Sherif Abdelwahed is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where he teaches and conducts research in the area of computer engineering, with specific interests in autonomic computing, cyber-physical systems, formal verification and cyber-security. Before joining VCU in August 2017, he was an Associate Professor in the ECE Department at Mississippi State University (MSU). He received his Ph.D in 2002 from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Mississippi State University, he was a research assistant professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and senior research scientist at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Vanderbilt University, from 2001-2007. From 2000-2001 he worked as a research scientist with the system diagnosis group at the Rockwell Scientific Company.

Throughout his academic tenure, Dr. Abdelwahed pioneered work on model-based design of autonomic computing systems and self-managing systems using control-theoretic techniques and model-integrated computing tools. His research interests also include Cyber security and model-based self-protection, design and analysis of cyber-physical systems, fault diagnosis, modeling and analysis of discrete-event and hybrid systems, and formal verification. His collaborative efforts with industrial, government, and academic institutions have led to several significant projects, resulting in practical applications in diverse areas like government lab security systems, NASA life support systems, multi-tier e-commerce applications, Boeing aircraft systems, avionics mission systems, and the navy's all-electric ship. He has consistently secured research funding from various industrial and government sources, including NSF, NASA, Boeing, ONR, DARPA, Microsoft, Micron, ERDC, Northrop-Grumman, and Qatar Foundation. This funding, amounting to over $15 million for more than 30 major projects, demonstrates my ability to attract significant research investments.

At VCU, he established and currently direct the Center of Analytics and Smart Technology (VCAST), a pioneering initiative recently featured in the Richmond Time Dispatch. He also led the OpenCyberCity project, a smart city testbed designed to address the complexities of urbanization and the surge in smart city technologies. This project encompasses a comprehensive infrastructure and data analytics capabilities, providing a realistic and functional smart city model. This testbed is a significant contribution to the fields of autonomous systems and smart cities, facilitating interdisciplinary research, educational opportunities, and economic growth. Previously, he played a pivotal role in establishing the first NSF I/UCRC Center for Autonomic Computing (CAC) at Mississippi State University, serving as its co-director for over 8 years. At MSU, he also held the position of Associate Director at the Distributed Analytics and Security Institute (DASI), managing a budget of approximately $10 million annually and overseeing a team of over 25 researchers. His responsibilities included fostering research partnerships and securing funding for the university's cyber-security and big data analytics initiatives, successfully acquiring projects from organizations like PNNL, ERDC, NSA, AFRL, and DHS.

Dr. Abdelwahed has chaired several international conferences and conference tracks, and has served as technical committee member at various national and international conferences. He received the StatePride Faculty award for 2010 and 2011, the Bagley College of Engineering Hearin Faculty Excellence award in 2010, and recently the 2016 Faculty Research Award from the Bagley College of Engineering at MSU. His research outputs include 41 peer-reviewed journal articles, 8 book chapters, over 135 conference papers, 10 technical reports, 8 posters, and 14 presentations.