In the framework of disseminating and evaluating research activities in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems (AI&IS), the PhD School in AI&IS at UMT organized the “Doctorate’s Day” on December 18th. The event was attended by current doctoral students, those newly registered for the academic year 2023-2024, doctoral supervisors, and UMT officials.
During this meeting, PhD candidates Mr. Anxhelo Shehu and Mr. Evis Plaku presented their study topics, achieved results, and the research perspective for the coming year. Notable participants included the Rector of Metropolitan University Tirana (UMT), Prof. Dr. Nikolla Civici, Prof. Dr. Arben Asllani from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (USA), who evaluated the one-year period of scientific activity of Anxhelo Shehu and Elvis Plaku, Prof. Ass. Ligor Nikolla, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and IT at UMT, Prof. René Natowicz, Prof. Ass. at ESIEE Paris/ Université Gustave Eiffel, Prof. Dr. Arben Cela, Professor at ESIEE Paris/ Université Gustav Eiffel France, Dr. Igli Hakrama, Director of the Innovation Center at UMT, as well as faculty members and supervisors of current and newly registered PhD candidates at UMT.
The discussions on the three doctoral topics, which can be found below, were highly interesting and emphasized the importance of AI&IS application fields, applied research methodology, and achieved results. Positive evaluations were made by the attendees and the evaluator, Prof. Dr. Arben Asllani, for all three doctoral candidates but especially for Mr. Elvis Plaku, for the clarity of presentation, applied methodology, and achieved results.
The PhD candidates registered in the academic year 2023-2024, Dr. Kleida Mati, Mr. Kledia Tirana, Mr. Mehmet Zirek, Mr. Enes Ststoli, Mr. Oriod Malo, had the opportunity to participate in a very structured discussion on the methodology of scientific research, evaluation of achieved results, and setting a clear research perspective for the following year.
PhD Candidate: Anxhelo Shehu
Topic: Early Breast Cancer Detection Using Mammography
This work aims to detect early breast cancer through the use of mammography.
The main objective is to create an advanced AI system for the analysis and classification of mammographic images, reducing complexity and increasing sensitivity.
To achieve this goal, artificial intelligence algorithms and deep learning methods based on information extracted from mammograms have been used.
The created methods attempt to reduce the number of input parameters by over 780 times, ensuring information capture from areas with the highest prevalence of cancer. Future models aim to maintain a balance between parameter reduction and sensitivity increase.
PhD Candidate: Agresa Qosja
Topic: Prediction of Electricity Production and Distribution using Machine Learning Methods
This study focuses on the main challenges in effective and sustainable management of renewable energy. The work focuses on predicting electricity production and distribution in Albania using innovative Machine Learning methods.
The use of artificial intelligence, through combined methods, serves as a powerful tool for identifying and assessing external factors that influence consumption and production. Clustering and analysis of data according to different climatic and economic regions increase the accuracy of prediction methods.
The final aim of this work is to provide concrete and practical results that can help relevant institutions improve current performance in electricity management.
PhD Candidate: Evis Plaku
Topic: Autonomous Navigation of a Robot in Safe Zones
The objective of this work is to explore the possibility of autonomous navigation of a robot in complex and challenging terrains, always prioritizing movement in safe zones.
This work integrates artificial intelligence algorithms in the field of robotics and autonomous navigation.
Safe navigation of robotic systems is an area that offers many applications in industrial robotics, autonomous vehicle navigation within lanes, and in the development of medical robotic devices that ensure patient safety.
The current work of PhD Candidate Evis Plaku has materialized with a scientific publication at the 20th Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, held in Rome, Italy, on November 13-15.
At University Metropolitan Tirana, the PhD School in Artificial Intelligence continues to pursue the main objective of ensuring high quality in the selection and training of doctoral candidates. The efforts of this school focus on creating an appropriate environment for scientific research and the participation of foreign professors from Europe or the USA in the supervisory teams of doctoral programs.
This doctoral program, which offers fully funded studies for doctoral students (zero registration fees and monthly payments for doctoral students as Lecturers at UMT), incorporates a close cooperation and joint registration model with renowned international institutions in Europe and the USA.