Address: BARC-2227,
4700 Research Way
Lakeland, FL 33805
Phone: +1 (863) 874-8646
Email: kelish at floridapoly.edu
Short Bio
Since 2016, I have been a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at Florida Polytechnic University, where I currently serve as an Associate Professor. I am a Co-director of the INSIGHT Research Lab (Intelligent Software Engineering, Security & Analytics), where I have been fortunate to collaborate with and mentor several students, including Fulbright scholars and students. Prior to joining Florida Poly, I held a faculty appointment as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University Fort Wayne. I am a Fulbright Specialist, selected to the Fulbright Specialist Roster of the U.S. Department of State (2025–present). In 2018, I received the Florida Poly ABLAZE Award for Excellence in Teaching for exemplary pedagogical practices, exceptional teaching effectiveness, contributions to course and program development, and sustained efforts to foster students’ intellectual growth and critical thinking. I am a Senior Member of the ACM and IEEE.
Education
2015: Ph.D. in Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
2011: M.S. in Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
2008: M.S. in Computer Science, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
2006: B.S. in Computer Science, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Research Interests
Software security, with a focus on mobile application security (malware detection, secure code analysis, automated assurance);
Broader topics in security, privacy, and software engineering.
Publications
All my publications are available on my Google Scholar.
Selected publications can be found here.
Teaching
At Florida Polytechnic University, I teach a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses spanning software engineering and cybersecurity. Over the years, I have designed and delivered courses that integrate hands-on practice, current technologies, and effective teaching methods. My teaching portfolio includes:
CEN 4033 Secure Software Engineering
CEN 4088 Software Security Testing
CIS 4369 Web Application Security
CEN 4010 Software Engineering
CEN 4065 Software Design and Architecture
COP 4656 Mobile Device Applications
CEN 3820 Systems Analysis and Design
COP 3710 Database I
COP 3330C Computer Programming 2
COP 4934 Senior Design 1 (Capstone I)
COP 4935 Senior Design 2 (Capstone II)
Graduate Courses/Thesis:
CEN 5035 Advanced Software Engineering
COP 5727 Advanced Database Systems Design
CEN 5088 Advanced Software Security Testing
IDS 5970 Thesis 1
IDS 5975 Thesis 2
Selected Services
Guest Editor, Applied Sciences Journal, special issue on ”Cybersecurity: Novel Technologies and Applications”, 2025-2026.
Session Chair, IEEE/ACIS SERA, 2025.
Editorial Board Member, EAI Transactions on Security and Safety Journal: 2019 - 2021.
Panel Reviewer, National Science Foundation (NSF), Cybersecurity Education Program, 2016.
External reviewer for the following conferences: CCS'15, ASIACCS'15, CODASPY'15, ACSAC'15, CCS'14, ACSAC'14, ASIACCS'14, Inscrypt'13, ASIACCS'13, ISC'13, CODASPY'13, CNS'13, SecureComm'13, ACNS'12, GLOBECOM'11.
Reviewer for the following journals: ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security (TIFS), IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing (TDSC), International Journal of Information Security, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (TMC), IEEE Systems Journal, Journal of Information Security and Applications, IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems, Computers & Security, etc.
University Service Activities at Florida Poly:
2022-2025: CS Graduate Council Representative
2025: Member, Technology Transfer Steering Committee
2022-2025: Member, CS Search Committee
2024-2025: Member, CS Department Evaluation Panel for Reappointment and Promotion
2025: Member, ECE Department Evaluation Panel for Reappointment and Promotion
2024: Member, DSBA Department Evaluation Panel for Reappointment and Promotion
2018-2025: Member, CS Department Curriculum Committee
2022-2024: Chair, CS/DSBA Thesis and Graduate Project Review and Approval Committee
2023-2024: Member, Data Science & Business Analytics Search Committee
