STEM Faculty

Professional biography

Dr Dhouha Kbaier joined the Open University in September 2020 as a Senior Lecturer in Computing & Communications. Her journey has been marked by diverse experiences and notable achievements in the field. She has worked as a technical consultant in Communications and Networking for QA Ltd. Her academic voyage includes a significant tenure as a Senior Lecturer in Computer Networking at the University of Wolverhampton, where she was an active research member of the Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute (WCRI). Prior to working at the University of Wolverhampton, Dr Kbaier was holding a position at the University of Bedfordshire as a Lecturer in Telecommunications and Network Engineering since 2016. In addition, she contributed significantly to the academic landscape as an Associate Lecturer within the Digital Technology Infrastructure Apprenticeship at the University of Exeter from 2017 to 2019.

Her academic foundation was solidified through her academic pursuits at Telecom Bretagne (Brest, France), culminating in a PhD awarded with the highest honours in 2011, along with a Master of Engineering degree in 2008. Her specialisation in Space Communications Systems was nurtured at the French "Grande École" ISAE in Toulouse, renowned as the heart of the European Aerospace Industry. Before establishing her presence in the UK, she garnered substantial research experience in France, where she worked for several years as a post-doctoral research fellow, first at Telecom Bretagne, then with Thales Airborne Systems, and finally at IFREMER. Her multi-disciplinary proficiency and her diverse research background led to her recognition, with the prestigious French "Maître de conférences" qualifications awarded in different fields, both in 2012 and 2016.

Her research has been recognised with multiple productivity bonuses and two best paper awards—one from IEEE and another from Springer. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Engineering Professors’ Council, and, as of 2024, a Fellow of BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT, home to the most influential professionals in the digital industry. Dr Dhouha Kbaier elected as Fellow of the BCS - News - OU Life, and a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor, recognising excellence in doctoral research supervision.

Dr Kbaier’s work continues to drive innovation at the intersection of computing, artificial intelligence, and public good, with a sustained track record of research excellence, prestigious fellowships, and impactful public engagement.

Research interests

Dr Dhouha Kbaier is an integral member of the NeXt Generation Multimedia and network Technologies (XGMT) research group that undertakes high-quality research into various aspects of these exciting and evolving technologies. Her research interests include signal processing applied to telecommunications and oceanography; channel coding, digital communications and information theory; error correction in VANET environments; data science; machine learning and artificial intelligence applications; environmental monitoring and climate change modelling; game-theoretic approaches to risk analysis; etc. 

• Full-time Ph.D. student, “Understanding the Barriers to AI Adoption Within Primary Care: A Novel Model for Acceptance and Resistance”, EPSRC funded studentship.

• Supervision extended beyond research to career development, supporting Teresa in securing the MELETE scholarship (2024/25) and OpenBright funding for advancing research on technology adoption in primary care settings.

• Part-time Ph.D. student, “A Novel Semi-Autonomous Time Series Analysis App for Polar Environmental Monitoring and Predictive Decision-Making”.
• Part-time Ph.D. student, “Assessment of Digital Divide Impact on UK Online Degree Programmes”.
• Part-time Ph.D. student, “ANovel Approach to Log Parsing for Anomaly Detection in Cloud Systems”.

Collaboration

Collaboration sits at the core of Dr. Kbaier's approach. Whether you are an active researcher, a prospective PhD/MSc research student, or a representative of an organisation or a company searching for innovative partnerships, I encourage you to reach out via Dhouha.Kbaier@open.ac.uk.

Current PhD topics

Currently, Dr Kbaier is actively seeking to engage with PhD students, either through self-funding or by exploring funding avenues through the school. The following project outlines present exciting opportunities:

• EXPLORING MACHINE LEARNING AND COMPUTATIONAL TECHNIQUES TO INFORM RAPID ADAPTIVE CLIMATE CHANGE (RACC)
• Future trends in wireless communications: Exploring new structures of turbo codes
• A hardware module for Robust and Resilient UAVs Communications
• Game-Theoretic Approaches to Environmental Risk
• ADAPTIVE CONTINUOUS LEARNING
• HOW DO YOU HAVE AN AI FORGET - RESPONSIBLY?

Teaching interests

Current teaching commitments:

TM112 - Introduction to computing and information technology 2

TM355- Communications technology (Module Chair)
 

Impact and engagement

Media and Public Engagement

• Academic Consultant and Guest on BBC Morning Live – Scam Safe Week (November 2024): Provided expert consultation on scams and fraud prevention for BBC's Morning Live and appeared in three episodes aired on BBC One. Supported the development of content to raise public awareness during Scam Safe Week. For more details, visit the OU Connect page.       

• Selected as an academic consultant for BBC Scam Interceptors.  Also created supporting online content that you can access by visiting our Broadcast & Partnerships site OU Connect. Mon 10 June at 10:45 am, a new ten-part OU/BBC series of Scam Interceptors started to run on weekdays on BBC One daytime and available on BBC iPlayer.

Recent highlights

• 🎉Huge congratulations to my PhD student, Dr Teresa Sides, on successfully defending her PhD! It has been a privilege to supervise such a dedicated and insightful researcher. I’m excited to see the next chapter of your journey, Teresa. Wishing you continued success in shaping AI that is safe, equitable, and human-centred! 🎉
• Happy Coding Week! Watch some of my videos

• Contributor – OpenLearn Article: “Unmasking inequalities: what COVID-19 revealed about the degree awarding gap at The Open University”. Produced content for OpenLearn on degree awarding gaps, highlighting structural inequalities and fostering awareness around inclusive education.

• Recipient of two STEM Recognising Excellence Awards (October 2024 and June 2025), recognising sustained excellence in research, teaching, and societal engagement.
• My thought-provoking article for Net Zero Week 2025, titled "Inclusive by Design: Rethinking AI for Environmental and Social Sustainability."  This article is now live.
• Soapbox Science MK 2024! I’m excited to join this fantastic public outreach platform that promotes women in science. Join us at the Centre MK Shopping Centre on Saturday, July 6th, from 12 pm to 3 pm for an engaging and informative experience. Mark your calendars, spread the word, and bring along your family and friends! My talk will be between 2 pm and 3 pm.  
• Sopabox Science: Meet the speaker and check my blog here.
• “Exploring the Nexus: Public Attitudes towards Climate Change and their Impact on International Environmental Agreement Compliance” – Glasgow Science Festival, 6th -16th June 2024. Available here.

• Invited Interactive Lecture at Northampton Academy to over 120 students. “Harnessing Data for Climate Resilience: The Role of Data Science and Mathematical Modelling in Sustainability”. 

• Invited talk about Climate Data Security: Protecting Our Planet with Data Science, Time Series Analysis, and Cybersecurity – Cyber Scotland Week, 26th February - 3^rd March 2024. 
• Enjoy a 5-minute insightful read of my article published in Climate Perspectives, a quarterly digital magazine publishing exclusive thought leadership from a range of changemakers including business leaders, academia, NGOs, influencers and guest writers. You can enjoy the 5-minute read.

• Dhouha Kbaier Spotlights COVID-19's Impact on Ethnic Minority Students at ICTLE 2023

• Invited Researcher Lightning Talk at the OU Research & Societal Impact Showcase. “Leveraging Machine Learning for Data Science and Climate Change: Unlocking Insights and Solutions”. Recording is accessible here. 

• Invited research talk for STEM Day at Northampton Academy. “Data-Driven Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Unleashing the Power of Data Science, Climate Change, and Mathematical Modelling”. School of Computing & Communications on LinkedIn: #stemlearning #outreach #climatechange #datascience

• Radiating excellence at the HETL Conference 2023

• Dhouha Kbaier and Zoe Tompkins Shine as The Open University Represents at HETL Conference 2023 | eSTEeM

• Responded to the STEM call for hosting Nuffield research placement students over the summer. Also, captured evidence of one of my students’ and my own experience in the form of a blog https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/per/?p=8363. Offered valuable support for this scheme in providing an underrepresented A-level student with research experience in computing.
• Ask the Experts: Why is the discussion about climate models important? 1-hour live-streamed session by Dhouha Kbaier, Ian Kenny, Ale Okada, and Chris Budd.

External collaborations

• External examining: Keele University (2021-2025), Edge Hill University (2023-2026) and Leeds Becket University (2025-2028).
• Academic reviewer - The American College of Thessaloniki BSc (Hons) Business Computing BSc (Hons) Computer Science (2024-2026)
• Academic reviewer for York College on the teaching of FD Digital Technologies with Cyber Security (2021-2023)
• OUVP: Demonstrated strong leadership skills as the Chair of multiple virtual and face-to-face validation events. Conducted thorough reviews of validation documents, providing constructive feedback that supported colleges in meeting approval conditions. Successfully facilitated panel discussions, ensuring productive and focused conversations, maintained efficient meeting schedules, and engaged professionally with college staff and students, contributing significantly to the success of these events.
• Nuffield Research Scheme: Responded to the STEM call for hosting Nuffield research placement students over the summer. Also, captured evidence in the form of a blog. Offered valuable support for this scheme in providing underrepresented A-level students with research experience in computing.
• Supervising UG dissertations with other institutions 
• Contributions to conferences (technical committee, session chair, international scientific committee, etc)
• Several invited lectures, lightning talks, research talks, STEM day, etc.