Our Team

Professor Dr Rahat Iqbal

Managing Director

Professor Dr Rahat Iqbal is a Senior Academic, Director, Inventor and Consultant with 20 years’ experience in industrial and academic roles. He previously worked in University of Dubai, and led the Connected Mobility Research Group in the Institute of Future Transport and Cities (IFTC). Professor Iqbal has supervised to completion 21 PhD students and examined 22 doctorate thesis. He has published more than 150 papers in international journals, conferences and books. He has edited several special issues of international journals and workshop proceedings. His work has resulted in high profile innovation awards, prestigious grants and 5 technology patents of high industrial uptake. Professor Iqbal has led projects funded through the Newton Fund, Conacyt, Innovate UK, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), European Commission, European Regional Development Fund (DRDF) and Harvard University in collaboration with industry, governmental organisations and academic partners. Professor Iqbal has secured over £6 million for research innovation and commercial projects from various funding agencies.

Dr Faiyaz Doctor

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Dr Faiyaz Doctor is a senior academic in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex and leads the Intelligent Connected Societies Group. For over 15 years, he has worked in industry and academia to develop novel Computational Intelligence solutions addressing real world problems related to smart environments, Energy Optimisation, Predictive Analytics and Collaborative Decision Support, resulting in high profile innovation awards and an international patent. He has led and co-led projects funded through the Newton Fund, Conacyt, Innovate UK and Harvard University in collaboration with industry, governmental organisations and academic partners. Dr Doctor has published over 60 papers in peer reviewed international journals, conferences and workshops.

Dr Charalampos Karyotis

Research Director

Dr Charalampos Karyotis is Research Director at Interactive Coventry with over a decade of industrial experience. Specializing in AI technologies, Dr Karyotis has successfully led the commercialization of innovative products, securing over 1 million in public funding. His role encompasses the development and implementation of intelligent solutions for real-world challenges. Holding a PhD in Affective Computing from Coventry University and an MSc in signal processing for the University of Athens, he has made significant contributions to the field, authoring over 15 scientific articles. His research interests extend to machine learning, smart cities, quantum computing and IoT with a focus on rapid prototype development. His academic journey includes positions as a lecturer and teaching assistant at Metropolitan College Greece and the National University of Athens.

Professor Dr Anne James

Director of Innovations

Professor Dr Anne James is Director of Innovations at Interactive Coventry. She is the Honorary Dean at Britannia College and Senior Academic QAHE. Previously, she was the professor of Data Systems Architecture at Coventry University and Head of School at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Professor James has been active in teaching in higher education and in participating in research projects as part of national and international teams. Her main duties currently involve leading research, supervising research students and teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Professor James has successfully supervised 30 research degrees and has published more than 150 papers in peer reviewed journals or conferences.

Dr Brian More

Director of intellectual property (ip)

Dr Brian More is Director for Intellectual Property with responsibility for policy, protection, valuation and commercialisation of all forms of IP. He has had 25 years experience working with Intellectual Property, is an inventor on 6 patents and jointly owns 3 trademarks. He manages a portfolio of 20 patent families, trademarks, designs and copyright. He is passionate about education and training in the IP area and developed accredited courses for academic and industry use. He is a Director of 2 companies and sits on 3 national advisory panels. He has worked for private contractors on assessment of development proposals in the field of Nanotechnology and worked on EU Framework projects as commercialisation consultant. He has published 20 peer reviewed papers on research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr Shahid Mahmud

Director of business strategy

Dr Shahid Mahmud has more than 31 years of professional experience in the field of ICT. He has served on various federal committees of the Government of Pakistan addressing the formulation and implementation of the National Telecom and IT policies. Dr Mahmud is 2016 Distinguished Eisenhower Fellow. He is also a Senior Fellow for the Global Think Tank Network and Co Chair for ICT on the Corporate Advisory Council of the National University of Science and Technology. He is active in several philanthropic activities, working with youth-oriented and community service projects such as Buraq Planetary Society, TRUCE, Begum Mehmooda Welfare Trust and Zubaida Khaliq Memorial Free Hospital. He has been the founder director and shareholder of several companies, including Paktel Limited, Indus Vision and Pak Globalstar Ltd. He has also served as a Director of Askari Bank for over six years. In recognition for having spent his entire career in promoting IT in Pakistan, Dr Mahmud was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Teradata National IT Excellence Awards for 2014.

Dr Elena Aloupogianni

lead engineer for computer vision and ai

Dr Eleni Aloupogianni is an experienced engineer for computer vision and AI at Interactive Coventry. She is leading projects in smart city, industrial automation and generative AI. She obtained a PhD when working with Obi laboratory, in Tokyo Institute of Technology. Her research revolves around multi-spectral images and their use in the macropathology medical field. She is proficient in Python, R, SQL, machine learning statistical modeling.  She has worked on financial analysis application using deep learning based approaches. At Interactive Coventry she has delivered projects in the area of anomaly detection using AI and industrial computer vision.

Akshay Mohan Nair

research fellow

Akshay Mohan Nair is an accomplished computer science professional with a Master’s in Applied AI from Essex University and Currently pursing his PhD from Nottingham Trent University. His expertise spans computer vision and fuzzy logic, demonstrated through his dissertation on road anomaly detection. Contributing actively to international smart city projects , he has a strong background in AI, computer vision, and network technologies. Passionate about the convergence of AI, Quantum, and 6G technologies, Akshay is a dedicated Data Scientist with two years of hands-on experience in various AI and ML algorithms. His dynamic approach and commitment position him as a key player in the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and real-world urban applications.