How Dr Ahmad went from bachelor’s student to PhD to lecturer
After years of perseverance, late nights, and countless breakthroughs, Dr Hussain Ahmad recently celebrated his PhD graduation at the September 2025 ceremony. His journey from curious learner to University lecturer demonstrates that with passion and persistence, anything is possible.
What makes his story inspiring is how it began. Ahmad, who has an Electronics Engineering background, had no prior research experience. He did, however, have a keen interest in computer science and Artificial Intelligence, interests which were extended during his first role at the University in 2020 as a Cyber Security Engineer.
Soon, with support from colleagues in the Faculty of SET, Hussan’s passion set the foundation for interdisciplinary research that now drives his work at the intersection of Cyber Security, Software Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. “I was nervous at first,” he says, “but my curiosity ended up shaping my entire research path.”
His PhD thesis, Towards AI-Driven, Self-Adaptive, and Cyber-Resilient Software Engineering, was accepted without a single correction - the best possible outcome for any PhD candidate, and a testament to years of hard work and creativity.
Throughout his PhD, Dr Hussain’s outputs were extraordinary. He:
- Led over 15 R&D projects in collaboration with industry and academic partners.
- Produced 12 research papers, including publications featured in CORE A* and A-ranked conferences and journals.
- Secured competitive research funding from both industry and academia.
- Delivered a thesis recognised as best-in-class.
Contributed to the academic community through student supervision, peer representation as a Postgraduate Researcher Representative, and advocacy for equity and inclusion as a GEDI (Gender, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Representative.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Hussain received the University’s Outstanding International Student Award for research excellence, leadership, and community engagement. His creative communication also shone through his Visualise Your Thesis competition submission , where he won both the People’s Choice Award and Second Prize, capturing complex research through clarity and creativity.
I try to make every class a bridge between the classroom and the real world, students shouldn’t just learn - they should see where their learning takes them.Dr Ahmad
From a student driven by curiosity to a scholar shaping the future of cybersecurity and AI, Dr Hussain Ahmad’s story is a powerful reminder that success begins not with knowing everything, but with the courage to begin, learn, and keep going.
This article was originally published in Staff News, Celebrating our colleagues: Hussain Ahmad.