Saad Shafiq

Saad Shafiq

Researcher

Johannes Kepler University

Biography

I primarily focus on Machine Learning applications, with ample experience in Full Stack .Net development, Blockchain technologies, C#, R, and Python. Considering myself an ambitious tech-savvy, I firmly believe in exploring contemporary technologies and utilizing those to enhance the organizational performance. Please feel free to reach out if you wish to engage in a conversation regarding my work, explore new research perspectives, or potentially embark on a collaborative journey.

Download my resumé.

Interests
  • Software Engineering
  • Machine Learning
  • Information Retrieval
Education
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science, 2022

    Johannes Kepler University

  • M.S. in Software Engineering, 2017

    National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Post-doc Researcher
University of Southern California
Jan 2024 – Present USA
 
 
 
 
 
Post-doc Researcher
Johannes Kepler University
Jun 2023 – Jan 2024 Austria

Responsibilities include:

  • Tech. stack: Python, R, SQL, Git, Pandas, Numpy, Scikit, Keras, Tensorflow, Pytorch, Javascript, Vuejs
  • Multivariate analysis, anomaly detection, LLMs
 
 
 
 
 
Researcher
Johannes Kepler University
Jun 2019 – Mar 2023 Austria

Responsibilities include:

  • Tech. stack: Python, R, SQL, Git, Pandas, Numpy, Scikit, Keras, Tensorflow, Pytorch, Neo4j
  • Worked on problems including classification, clustering, regression, and optimization
  • Implemented prototypes and POCs to improve software engineering life cycle using contemporary machine learning algorithms
  • Worked with NLP techniques including topic extraction, LDA, and sentiment analysis
  • Responsible for analysing complex and large scale structured/unstructured datasets and converting into actionable insights
  • Experienced in statistical analysis, applied machine learning, and making technicalities graspable for the stakeholders
 
 
 
 
 
Blockchain Developer
MTBC
Feb 2019 – May 2019

Responsibilities include:

  • Responsible for setting up a highly resilient and sustainable blockchain network architecture
  • Ensured stable and robust distributed environment using Kubernetes
  • Implemented Hyperledger fabric framework and worked on script automation
  • Proficient in Hyperledger tools such as Hyperledger Composer and Hyperledger Explorer
  • Written business logic chaincodes in golang and node.js
  • Hands on experience with writing smart contracts in solidity (Ethereum)
  • Created DApps (Distributed applications) with exposed REST APIs’
 
 
 
 
 
Software Engineer
MTBC
Jan 2018 – Feb 2019

Responsibilities include:

  • Tech. stack: C#, .NET framework, SQL, razor pages, ASP.NET
  • Responsible for deployments to QA, Staging and Production environment as being the release owner in the team
  • Responsible for merging the code of entire team on TFS
  • Rigorously followed agile methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban) in the development process using JIRA
  • Implemented the latest hashing algorithm in the system
  • Created stored procedures for reporting and analytics
  • Performed JSON manipulation and Schema validation
  • Enhanced product’s performance by implementing bulk insertions to database and enabling multi-threading
  • Acted as a liaison between Product Owners and the team to ensure development and operations are moving in the right direction
  • Designed the architecture of new modules of the system
  • Developed Web APIs for new modules in the system
  • Managed support and helpdesk team to always cater to client needs
  • Analyzed and evaluated client requests in order to develop new functionality
 
 
 
 
 
Research Assistant
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017

Responsibilities include:

  • Conducted research to identify major research gaps in the area of Requirements Engineering, Machine Learning, and Agile Software Development Processes
  • Performed Social Network Analysis on large datasets using UCINet and Gephi
  • Published research articles in Tier-1 and high impact journals and conferences
  • Collaborated with the active researchers in the domain of Requirements Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, and Software Testing
  • Analyzed large datasets and produced meaningful insights using contemporary machine learning algorithms
 
 
 
 
 
Freelance Software Engineer
Fiverr
Jan 2015 – Jan 2017

Responsibilities include:

  • Full-Stack Asp.net Development
  • Implemented Zendesk, Freshdesk for implementation and support operations
  • Created infographic, company’s business projection-oriented videos

Recent Publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.
(2024). Balanced knowledge distribution among software development teams—Observations from open- and closed-source software development. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process.

(2023). Toward Improved Deep Learning-based Vulnerability Detection. 2024 IEEE/ACM 46th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).

(2023). Code smells in pull requests: An exploratory study. Software: Practice and Experience.

(2021). A Literature Review of Using Machine Learning in Software Development Life Cycle Stages. IEEE Access.

(2021). NLP4IP: Natural Language Processing-based Recommendation Approach for Issues Prioritization. 2021 47th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA).

(2021). TaskAllocator: A Recommendation Approach for Role-based Tasks Allocation in Agile Software Development. 2021 IEEE/ACM Joint 15th International Conference on Software and System Processes (ICSSP) and 16th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Global Software Engineering (ICGSE).

(2020). Towards Optimal Assembly Line Order Sequencing with Reinforcement Learning: A Case Study. 2020 25th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA).

(2020). Machine learning for software engineering: A systematic mapping. arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.13299.

(2019). Communication Patterns of Kanban Teams and their Impact on Iteration Performance and Quality. 2019 45th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA).

(2018). A systematic mapping study on security requirements engineering frameworks for cyber-physical systems. International Conference on Security, Privacy and Anonymity in Computation, Communication and Storage.

(2017). Towards Studying the Communication Patterns of Kanban Teams: A Research Design. 2017 IEEE 25th International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops (REW).

(2017). Model-driven Development based Cross Platform Application Development: A Systematic Mapping Study. Journal of Information Science and Engineering.

Contact