Biography

Wael Abouelsaadat completed the curriculum for computer science with a minor in electronics at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, Canada, in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. In his PhD dissertation, Wael designed, developed and formally evaluated an electronic prayer rug for assisting in Islamic prayer. During his graduate studies, Wael worked as a part-time lecturer, in the computer science department at the University of Toronto teaching undergraduate courses. Next, Wael moved to take a lecturer position at the German University in Cairo, Egypt. Wael taught various basic classes in computer science as well as advanced classes in Database Systems Architecture, Software Engineering, and Algorithm Design and Analysis. Wael also taught the graduate electives Human Computer Interaction and Brain Computer Interfaces. From January 2016 to September 2024, Wael acted as the Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering department at the German University in Cairo. Since 2025, Wael has been pursuing private ventures.

Wael's interest in undergraduate teaching motivated him to start two open source projects targeted to computer science juniors. The first is a highly scalable microblogging platform (EduMsg) and the second is a database engine (EduDB). The aim of these projects is to expose students early on to software engineering practices, advanced algorithms and data structures, design patterns and architecture of highly scalable applications.

Research Interests

Wael's general research interest is in the design, development and formal evaluation of new digital interfaces. This spans user interface widgets, interaction techniques using gestures, and new digital devices of all forms and shapes. Wael's particular interest is in systems and interfaces for supporting religious rituals, rulings and tasks and how to objectively evaluate their effectiveness, including the use of physiological instruments such as EEG and EMG. Wael also has a side research interest in systems and interfaces aiming to enhance the undergraduate education experience.