Software Engineering Faculty – Office of Professional Programs

Mohammad Samarah, Ph.D. | Professor of the Practice and Graduate Program Director

Ph.D., Computer Science, Florida Institute of Technology
M.S., Computer Science, Florida Institute of Technology
B.S., Computer Science and Engineering, Northern Arizona University

Dr. Samarah is a computer scientist and engineering executive with experiences in teaching, administration, industry, and research. His area of interest is in the intersection of big data, intelligent applications, and real-time systems. Dr. Samarah received a bachelor’s in engineering from Northern Arizona University in Computer Science and Engineering and holds a master’s and doctorate degrees in Computer Science from Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Samarah’s industry and academic experiences include senior leadership positions at Harris Corporation (now L3Harris) in Melbourne, Florida, senior engineering positions with Emulex Corporation in Seattle, and a founding member of Florida Polytechnic University college of engineering and college of innovation and technology in Lakeland, Florida.

Chris Abili | Faculty Member

Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Maryland Baltimore County (In Progress)
M.S., Computer Information Systems, Nova Southeastern University
B.S., Computer Science, Bethune-Cookman University

Chris Abili is a seasoned software engineer with over 10 years of experience in IT. He is an expert in software development and computer information systems (CIS). He has worked in various IT positions ranging from small to large companies. He currently works for the U.S. government as a senior software engineer. Abili is also a seasoned educator. He has taught middle school, high school, and currently a graduate/undergraduate adjunct professor of computer science and software engineering. He is currently working on a Ph.D. in computer science at UMBC. His area of interest is software security.

Adam Lippe, J.D. | Faculty Member

J.D., University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
B.S., Political Science, The Johns Hopkins University

Mr. Lippe, J.D. is a career prosecutor who serves as the Chief of the Economic of the Cyber Crimes Unit for Baltimore County State Attorney office. Mr. Lippe and his staff oversee and works on complex fraud cases including identity theft, internet scams, and check and credit card frauds among others. He serves as an adjunct faculty at UMBC teaching courses in ethics, cybercrime, and cyber security law and policy. He taught at both Maryland law schools and other local colleges and universities. He was a frequent lecturer at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina for the National District Attorney Association. He is licensed in both the state of Maryland and New Jersey. Mr. Lippe is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Melissa Morris, Ph.D.| Faculty Member

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Florida International University
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University

Dr. Melissa Morris has worked in the area of robotics and mechatronics for over 25 years. Though she has worked broadly within this field, her main focus is on using technology to improve human health and education. She is working on research in improving the quality and access of remote education. She is also investigating affordable robotics in medicine and agriculture. Her previous industrial experience includes working as a consultant for AVRA Medical Robotics in Orlando, Florida; an engineer and programmer in virtual manufacturing at Ford Motor Company in Cologne, Germany; and a programmer at Sensormatic Corporation in Boca Raton, Florida.

Rand Obeidat, Ph.D. | Faculty Member

Ph.D., Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Dr. Obeidat has a Ph.D. in Information Systems from UMBC. Her research interests lie in the area of Data Analytics, ranging from Data Collection to Data Wrangling, to Analysis and Interpretation. She acquired unique expertise in the prediction of infectious diseases through Google Trends and other surveillance tools. Dr. Obeidat’s recent papers, publications, and conference presentations include the following: Can Users Search Trends Predict People Scares or Disease Breakout? Infectious Skin Diseases in the US as a case study; Users’ Internet Searches as Proxies for Disease Escalation Trends. Her responsibilities include support curricula development, implementation, and training. She teaches Structured Systems Analysis and Design, Data Analytics courses including Fundamentals of Data Science and Analytics, Data Visualizations, and Decision Science and Analytics.

Zayd Patel, M.B.A. | Faculty Member
M.B.A., Cornell University
B.A., Business Technology Administration, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Mr. Zayd Patel is currently a solution engineering leader at a fortune 500 technology company. Zayd has more than fourteen years experience specializing in solution engineering, management consulting and product management. He’s successfully championed and led enterprise-wide technology modernization programs that delivered key revenue-generating and cost-saving outcomes. He has a proven record of leading strategic and operational initiatives, managing cross-functional teams and advising c-suite executives across dozens of public and private sector organizations. Zayd is an alum of UMBC and also serves as a youth football and basketball coach.

Kusay Rukieh, Ph.D.| Faculty Member

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology
M.S., Computer Networks, North Carolina State University
B.S., Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University

Dr. Kusay Rukieh has worked in private industry for over 20 years including L3Harris, Harris, Hotwire Communications, and JPMorgan Chase. He worked at Harris Corporation’s Government Communication Systems Division in satellite communications, command and control, wireless security, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other advanced systems. He is a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and a Project Management Professional (PMP). He has more than 10 years teaching experience and taught courses in computer science and software engineering at several institutions. His areas of specialization are performance evaluation, testing and verifications, and systems optimization.

Carolyn Seaman, Ph.D. | Faculty Member

Ph.D. Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park
M.S., Georgia Tech
B.A., College of Wooster (Ohio)

Carolyn Seaman is a Professor of Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is also the Director of the Center for Women in Technology, also at UMBC. Her research consists mainly of empirical studies of software engineering, with particular emphases on maintenance, organizational structure, communication, measurement, and technical debt. She also investigates qualitative research methods in software engineering, as well as computing pedagogy. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, a M.S. from Georgia Tech, and a B.A. from the College of Wooster (Ohio). More can be found at Dr. Seaman’s website.

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