Workshop Facilitators!

Mohammad Q. Azhar

Professor, Computer Information Systems
Borough of Manhattan Community College
The City University Of New York

Mohammad Azhar is a Professor in the Computer Information Systems.. His research and projects include numerous NSF, DOE, CUNY, and Industry projects. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) program where spearheaded the formation of the Technology Learning Community and computational thinking across the curriculum project where thousands of computing and non computing students engaged in collaborative real-world problems. He organized numerous robotics competitions, hackathon and STEM Innovation Challenge over the years to engage students in real-world problems. His current research interests include Human-Robot Collaboration, AI, Assistive Technology, Assistive Robotics, Cyber Security and Computer Science Education. He is passionate about getting undergraduate as well as K-12 students involved in solving robotics problems, taking part in robotics research, and competitions that help them realize where they could go with robotics in the real world.

Debasis Bhattacharya
Professor, University of Hawaii Maui College

Debasis Bhattacharya (Debāśiṣ Bhaṭṭāchārya, দেবাশীষ ভট্টাচার্য, देवाशीष भट्टाचार्य) is a tenured Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College and serves as Program Coordinator for the Applied Business and Information Technology (ABIT) baccalaureate program. He brings over thirty-eight years of combined experience in higher education and the technology industry. Before academia, Dr. Bhattacharya spent more than fifteen years at leading technology firms, including Oracle and Microsoft, working in enterprise systems development and technology integration. He holds academic degrees from MIT, Columbia University, the University of Phoenix, and the Northwestern California University School of Law, reflecting multidisciplinary training across computing, business, and law. His scholarly interests include computer science education, cybersecurity, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, and technology policy. Dr. Bhattacharya is a Senior Member of the IEEE and ACM and a member of the Academy of Management (AoM). His work focuses on aligning academic programs with workforce demands and advancing applied technology education.