PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ala Al-Fuqaha

Also known as Ala Al‐Fuqaha

Ala Al-Fuqaha is a computer engineer and AI researcher whose work applies machine learning to Internet of Things and smart city services. He earned engineering degrees at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the University of Missouri, then worked at Sprint Telecom and Lambda Optical Systems before becoming a professor at Western Michigan University. His 2015 Internet of Things survey won the IEEE Communications Society's Best Survey Award in 2018, and his later research applies semi-supervised deep reinforcement learning to IoT and smart city services. He joined Hamad Bin Khalifa University as a professor in 2018; as of October 2026, he is Acting Director of its School of Education, Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning, and a Senior Editor at IEEE Access.

Works
350
Badges
Links
Website and Google Scholar

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.

Timeline

  1. 1996–2004

    Three engineering degrees

    He earns a B.S. in computer engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in 1996, an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1999, and a Ph.D. in computer engineering and networking from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2004.

  2. 1999–2018

    From engineer to professor

    From 1999 to 2000, he works as a software engineer at Sprint Telecom. From 2000 to 2004, he is a senior member of technical staff at Lambda Optical Systems. At Western Michigan University, he is a professor in the Computer Science Department and College of Engineering and Applied Science from 2004 to 2018.

  3. 2014

    A Western Michigan research award

    In 2014, he receives Western Michigan University's Outstanding Researcher Award in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

  4. 2015

    A survey of the Internet of Things

    In 2015, he coauthors “Internet of Things: A Survey on Enabling Technologies, Protocols, and Applications,” which reviews IoT enabling technologies, protocols, and application issues.

  5. 2018

    Professor at HBKU and survey award

    He joins HBKU as a professor in its Information and Computing Technology division in 2018. In 2018, he receives the IEEE Communications Society's Best Survey Award for his 2015 Internet of Things survey.

  6. 2018

    Deep reinforcement learning for IoT

    In 2018, he coauthors “Semi-supervised Deep Reinforcement Learning in Support of IoT and Smart City Services,” which proposes a model that uses labeled and unlabeled data to improve the learning agent’s performance in smart city applications.

  7. 2025

    Acting provost at HBKU

    In 2025, he serves as Acting Provost and Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning at HBKU.

  8. As of October 2026

    Acting director and associate provost

    As of October 2026, he is a professor at HBKU and serves as Acting Director of its School of Education and Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning. He is a Senior Editor at IEEE Access. His research includes machine learning and deep learning for data-driven and self-driven management of IoT and smart city services, and ethical aspects of AI deployments.

Career

  1. Since 2018Hamad bin Khalifa UniversityProfessor
  2. 2004–2018Western Michigan UniversityProfessor
  3. 2000–2004Lambda Optical SystemsSenior Member of Technical Staff
  4. 1999–2000Sprint TelecomSoftware Engineer

Education

  1. 2004University of Missouri–Kansas CityPh.D.
  2. 1999University of MissouriM.S.
  3. 1996King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsB.S.

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Hamad bin Khalifa University. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Missouri. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Missouri. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Ala Al-Fuqaha yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Dr. Ala Al-Fuqaha | Hamad Bin Khalifa University hbku.edu.qa. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Dr. Ala Al-Fuqaha ala.cs.wmich.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Internet of Things: A Survey on Enabling Technologies, Protocols, and Applications - Hamad Bin Khalifa University elmi.hbku.edu.qa. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. [1810.04118] Semi-supervised Deep Reinforcement Learning in Support of IoT and Smart City Services arxiv.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani Attends Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s 2025 Graduation Ceremony | Hamad Bin Khalifa University hbku.edu.qa. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. New Student Orientation 2026 | Hamad Bin Khalifa University orientation.hbku.edu.qa. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. IEEE Access | Ala Al-Fuqaha ieeeaccess.ieee.org. Checked 21 October 2026.