Nabeel Alzahrani
Lecturer
, Information Security Analyst
Contact
Lecturer
Computer Science and Engineering, School of
Information Security Analyst
Information Security and Compliance
Bio
Dr. Alzahrani is an adjunct professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and cybersecurity. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Alzahrani also serves as a consultant in the Identity, Security, and Enterprise Technology Department at CSUSB. He is the co-founder of the Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Fusion Energy, and Semiconductors (AQFS) Research and Training Lab at CSUSB. In addition, he is a published author of books and research papers and has delivered numerous presentations in his field.
Fellowships and Grants
- Cyberinfrastructure Professional (CIP) Fellow, National Science Foundation, 2024
- One-year fellowship led by the UC San Diego Supercomputer Center to use AI and high-performance computing (GPU clusters, supercomputers, quantum computing, etc.) for scientific research.
- AACN Faculty Scholar Grant - "Transforming Nursing Education with AI", 2025-2026
- One of only two projects chosen from 147 nationwide applicants for the highly competitive AACN Faculty Scholars Grant, pioneering AI-driven innovations to transform nursing education and predict student success.
Education
Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) with a 4.00 GPA (out of 4.00) from the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department, Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE), University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside).
Courses/Teaching
Undergraduate-Level Courses (Senior-Level Computer Science Artificial Intelligence)
- CSE 5140: Computational Intelligence – Advanced AI techniques that extend beyond traditional AI and classical machine learning, leveraging brain- and nature-inspired approaches such as neural networks, fuzzy logic, and evolutionary computation to solve complex, real-world problems adaptively and efficiently.
Graduate-Level Core Courses (Master of Science in Computer Science)
- CSE 6550: Software Engineering Concepts – Core principles of software engineering, including the design, development, testing, and maintenance of complex software systems.
Specialization
- Artificial Intelligence (AI), including AI applications in:
- High-Performance Computing (HPC)
- Fusion Energy
- Quantum Computing
- Semiconductors
- Healthcare
- Cybersecurity
Research and Teaching Interests
Teaching Resources & Campus Innovations
- 2025
- 01 – Introduction to AI: Core Concepts, Applications, and Ethics - Beginner-friendly video introducing foundational AI concepts, real-world applications, generative AI, and ethical considerations for students and faculty.
- 02 – Accessible AI & HPC: 14-Workshop Series (K–12 and Beyond) - Hands-on workshops designed to make AI and high-performance computing accessible to learners of all ages.
- 03 – RAG for LLMs: Beginner-Friendly Guide - Practical guide for implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to improve accuracy and efficiency in large language models (LLMs).
- 04 – AI-First Critique Learning (AFCL): Faculty Toolkit - Campus-wide framework helping faculty integrate AI responsibly while maintaining academic integrity.
- 05 – NAIRR: Getting Started with National AI & HPC Resources - Orientation for students and faculty to leverage national AI and HPC resources for research and innovation.
Publications
- 2025
- Srinivas, S., et al., & Alzahrani, N., “AI-Augmented SOC: A Survey of LLMs and Agents for Security Automation,” Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, vol. 5, no. 4, p. 95, 2025.
- (Over 7,000 views within three months of publication)
- Alzahrani, N., “Accessible AI and HPC Education for All,” Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC ’25) Conference, Columbus, OH, United States.
- (Over 1,000 views within six months of publication)
- Akhter, F., Alzahrani, N., & Dajani, K., “Bias Mitigation in Deep Learning: A Survey of Modern Techniques,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Conference on Artificial Intelligence (CAI ’25), Santa Clara, CA, United States.
- Wulc, G., Alzahrani, N., & Ketha, S., “Deep Learning Scalability: A Survey of Challenges, Techniques, and Future Trends,” Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 6th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Control (AIRC ’25), Savannah, GA, United States.
- Srinivas, S., et al., & Alzahrani, N., “AI-Augmented SOC: A Survey of LLMs and Agents for Security Automation,” Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, vol. 5, no. 4, p. 95, 2025.
AI Presentations & Talks
- Introduction to AI (AI for All), covering:
- Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Large Language Models, Generative AI, AI tools such as ChatGPT, AI ethics, Powering AI with fusion energy, and accessible AI resources for K-12 and beyond to accelerate research and innovation
- NAIRR Overview, covering:
- What it is, how to access it, and how to use it effectively for research projects.
- What it is, how to access it, and how to use it effectively for research projects.
- 2025
- October 23 – CSUSB Math Department: AI for AIl
- October 8 – CSUSB Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Department: AI for AIl
- October 6 – CSUSB ITS October Tech Week, Research Computing Day: National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Overview
- September 30 – INSPIRE 2025 Symposium, CSUSB: AI for All in Education
- September 8 – Loma Linda University (LLU), Loma Linda, California: Introduction to AI
- August 5 – University of Colorado Boulder, CU-RMACC AI Workshop, Boulder, Colorado: Introduction to AI
- April 11 – California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) California Semiconductor Workforce Development and Innovation for Future Technologies Symposium (CalSWIFT'25): AI to Accelerate Semiconductor Research and Innovation
- April 2 – National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), AI Unlocked: Empowering Higher Education through Research and Discovery, Denver, Colorado: Introduction to AI
- March 26 – CSUSB Office of Student Research: Introduction to AI
- March 14 – CSUSB Finance, Technology, and Operations (FTO) Business Conference: Introduction to AI
- March 10 – CSUSB Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Department: Introduction to AI (Sponsored by CSUSB CSE, with faculty & students from Computer Science & Engineering, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Cognitive Science)
- February 21 – CSUSB PROPEL AI Symposium: Introduction to AI
- 2024
- October 31 – CSUSB Office of Student Research: Introduction to AI
- October 9 – CSUSB Information Technology Services (ITS) Tech Talks Conference: Introduction to AI
- September 26 – CSUSB Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Department: Introduction to AI
- July 21 – Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC'24) Conference, Providence, Rhode Island: Introduction to AI
AI Research Opportunities for Students
- AI & HPC for Scientific Research – Accelerate academic research in fusion energy and other domains.
- AI in Healthcare – AI-based cancer detection and predictive models for at-risk students.
- AI-Powered Support Systems – Tools to assist learning, research, and operational decision-making.
- Deep Learning & LLMs – Work with neural networks, large language models, and advanced architectures.
- AI Model Challenges – Address overfitting, bias, explainability, scalability, and adversarial attacks.
- AI for Scientists & Everyone – Develop AI tools for research, education, and broad accessibility.
- AI for Security & Defense – Build systems to detect cyber threats, software vulnerabilities, or moving threats (military/law enforcement).
- AI in Science & Entertainment – Systems to analyze interactions, detect patterns, and enhance research and media applications.
AI Research Required Student Skills
- AI and HPC to Accelerate Academic Research
- Addressing Hallucinations in Large Language Models (LLMs) Like ChatGPT
- Python Programming (use only the two green buttons “Previous” and “Next” to navigate the tutorial and avoid ads)
- GitHub
- Colab (or Jupyter Notebooks)
- Computer Vision with TensorFlow
- Building a Brain in 10 Minutes
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- AI Agents