AUS graduate teaches machines to think like doctors

The portfolio of a graduate from American University of Sharjah (AUS) has recently been selected, from among 10,000 portfolios reviewed, for inclusion in the new book Constructing the Persuasive Portfolio: The Only Primer You’ll Ever Need! written by Margaret Fletcher.

The portfolio of Ahmed Hosny, who graduated from AUS in 2009 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, was among 400 portfolio examples from 55 designers selected for the full-color book, which focuses on the art of designing a compelling and effective architectural portfolio.

Commenting on the selection, Ahmed Hosny said:

“I am honored to have been selected for this publication. I designed my portfolio during my senior year at AUS in 2009 and have been maintaining it since then. My design was unique in that it had a clear and concise structure to it. Each page came with a time scale at the top indicating when the project was carried out. It also had specific regions on the page where only images or text appeared.”

Architecture at AUS was the starting point for Hosny’s career, providing him with a basis for understanding interactions between complex systems and with the capacity to design systems. Since graduation from AUS, Hosny has been working at the intersection of disciplines and at the forefront of novel technologies. “Today, I teach machines to think like doctors. I work in a data science lab within a cancer research institute. We build machine learning models that are able to predict disease prognosis and outcome. It is a very exciting area to be working in, given the current hype around artificial intelligence and where it is leading us as a race,” Hosny said.

After graduation from AUS, Hosny traveled to Shanghai where he managed a small team as a project architect for Playze recycling shipping containers into habitable spaces. He then moved to Beijing, where he was involved with Foster + Partners, responsible for the cladding and steel structure packages on the Datong Art Museum.

After four years of work experience, he went on to pursue a master’s degree in design technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His thesis research was in material analytics, bridging design computation, material mechanics and digital fabrication. Four years ago, he pivoted to science and began working as a science consultant. This allowed him to collaborate with fish biologists and help in modelling biological composites from chiton scales to stingray teeth. He also worked with cardiovascular radiologists to simulate heart valve replacement surgeries. Hosny is currently working on a PhD in Machine Learning at Maastricht University in The Netherlands.

On his experience at AUS he said:

“I enjoyed the diversity among instructors the most. Different styles and approaches to architectural education meant we were very well-rounded by the time we graduated. The student body itself is also quite diverse and that allowed for exposure to different cultures at a relatively young age.”

Professor Kevin Mitchell, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Instruction, related Hosny’s success to the type of education offered at AUS:

“Ahmed's ability to adapt and pursue work in emerging areas is a manifestation of the university’s mission to educate lifelong learners. Degree programs offer opportunities for exploring ways of knowing the world and thinking through complex questions and problems. This is a distinguishing characteristic of an AUS education.”

Ahmed Hosny’s website: www.ahmedhosny.net