Dr. Zahid Akhtar
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
State University of New York Polytechnic Institute,
C135, Kunsela Hall,
Utica, New York 13502, USA.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=WSsLM18AAAAJ&hl=en
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
State University of New York Polytechnic Institute,
C135, Kunsela Hall,
Utica, New York 13502, USA.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=WSsLM18AAAAJ&hl=en
Dr. Akhtar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (USA) since August 2020. Prior to this, he was a Research Assistant Professor at University of Memphis, USA (2018-2020) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at INRS-EMT-University of Quebec, Canada (2016-2018), University of Udine, Italy (2013-2016), Bahcesehir University, Turkey (2013), and University of Cagliari, Italy (2012-2013), respectively. He was a visiting Research Fellow at University of Cagliari, Italy, from 2008 to 2009. Between 2005 to 2008, he was Junior Research Fellow at University of Pune, India. In 2004, he worked as a summer intern at Tata Motors Limited, India.
Dr. Akhtar received the Ph.D. degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering from University of Cagliari (Italy). He is as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, and Neural Processing Letters (Springer). He has also served as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Access journal. Moreover, he is a Senior Member of IEEE as well as a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He is also a recipient of the IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence journal's Outstanding Associate Editor (2023), IEEE Access Journal's Outstanding Associate Editor (2023) award, Premium Award for Best Paper in IET Biometrics Journal (2014), Outstanding Paper Award at the International Conference on Internet (2017), Best Industry-Oriented research work award at National Seminar on Physics and Technology of Sensors (2007), Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing Award in the prestigious journal Pattern Recognition Letters (2016), and Four times Best Reviewer Award at the International Conference on Vision, Image and Signal Processing (2017-2020).
Dr. Akhtar’s current research focuses on artificial intelligence-driven solutions for deepfakes, cybersecurity, biometrics, adversarial machine learning, emotion recognition, medical diagnostics, and audiovisual multimedia quality assessment.
Latest News
Keynote/Invited Speaker:
Zahid Akhtar, Delivered four talks at the SPARC-Funded Five-Day International Workshop on Breaking and Securing AI: Adversarial Attacks, Deepfakes, and Healthcare Systems, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India, June 22–26, 2026. Talks topics included:
“Generative AI in Cybersecurity: LLMs as Both Shield and Sword, Emerging Research Trends, and a Framework for Innovation”
“Adversarial AI: Vulnerabilities, Attacks, Robustness, and Defense Strategies in Machine Learning Systems”
"Deepfake Generation and Detection Techniques: Synthetic Media Pipelines and Threat Models"
"Cyber Attack Landscape and Defense Mechanisms: Overview of Major Cyber-Attack Types and Defenses Including Intrusion Detection Systems"
Zahid Akhtar, “Pathways to Global Research Excellence”, Bhilai Institute of Technology Durg, India, June 10, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, “Adversarial Machine Learning: Attacks on AI Systems and Potential Defenses”, Hands-on Masterclass for CSE, IT, and MCA Scholars, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India, June 9, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, "Cyberspace and AI: Threats, Defense, LLMs, and Deepfakes," Expert Masterclass for CSE, IT, and MCA Scholars, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India, June 8, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, "Generative AI in Cybersecurity: LLMs as Both Shield and Sword", IEEE CIS Summer School 2026 on Computational Intelligence in the Age of LLMs and LVMs: Foundations, Challenges, and Applications, IIT Patna, India, June 6, 2026 (Plenary Talk).
Zahid Akhtar, “Global Research Pathways”, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India, June 5, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, “Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Digital Forensics: USA Innovations for Modern Policing”, Police Academy, Chandrakhuri, India, June 4, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, “Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Networking (CSE, IT, and MCA): Building Research Networks for Innovation and Funding Success”, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India, June 3, 2026.
Zahid Akhtar, “Global Research and Academic Collaboration: Building Bridges for Innovation, Excellence, and Mobility”, One-Day Seminar on Institutional Leadership, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India, June 2, 2026.
Guest Editor
Special issue on "Multimedia Data and Network Security: Emerging Trends and AI-Driven Threats and Defenses", in Journal of Computers, 2026 [Link]
Special issue on "Quality of Life Improvement: Smart Approaches for the Working and Aging Populations, Volume II" in Frontiers in Public Health, 2026 [Link]
special issue on "Advanced Technologies for Detecting Cybersecurity Attacks in Internet of Things Systems" in Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, 2026 [Link]
Highlights
Received IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence Journal's Outstanding Associate Editor of 2023 Award.
Dr. Akhtar quoted in the article "Exposing deepfake imagery" in Photonics Focus (SPIE), September 1, 2023.
Received IEEE Access Journal's Outstanding Associate Editor of 2023 Award [Link].
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