Prof. Dr. Fadi Al-Turjman received his Ph.D. in computer science from Queen’s University, Canada, in 2011. He is the “advisor to the chairman of the board of trustees on AI and informatics at Near East University (NEU), Turkey, and the founding dean for AI and Informatics faculty in the same university. Prof. Al-Turjman is the head of Software Engineering Department, and the founding director for the AI and Robotics Institute and the International Research Center for AI and IoT at NEU. He has been awarded the lifetime golden-award of Dr. Suat Gunsel from Near East University for the year 2022, in addition to several other recognitions and best research awards at key international venues. Prof. Al-Turjman is a leading authority in the areas of smart/intelligent IoT systems, wireless, and mobile networks’ architectures, protocols, deployments, and performance evaluation in Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). His publication history spans over 650 SCI/E publications, in addition to numerous keynotes and plenary talks at flagship venues. He has authored and edited more than 100 books about AI, cognition, security, and wireless sensor networks’ deployments in smart IoT environments, which have been published by well-reputed publishers such as IEEE, Taylor and Francis, Elsevier, IET, and Springer. Prof. Al-Turjman is leading a number of international conferences and workshops in flagship AI and IoT societies. Currently, he serves as a book series editor with distinguished publishers, and the lead guest/associate editor for several top tier journals, including the IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials (IF 23.9) and the Elsevier Sustainable Cities and Society (IF 10.8).Dr. Fahriye Altınay is a full-time faculty member at Near East University, Prof. Dr. Fahriye Altinay works scientifically and administratively on subjects such as the higher education council, bi-communal cultures, quality studies, strategic planning, barrier-free informatics, and smart society. Dr. Fahriye Altınay is the Deputy Director of the Graduate Education Institute, the Vice President of the Center of Excellence Social Research and Development Center, and the head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Education. She is also an editor and referee for international journals and books. She is currently the editor of a book on online learning pedagogy and management and experiences in distance education. Current scientific studies; development of critical friends and skills in the online environment with international perspectives and practices, participation in learning in the online environment, the readiness of higher education institutions for online learning, education of people with disabilities and distance education practices during the pandemic, open education resources, MOOCs, barrier-free tourism and education. The current projects he is working on are a national database on disabled people, inclusive education practices, entrepreneurship, and community analysis during the pandemic period.Dr. Zehra Altınay is a full-time faculty member at Near East University as the Head of the Educational Sciences Department. Previously, she carried out accreditation studies while she was the head of the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies. She is a member of the Graduate Education Institute Board of Directors. Dr. Zehra Altinay is the chairman of the ethics committee in the field of educational sciences within the scope of the Graduate Education Institute. She is also the Head of the Center for Social Research and Development, affiliated with the Center of Excellence. She also works on disability and rights as the chair of the University's Disability Rights Monitoring Committee. She is an editor and referee for international journals and books, especially on disability and inclusive education. Within the scope of the Social Research and Development Center's activities, it carries out collaborative scientific studies on children with disabilities, women, open education resources, accessible tourism, and education without barriers. During the pandemic period, many institutions and universities organize activities in these fields and continue to publish many scientific publications on institutional cooperation, new technologies, social benefits, and current issues.
