Professional Summary
AI advisor and researcher with a Ph.D. in Information Technology and 20+ years of experience spanning academia and industry across Europe and Asia. Currently driving AI transformation as Senior AI Researcher and AI Advisor at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, where I combine hands-on technical expertise with strategic advisory capabilities.
I have advised hundreds of companies on AI adoption—from use case identification and ROI assessment to implementation of production-ready solutions. As an AI Advisor for the Finnish AI Region (FAIR) project, I bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical business applications. My current research focuses on LLMs and AI agents for knowledge extraction, processing, and generation. Proven track record in securing EU and national funding, publishing peer-reviewed research, and translating cutting-edge AI into practical business solutions.
Core Competencies
AI Strategy & Consulting
Applied AI Research
Generative AI & LLMs
ML/AI Solution Development
AI Governance & Ethics
Grant Writing & Management
Technical Skills
| AI/ML Development | Build, fine-tune, retrain, and deploy AI/ML models; model evaluation, testing, and optimization |
| Generative AI | LLMs, RAG systems, AI agents, MCP; LangChain, LlamaIndex, LangGraph, OpenAI SDK, Claude SDK |
| Programming | Python, C/C++, MATLAB, CUDA C; TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, scikit-learn |
| Full-Stack Dev | Python + FastAPI, React + Vite; REST APIs, cloud deployment, MLOps |
Professional Experience
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
Helsinki, Finland
Aug 2022 – Present
AI Advisor
- Advised hundreds of companies on AI use case selection, business value assessment, and implementation of ethical, responsible AI solutions
- Conduct AI needs analysis and maturity assessments to evaluate organizational readiness for AI initiatives
- Develop AI adoption roadmaps, including capability building, technology selection, and governance frameworks
- Provide technical guidance on AI/ML model building, data strategies, generative AI (LLMs, RAGs, AI agents), and regulatory compliance
- Build proof-of-concepts and MVP-grade AI/ML solutions for companies to validate ideas and support investment decisions
- Assist companies in refining and validating AI ideas and support in funding applications
Senior AI Researcher
Applied AI & Knowledge Systems
- Lead research on structured knowledge extraction, analysis, and processing using large and small language models
- Develop generative AI frameworks for enterprise knowledge management and industrial workflow automation
- Design AI capability assessment models and digital transformation plans for higher education institutions
- Analyze AI adoption trends in Nordic and global markets; conduct applied research and build solutions for industry partners
- Secure funding and manage R&D projects (EU, regional, international); author successful grant applications
- Supervise master's and undergraduate theses with industry collaboration; publish peer-reviewed research
Professor
QUEST University, Pakistan
Jan 2022 – Aug 2022
Associate Professor
QUEST University, Pakistan
Nov 2015 – Jan 2022
Research Scientist
Fraunhofer IIS, Germany & MTA SZTAKI, Hungary
Nov 2016 – Sep 2017
Assistant Professor / Lecturer
QUEST University, Pakistan
Jan 2005 – Nov 2015
Leadership Experience
Chairman, Artificial Intelligence Department
QUEST University
Aug 2021 – Jul 2022
Chairman, Computer Systems Engineering Dept.
QUEST University
Oct 2018 – Oct 2021
Director, Research & Publications
QUEST University
Feb 2020 – Jul 2022
Education
Ph.D. in Information Technology (2013)
Focus: Machine learning, embedded systems, dynamic energy management
Master in Information Technology (2010)
Focus: Machine learning, optimization
Bachelor in Computer Systems Engineering (2004)
Focus: Programming, database design, embedded systems
Current Research Projects
🏛 EU Commission, Business Finland, City of Helsinki Innovation Fund
Providing technical AI consultancy to companies, designing AI roadmaps, developing proof of concepts, helping in securing funding.
🏛 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Finland
Developing a GenAI-based knowledge management toolkit for businesses.
🏛 EU Commission (Ulysseus Alliance)
Applied research on the adoption of AI in business and education; Senior Researcher & Steering Committee Member.
🏛 European Union (Erasmus+)
AI literacy programme for managing disinformation in European societies.
🏛 European Union (Erasmus+)
Advancing digital education and AI integration in higher education.
Selected Publications (2020–2025)
Alamäki, A.; Khan, U.A.; Lagstedt, A. (2025). "Ethical Considerations in the AI Lifecycle for Design, Developing and Adopting AI in Public Sector – the Case of Finland"
Int. J. of Information Systems and Project Management, 13(4)
Khan, U.A.; Kudravtsev, D.; Kauttonen, J. (2025). "AI Adoption in Finnish SMEs: Key Findings from AI Consultancy at a European Digital Innovation Hub"
IEEE SAMI 2025, Slovakia
Kudryavtsev, D.; et al.; Khan, U.A. (2025). "Towards actionable AI implementation capability maturity assessment for SMEs"
HHC 2024, Springer
Alamäki, A.; Khan, U.A.; et al. (2024). "An Experiment of AI-Based Assessment: Perspectives of Learning Preferences, Benefits, Intention, Technology Affinity, and Trust"
Education Sciences, 14(12), 1386
Khan, U.A.; et al. (2024). "Exploring Contactless Techniques in Multimodal Emotion Recognition"
Multimedia Systems, 30
Khan, U.A.; et al. (2024). "Understanding the Impact of Sisu on Workforce and Well-being: A Machine Learning-Based Analysis"
Heliyon, 10(2)
Khan, U.A.; et al. (2024). "A System to Ensure Information Trustworthiness in AI Enhanced Higher Education"
J. of IT Education: Research, 23
Kauttonen, J.; Khan, U.A.; et al. (2024). "Topic mining for theses and job ads in ICT sector: can higher education institutes respond to job market demands?"
Frontiers in Education, 9, 1322774
Khan, U.A.; et al. (2020). "Movies Tags Prediction & Segmentation Using Deep Learning"
IEEE Access, 8(1)
Additional Information
Languages:
English (Proficient) • Urdu (Native) • Finnish (Basic) • German (Beginner)
Scientific Activity:
Thesis supervision (Master & Ph.D.), peer reviewer for journals & conferences, technical article writing on AI applications
Interests:
Programming • Professional Article Writing • Book Reading • Behavioral Analysis