Dr. Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna

Dr. Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna

Assistant Professor · Data Science & Artificial Intelligence

University of Petra, Jordan  |  Loughborough University, UK

Entrepreneur & Innovator in AI and Speech Technology

Vice Chair — IEEE CS/CIS Jordan Branch

Biography

Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna (also known as Karim) is a Jordanian academic, entrepreneur, and researcher with expertise in computer science, artificial intelligence, and speech technologies. He splits his professional life between Jordan and the United Kingdom, where he conducts advanced research in machine learning and speech disorders.

Al-Banna's career is defined by his dedication to bridging the gap between academic research and practical industry applications, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, speech processing, and healthcare technology. As both an educator and entrepreneur, he exemplifies the connection between theoretical research and real-world solutions.

His work in speech disorder detection, particularly stuttering, has potential to transform clinical applications for diagnosis and therapy. Through his startups and research initiatives, he continues to advance technological solutions that can improve people's lives.

Areas of Expertise

AI & Machine Learning Speech Processing Deep Learning IoT GIS Robotics Healthcare Tech

Academic Background

PhD in Computer Science

Loughborough University, UK

"A Deep Learning Model Based on Time Interval Annotation for Disfluency Detection for People Who Stutter"

Developing advanced deep learning approaches using novel attention-based architectures and multi-feature fusion techniques.

Assistant Professor  Current

University of Petra, Jordan

Department of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence  |  Faculty of Information Technology

Research Focus

Speech Disorder Detection

  • Automatic detection of stuttering events in continuous speech
  • Novel deep learning architectures for speech processing
  • Feature engineering for improved speech disorder detection
  • Assistive technologies for people with communication disorders

AI and Machine Learning Applications

  • Convolutional and recurrent neural networks for signal processing
  • Attention-based models for feature selection in heterogeneous data
  • Multi-feature fusion for improved model performance
  • Domain adaptation techniques for robust AI systems
  • IoT integration with AI systems

Current Project

Machine Learning Based Approaches to Automatic Stuttering Event Detection

Investigating ML/DL and feature engineering techniques for Stuttering Event Detection (SED) based on acoustic features, including atrous convolutional networks and attention-based models.

Selected Publications

A Novel Attention Model Across Heterogeneous Features for Stuttering Event Detection

Expert Systems with Applications (2024)

Authors: Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna, Hui Fang, Eran Edirisinghe

View Publication

Stuttering Disfluency Detection Using Machine Learning Approaches

Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (2022)

Authors: Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna, Eran Edirisinghe, Hui Fang, Wael Hadi

View Publication

Stuttering Detection Using Atrous Convolutional Neural Networks

ICICS 2022 (IEEE)

Authors: Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna, Eran Edirisinghe, Hui Fang

View Publication

Identifying the Most Significant Features for Stress Prediction of Automobile Drivers

Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (2024)

Authors: May Y. Al-Nashashibi, Nuha El-Khalili, Wa'el Hadi, Abedal-Kareem Al-Banna, Ghassan Issa

Doctoral Thesis: Machine Learning Based Approaches to Automatic Stuttering Event Detection

Loughborough University (2023)

View Thesis

Entrepreneurial Ventures

Sygma

Founder

Sygma is an AI-driven company founded by Dr. Al-Banna, focused on developing intelligent systems and advanced technology solutions. Sygma bridges cutting-edge academic research with practical enterprise applications, delivering innovative products in artificial intelligence, document intelligence, and smart data processing.

Deep Brain

Founder & CEO

A startup focused on developing cutting-edge AI applications and solutions, combining academic research with practical industry applications.

TAKALAM

Co-founder & CTO

A Jordanian startup providing innovative solutions for hearing and speech disorders, leveraging AI and speech processing algorithms to create assistive tools.

Leaders in Innovation Club

Founder

An organization dedicated to fostering innovation and technology development, providing mentorship and networking for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Patents & Innovations

Portable Neck Treatment Device (2018)

Co-invented with Majed Naser Albanna, Ghassan F. Issa, Ghiath Mhd Kheir Eriksousi, and Tamara Aljuboori. Innovative approaches to neck treatment and therapy.

Awards & Recognitions

Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (2020)

Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom

Awarded for innovative work in technology and entrepreneurship.

Best Software Idea in Jordan (2011)

Honored by King Abdullah II of Jordan — Dead Sea, Jordan.

University of Petra Best Inventor (2019, 2022)

Recognized twice for the Portable Neck Treatment Device patent.

Best Inventors in Jordanian Universities (2019)

Awarded by the Minister of Higher Education, Jordan.

LIF Community Grant (2020)

Higher Council For Science and Technology & The Royal Academy of Engineering.

Intel Award — Best IoT Device MENA Region (2015)

Recognized in Lebanon for innovation in Internet of Things technology.

30+ Student Competition Awards (2010–2020)

Mentored students to win national and international competitions: Microsoft Imagine Cup, Intel Challenge Me, Amazon Hackathon, and more.

Media & Press Coverage

Al Jazeera Report — 2020

Mosh Mostaheel Competition — 2017

IoT & AI Challenge — GITEX 2024

IEEE Coverage

Honor & Recognition — 2025

I Can You Can — T3lellah Initiative (2011)

Professional Affiliations

  • Vice Chair — IEEE Computer Society / Computational Intelligence Society (CS/CIS), Jordan Branch
  • Member of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship community
  • Research Affiliation with Loughborough University, UK
  • Faculty member at University of Petra, Jordan

Contact Information

Academic Contact

abanna@uop.edu.jo