In Meet the Team series we introduce our audience to the brilliant people working at MediaFutures. Get to know us better by discovering who we are and what we do.
This week we are interviewing Sohail Ahmed Khan, PhD Candidate, associated with Work Package 3 – Media Content Production and Analysis.
Can you give an introduction of yourself and your scientific background?
I am a PhD candidate at MediaFutures and University of Bergen. I was born in Pakistan, a not so small South Asian country (actually 5th most populous country in the world and 34th largest by area). I have a Bachelors in Computer Science from COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan. For my Masters, I went to the UK. I have an MSc in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence, from the University of Sheffield. I was interested in research at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. First job in my research career was, as a research assistant at CYENS Centre of Excellence, Nicosia, Cyprus. My research focused on multimedia forensics using deep learning. After that, I went to Abu Dhabi, UAE for another research assistantship. There I worked on deepfake media detection. My research in Abu Dhabi turned out to be extremely valuable as I was able to publish my findings at a top tier international computer vision conference.
Tell us about your research at MediaFutures and your role in the Work Package 3.
At MediaFutures I am associated with the Work-Package 3 (Media Content Production and Analysis). My current research focuses on Multimedia Forensics. I am studying the available forensics tools and techniques employed in the media industry as well as their limitations. The goal of my research is to develop AI based multimedia forensics tools which can be used in the media industry to fight misinformation. I have already developed one such tool during my internship in Abu Dhabi. The tool employs state-of-the-art attention based deep learning model to detect Deepfake media (images and videos).
Things about MediaFutures you appreciate the most?
I really appreciate the MediaFutures work culture. My mentors (i.e., supervisor and co-supervisors) and collegaues are extremely helpful and always constructive in their feedbacks. Secondly, I am amazed by the facilities that we get as PhD candidates here in Norway, and especially here at MediaFutures. For example, generous funding to buy equipment or research stays abroad grants. Also, the office space we have here at MediaFutures is the best I have had so far.