SIAI-2026 Organizers

Program Chair

Dr. Leon Deligiannidis is a full professor and interim dean of the School of Computing and Data Science at Wentworth Institute of Technology. His foundation in Computer Science was first established when he earned his B.S. from Northeastern University College of Computer Science. He then went on to obtain two advanced degrees in the field from Tufts University. He has been active in the field since then, investigating subjects like Security Surveillance, Brain Computer Interfaces, Business-oriented visualizations, and STEM Education. He has also served in industrial positions outside the scope of his academic work, using his acumen for several companies. His industry experience includes both entrepreneur startups in healthcare and high-tech networking companies. He has received multiple awards for his efforts, including multiple Achievement Awards for his contributions to Imaging Science by the World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Applied Computing, IEEE best paper awards, as well as a University Presidential award for his scholarly achievements. In addition, he has served as a referee for many journals in computer science and is a member of the program and organizing committees for notable conferences in his field. Dr. Deligiannidis teaches courses such as Security, Operating Systems, Quantum Computing for Security, System/Network Administration, Senior Design.

Local Organizing Committee Chair

Dr. Salem Othman is an Associate Professor at the School of Computing and Data Science, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Dr. Othman received a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from two different universities in Libya. He also received a doctorate in Computer Science from Kent State University, OH, USA. Since 2006 he has taught at college level, both in Libya and in the United States.  His research interests include Online Social Network analysis, Computational Modeling and Simulation, Machine Learning, Emojiset Mining, and Epidemiology. He has co-authored peer-reviewed publications on a broad range of topics. These topics vary but can include subjects such as discovering bloom taxonomic relationships between knowledge units using semantic graph triangularity mining to the impact of online social community platforms on the elderly daily activities and automatic extraction of Emojiset. His work has appeared in the International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking; International Conference on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction, Computing Conference 2021, and SIMULTECH Conference 2021.

Sponsorship & Publicity Co-Chair

Chika Yinka-Banjo is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). A PhD graduate in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town.

She has over two decades of experience in AI, robotics, machine learning, and intelligent systems, with significant research producing practical solutions across sectors including mining safety, agriculture, and digital security.

She coordinates UNILAG's Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab (AIRLAB) and is a Fellow and Outstanding Teaching Award recipient of MIT's Empowering the Teachers Programme. Since April 2026, she has served as Pioneer Director of UNILAG's AI University Innovation Pod (AI UNIPOD), part of Nigeria's national innovation initiative.

Beyond academia, she is passionate about bringing coding and robotics to young people, driven by a belief that early exposure to these fields is foundational to Africa's technological future.