Merouane Dida successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis
Doctoral supervision milestone at Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla.
Dr. Mourad Belhadj
Dr. Mourad Belhadj
Associate Professor (Maître de Conférences Class A)
Department of Computer Science, Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla, Algeria
Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla, Department of Computer Science
Route de Ghardaïa, Ouargla, Algeria
Dr. Mourad Belhadj is a researcher and lecturer in Computer Science whose work bridges Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. His research focuses on developing hybrid deep learning models and datasets for Speech Emotion Recognition (SER), Ophthalmology (Diabetic Retinopathy & Glaucoma), and Smart Systems. Through interdisciplinary international collaborations, he advances AI solutions tailored to the Arabic language and regional health contexts.
Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence
Deep Learning
Computer Vision & Ophthalmology
Speech Emotion Recognition (SER)
Danger Theory & Network Security
Predictive Health Diagnostics
Key Research Projects
2024 -- Present
AI in Ophthalmology & Medical Imaging
Joint collaboration with LINATI Laboratory & Hospital of Ophthalmology, Ouargla. Developing deep learning architectures and microservices software for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma detection in Algerian hospital networks.
2022 -- Present
Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition (KEDAS & EmotionNet)
Construction of the validated Kasdi-Merbah University Emotional Database in Arabic Speech (KEDAS, published by LDC/UPenn) and engineering novel hybrid EmotionNet models combining acoustic & spectrogram features.
2020 -- 2024
DIGITAQ Erasmus+ CBHE Project
Local Coordinator & Key Member (EU Grant No. 617768-EPP-1-2020-1-DZ-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP). Creation of digital capacities for Quality Assurance management across Algerian Higher Education institutions. ( www.digitaq.eu)
2015 -- 2016
Visiting Researcher at Syncromedia Lab (ÉTS Montréal) — Algerian PNE Programme
Visiting researcher under Algeria’s National Exceptional Programme (PNE) at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Montréal, Canada. Conducted research on bio-inspired artificial immune systems and Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF-DCA).
News & Announcements
Arabic speech emotion recognition study published
New work on an efficient fuzzy neural network for Arabic speech emotion recognition.
Research accepted at ICPR 2026
Diabetic-retinopathy classification research presented through ICPR and RRPR in Lyon, France.
AI in ophthalmology and medical imaging
Collaborative research launched for diabetic-retinopathy and glaucoma detection in Algerian hospitals.
International Collaboration
France
Nantes University & Lumière Lyon 2 University
Joint doctoral supervision and research collaboration in software architecture, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging.
Canada
ÉTS Montréal — Syncromedia Lab
Visiting-research collaboration under Algeria’s National Exceptional Programme (PNE), focused on bio-inspired artificial immune systems and NMF-DCA.
United States
Linguistic Data Consortium — University of Pennsylvania
International dissemination of the KEDAS Arabic speech-emotion dataset through the LDC catalogue.
Publications & Datasets
Datasets & Textbooks
2023
LDC Benchmark Dataset
Kasdi-Merbah University Emotional Database in Arabic Speech (KEDAS)
Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC), University of Pennsylvania, Catalog No. LDC2023S10.
2023
University Textbook
Algorithmics and Data Structures 2: Lessons and Exercises with Solutions
Series: University Reference Course – First Year. Algiers: ATRST & Office des Publications Universitaires (OPU).
Journal Articles
2026 Journal Article
An Efficient Fuzzy Neural Network for Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition
International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems (IJCDS), Vol 19, Issue 1, pp. 1-13.
2025 Journal Article
EmotionNet: A Novel Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition
Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol 15, Issue 5, pp. 26619–26625.
2025 Journal Article
Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition: Exploring Machine Learning Classifiers and Combinations Based on eGeMAPS-v2 Feature Set
International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems (IJCDS), vol 18, Issue 2, pp 1-10.
2025 Journal Article
Remaining Useful Life Prediction Using Attention-LSTM Neural Network of Aircraft Engines
International Journal of Prognostics and Health Management, vol 16, Issue 2.
2021 Journal Article
NMF-DCA: An Efficient Dendritic Cell Algorithm Based on Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems (IJCDS), Vol 10, Issue 1, pp. 575-583.
Conference Proceedings
August 2026 Springer RRPR (ICPR 2026)
Reproducibility Companion Paper: Comparative Evaluation of Deep Learning Architectures and Training Strategies for Diabetic Retinopathy Classification
Sixth Workshop on Reproducible Research in Pattern Recognition (RRPR 2026), ICPR 2026 | Lyon, France
August 2026 Springer ICPR
Comparative Evaluation of Deep Learning Architectures and Training Strategies for Diabetic Retinopathy Classification
28th International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR 2026), Springer, pp. 476--490 | Lyon, France
January 2025 IEEE Conference
Prognostics of the Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Deep Learning Algorithms: Comparative Study
3rd International Symposium on Networking and Intelligent Systems (ISNIB 2025), IEEE | Biskra, Algeria
November 3-5, 2024 IEEE Conference
Prediction of the Remaining Useful Lifetime of Turbofan Aircraft Engines Using Machine Learning: A Comparative Study
4th International Conference on Embedded Systems and Intelligent Systems (EDIS 2024), IEEE | Tahri Mohamed University, Bechar, Algeria
December 2022 IEEE Conference
KEDAS: A Validated Arabic Speech Emotion Dataset
2nd International Symposium on Networking and Intelligent Systems (ISNIB 2022), IEEE | Ouargla, Algeria
Doctoral Student Supervision
Ph.D. Candidate — Thesis Submitted for Defense (2026)
Dalel Djeridi
First registration: 2021
Topic: A New Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition Framework.
Institution: Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla.
Main supervisor (co-supervised with Pr. Bachir Said).
Ph.D. — Thesis Defended (2026)
Merouane Dida
First registration: 2023
Topic: Data-Driven Diagnosis: A Machine Learning Methodology for Predictive Health Management.
Institution: Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla.
Main supervisor (co-supervised with Dr Abdelhakim Cheriet).
Ph.D. Candidate (2024 -- Present)
Mohamed El-Habib Hamadi
Topic: Parallelism Solutions for Accelerating Computation in Elliptic-Curve Cryptography.
Institution: University of Blida 1, in partnership with CDTA, Algiers.
Initial thesis director: Pr. Abdelkrim Kamel Oudjida (CDTA, retired).
Role: Main supervisor (appointment pending).
Role: Main supervisor (appointment pending).
Ph.D. Candidate (2024 -- Present)
Mohamed Lamine BenHabireche
Topic: Ophthalmological Dataset Engineering Enabled by a Microservices-Based Software Architecture for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection in Algerian Hospitals.
Institution: Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla.
Joint thesis with Pr. Dalila Tamzalit (Nantes University, France) & Pr. Oussama Aiadi.
Pr. Dalila Tamzalit (Nantes University, France) & Pr. Oussama Aiadi.
Experience & Degrees
Career Experience
2026 -- Present
Associate Lecturer (Habilitated)
Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla, Dept of Computer Science
2021 -- 2026
Associate Lecturer
Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla
2017 -- 2020
Head of Specialization -- Bachelor in Information Systems
Faculty of New Information & Communication Technologies
2015 -- 2016
Visiting Researcher (Algerian PNE Programme)
Syncromedia Lab, ÉTS Montréal, Canada
Academic Degrees & Qualifications
2026
University Habilitation (Habilitation Universitaire / HDR)
Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla | Specialty: Computer Science & AI
Habilitated to Direct Research (HDR / Associate Professor Status)
2021
Ph.D. in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
Mohamed Khider University, Biskra | Honors: Very Honorable
Thesis: Securité informatique basée sur la théorie de danger
2008
Magister in Computer Science (AI & Advanced Systems)
Mohamed Khider University, Biskra | Honors: Good
2004
State Engineering Degree in Computer Science
Mohamed Khider University, Biskra | Specialization: Industrial Computing
