The College of Engineering and IT at University of Dubai (CEIT – UD) virtually held its 4th International Conference on Signal Processing and Information Security (ICSPIS 2021)  from 24 to 25 November 2021. The conference focused on the significant impacts of signal processing and information security on technology advancement. 

ICSPIS 2021, which was sponsored by the IEEE UAE Section, offered a unique platform and an opportunity for academia and industry specialists to present their latest research outcomes and discuss the development of emerging technologies as well as next-generation applications in signal processing and information security.

In the opening ceremony, UD President, Conference Chair and Honorary Chair of IEEE UAE Section Dr. Eesa Al Bastaki delivered the opening speech in which he welcomed the participants to the 4th edition of the conference. He also highlighted the importance of organizing events that bolster creativity and innovation in the areas of technology. “This enables students, researchers, professionals, instructors and specialists to understand the trends and adapt to rapidly changing market needs,” he added. 

Chair of IEEE UAE Section Dr. Fatma Taher also welcomed the participants and wished them a successful conference. Prof. Wathiq Mansoor, the Technical Program Committee Chair and professor at UD, briefed the audience about the conference program and provided the paper’s statistics. “The conference received over 45 papers out of which 24 papers were accepted to be presented in the conference as a result of a thorough peer review process,” said Dr. Mansoor. He also elaborated further on the core topics and highlights of the conference program which included two keynote speakers, one panel discussion and four regular sessions distributed over two consecutive days. 

On the first day of the conference, Prof. Raed Abd-Alhameed from Bradford University, UK, delivered a keynote speech entitled “Wireless Autonomous Sensing for Inspecting the Blockage and Leakage within the Sewer Infrastructure in Urban Areas”. The keynote was followed by a panel discussion of “The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Signal Processing and Information Security”. The panelists were Prof. Raed Abd-Alhameed (Bradford University, UK), Prof. Huseyin Arslan, University of South Florida, USA, and Dr. Tarek Taha, Robotics Lab Lead at Dubai Future Foundation. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Husameldin Mukhtar from the University of Dubai. The program of the first day also included two technical sessions. 

On the second day, Prof. Huseyin Arslan from the University of South Florida, USA, gave a keynote speech entitled “Physical Layer Security: Latest Trends, Threats, and Countermeasures.” In addition to the keynote, the second day included two technical sessions. 

On its last day, the conference ended with an awarding ceremony for the best paper which was announced by Prof. Wathiq Mansour. The conference Chair Prof. Hussain Al-Ahmad mentioned during the ceremony  that ICSPIS 2022 is going to be a hybrid conference.