Supervisor (Education)


PhD Supervision


Main supervisor


  1. Martin Torstensson, Ph.D. in Information Technology, on-going

    • Thesis: From Features to Objects for Improved Explainability In Machine Learning

    • School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Sweden

    • Industrial PhD, student working at RISE Institutes of Sweden


  1. Kevin Hernandez-Diaz, Ph.D. in Information Technology, on-going

    • Thesis: Ocular Recognition in Unconstrained Environments

    • School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Sweden

    • Student funded by Project Research Grant of the Swedish Research Council


  1. Maria Luiza Recena Menezes, Ph.D. in Information Technology, on-going

    • Thesis: Emotion-based automation of intelligent environments using biosignals

    • School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Sweden

    • Student funded by Brazilian Science Without Borders (SWB) program


  1. Pedro Tome-Gonzalez, Ph.D. Telecommunications Engineering, 2013

    • Thesis: Variability Factors & Application to Biometrics at a Distance (Summa Cum Laude)

    • Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Spain

    • (http://atvs.ii.uam.es/files/2013_PhDThesis_BiometricsAtADistance_PTome.pdf)

    • Student funded by Ph.D. scholarship of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

    • Supervision in 2009-2010 (continued by Dr. Fierrez after I left Madrid).

    • Student moved as post-doc to IDIAP-EPFL (CH) afterwards



Not supervisor, but guided or collaborated with PhD students (resulting in publications) :

  1. Hassan Nemati, Ph.D. in Information Technology, 2019

  2. Yuantao Fan, Ph.D. in Information Technology, 2020

    • School of Information Technology (ITE), Halmstad University, Sweden

    • Supervised project in PhD course “Multi-Scale and Multi-Dimensional Signal Analysis”, which resulted in a conference publication with the students that obtained the best poster award: H. Nemati, Y. Fan, and Fernando Alonso-Fernandez, “Hand Detection and Gesture Recognition Using Symmetric Patterns”, Proc. 8th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems, ACIIDS, Special Session on Analysis of Image, Video and Motion Data in Life Sciences, IVMLS, Da Nang, Vietnam, March 14-16, 2016


  1. Ester Gonzalez-Sosa, Ph.D. Telecommunications Engineering, 2017

    • Thesis: Face and Body Biometrics in the Wild: Advances in the Visible Spectrum and Beyond

    • Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Spain

    • (http://biometrics.eps.uam.es/fierrez/files/2017_PhDThesis_FaceBodyBiometricsWild_EGonzalez.pdf)

    • Co-authoring of several publications on soft-biometrics, iris and face recognition

    • Student obtained the European Biometrics Research Award 2018, awarded to the best PhD theses in Europe in the field of biometrics: https://eab.org/award/reports/report2018.html

    • Student now Researcher at Nokia Bell Labs (Spain)


  1. Anna Mikaelyan, Ph.D. in Information Technology, 2015

    • Thesis: Compact orientation and frequency estimation with applications in biometrics

    • School of Information Technology (ITE), Halmstad University, Sweden

    • (http://hh.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:811139/FULLTEXT01.pdf)

    • Student funded by EU Marie Curie ITN BBfor2

    • Co-authoring of one of the publications submitted for examination and of two supporting papers of the Thesis


  1. Marcos Martinez-Diaz Ph.D. Telecommunications Engineering, 2015

    • Thesis: Automatic Signature and Graphical Password Verification: Discriminant Features and New Application Scenarios

    • Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Spain

    • (http://atvs.ii.uam.es/files/2015_PHDTHESIS_MarcosMartinezDiaz.pdf)

    • Co-authoring of several publications and software co-development for participation in international evaluations of technology (BSEC2009, SigComp2009)

    • Student now at the telecommunications industry sector (Spain)


  1. Javier Galbally-Herrero, Ph.D. Telecommunications Engineering, 2009

    • Thesis: Vulnerabilities and Attack Protection in Security Systems based on Biometrics Recognition

    • Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Spain

    • (http://atvs.ii.uam.es/files/2009_PhDThesis_BiometricSecurity_Galbally.pdf)

    • Co-authoring of several publications and software co-development for participation in international evaluations of technology (LivDet2009)

    • Student now at the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the EU (Ispra, Italy)



Master Students Supervision


School of Information Technology (ITE), Halmstad University, Sweden


  1. Pontus Hedman, Vasilios Skepetzis, M.S. Digital Forensics (15 credits), June 2021

    • Thesis: “The Effect of Beautification Filters on Image Recognition: Are filtered social media images viable Open Source Intelligence?"

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-44799)


  1. Fredrik Svanström, M.S. Embedded and Intelligent Systems (30 credits), June 2020

    • Thesis: “Drone detection and classification using sensor fusion and machine learning”

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-42141)

    • June 2020: results published in conference: F. Svanström, C. Englund, F Alonso-Fernandez, “Real-Time Drone Detection and Tracking With Visible, Thermal and Acoustic Sensors”, Proc. Intl Conf on Pattern Recognition, ICPR, Milan, Italy, 10-15 January 2021 (online) https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.07396

    • November 2021: database described in journal paper: F. Svanström, F Alonso-Fernandez, C. Englund, “A Dataset for Multi-Sensor Drone Detection”, Data in Brief, Elsevier, accepted

    • May 2021: Best Master’s Thesis Award from the Swedish Artificial Intelligence Society, SAIS (one unique prize for all nominations in Sweden), http://www.sais.se/


  1. Rustam Stanikzai, Adrian Hagström, M.S. Computer Science and Engineering (30 c), September 2020

    • Thesis: “Writer identification using semi-supervised GAN and LSR method on offline block characters”

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-43316)

    • April 2022: results published in conference: A. L. Hagström, R. Stanikzai, J. Bigun, F. Alonso-Fernandez, “Writer Recognition Using Off-line Handwritten Single Block Characters”, Proc. 10th International Workshop on Biometrics and Forensics, IWBF, Salzburg, Austria, April 20-21, 2022 https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10665


  1. Dimitrios Varytimidis, M.S. Embedded and Intelligent Systems (15 credits), June 2018

    • Thesis: “Detection and intention prediction of pedestrians in zebra crossings”

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-37939)

    • November 2018: results published in conference: D. Varytimidis, F. Alonso-Fernandez, C Englund, B Duran, “Action and intention recognition of pedestrians in urban traffic”, Workshop on Human Tracking and Behaviour Analysis, HTBA, in conjunction with the Intl Conf on Signal Image Technology & Internet Based Systems, SITIS, Gran Canaria, Spain, 26-29 Nov 2018


  1. Sanjana Arunesh, Abhilash Padi Siva, M.S. Embedded and Intelligent Systems (30 credits), June 2018

    • Thesis: “Robot Assistant Quiz Espying of Learners”

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-38090)


  1. Majid Karimi, M.S. Embedded and Intelligent Systems (15 credits), November 2016

    • Thesis: “Using multiple Leap Motion sensors in Assembly workplace in Smart Factory”

(http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-32392)


  1. Tayebeh Taheri, M.S. Computer Network Engineering, Halmstad University, Summer 2014

    • Summer Project on “Pre-study of impulse radar technology for biometric applications”, co-supervised with co-worker Dr. Anita Sant’Anna (IS-Lab/CAISR) and Pelle Wiberg (Swedish Adrenaline AB)


  1. Andreas Ranft, M.S. Embedded and Intelligent Systems (15 credits), June 2014

    • Thesis: “Face Tracking Using Optical Flow”

    • In cooperation with Information Technology and Systems Management, University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, Austria (double degree program) (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-26428)

    • September 2015: Best Paper Award at the 14th International Conference of the Biometrics Special Interest Group (BIOSIG) to paper presented by the student describing his MSc research: A. Ranftl, F. Alonso-Fernandez, S. Karlsson, “Face Tracking Using Optical Flow. Development of a Real-Time AdaBoost Cascade Face Tracker”, Proc. 14th International Conference of the Biometrics Special Interest Group, BIOSIG, Darmstadt, Germany, 9-11 September, 2015 (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-29090)

    • November 2017: conference paper further extended to a journal publication: A. Ranftl, F. Alonso-Fernandez, S. Karlsson, J. Bigun, “Real-Time AdaBoost Cascade Face Tracker Based on Likelihood Map and Optical Flow”, IET Biometrics, Volume: 6, Issue: 6, pp. 468-477, November 2017 (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-33836)




Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad Autonoma Madrid, Spain


  1. Ruben Fernandez-de-Sevilla, M.S. Telecommunications Engineering, April 2012


  1. Virginia Ruiz-Albacete, M.S. Telecommunications Engineering, September 2010


  1. Almudena Gilperez, M.S. Telecommunications Engineering, September 2010


  1. Pedro Tome-Gonzalez, M.S. Telecommunications Engineering, July 2008


  1. Susana Pecharroman-Balbas, M.S. Telecommunications Engineering, October 2007.



Bachelor Students Supervision


School of Information Technology (ITE), Halmstad University, Sweden


  1. Anton Persson, Niklas Dymne, B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, August 2021


  1. Omar Alfakir, Viktor Larsson, B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, August 2021


  1. Erik Wärmegård, B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, May 2020


  1. Johannes Hägglund, Linus Lerjebo, B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering, May 2020


  1. Felix Nilsson, B.Sc. in Computer Engineering, May 2019

    • Thesis: Image Analysis for Smart Manufacturing (15c) (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-39856)

    • Collaboration with the company HMS Industrial Networks AB in Halmstad

    • May 2019: Best Degree Project Award from Lektor Sten Fåhrés minnesfond (Third prize, 20,000 Swedish crowns)

    • June 2020: results published in conference, presented by the student: F. Nilsson, J. Jakobsen, F. Alonso-Fernandez, “Detection and Classification of Industrial Signal Lights for Factory Floors”, Proc International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Computer Vision, ISCV, Fez, Morocco, 9-11 June 2020 (online) http://arxiv.org/abs/2004.11187


  1. Frida Femling and Adam Olsson, B.Sc. in Computer Engineering, May 2018


  1. Jonatan Jönsson and Felix Stenbäck, B.Sc. in Computer Engineering, May 2018


  1. Daniel Wikdahl, Jonathan Johansson, B.Sc. in Mechatronics Engineering, May 2017