research Group; IT department lead; Chairman of University Admissions (2021–2023).
- 2010 – 2017
Engineering Lecturer
NFC Institute of Engineering & Technology · Multan, Pakistan
Undergraduate course design and delivery (theory and practical), seminars and quality-enhancement work.
Beyond academia — service & leadership
- 2019 – Present
Community Moderator — Google Local Guides
One of ~36 Local Guides Community Moderators worldwide (the first from Pakistan); leads Photo Walks, Accessibility Walks and community campaigns.
- 2023 – Present
Volunteer — Waterford Volunteers
Supports visitors and city events (including the Million Stars project) in Waterford, Ireland.
- 2021 – 2023
Chairman of University Admissions — NFC IET
Led undergraduate and postgraduate admissions (~1,000 students per year), from campaigns to induction.
- 2016 – 2020
Microsoft Certified Trainer
Recognised technical and instructional expert in Microsoft technologies.
Certifications
- Cisco Certified Network Associate — Routing & Switching (CCNA)
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) — Server Infrastructure
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
- Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)
- Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) — Cloud Fundamentals
- Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) — Networking Fundamentals
- Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
- Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
- Certified Secure Computer User (Military College of Signals, NUST)
- High-Performance Computing & Parallel Programming (UCD · ICHEC Ireland)
Professional recognition
- Professional Engineer / Chartered Engineer — Pakistan Engineering Council (2024)
- Member, IEEE
- Academic reviewer — IEEE Access, IEIE Transactions on Smart Processing & Computing, and others