Five pillars of human-centered AI.
Each pillar carries multiple sub-themes and active projects, connected by one design principle: technical excellence in service of people. Funded projects are catalogued on the Projects & Funding page; full outputs on Publications.
Health & Healing
Flagship: AI for Health and Healing, a $130,000 TRU HorAIzon Presidential Initiative led by AIRL — including the Wellness Hub, demonstrated live to BC's Minister of State for AI and New Technologies.
Neuro-imaging & brain tumours
A signature line since 2010: the DeepTumor framework, glioma classification with deep features, multiclass texture-statistical models, and the US patent for multi-stage brain-tumour image processing (11,227,387).
Oncology imaging
Breast-cancer detection from whole-slide histopathology, leukemia detection with ensemble CNNs, lung-cancer LDCT screening, ultrasound breast imaging, melanoma segmentation, and an optimization-driven skin-cancer framework (TRU IRF).
Ophthalmology
Diabetic-retinopathy detection from fundus images: MEDCnet memory-efficient CNNs, hybrid deep features, and optimized frameworks developed with student researchers.
Infectious disease
COVID-19 and pneumonia detection from CT and X-ray with optimized deep learning; monkeypox/chickenpox lesion classification; fungal-infection detection with fusion features.
Digital mental health & care education
Privacy-preserving campus LLMs for student support and mental-health navigation; AISimSpeak, an AI simulation platform for nursing education (CAN-Sim); an AI memory-recall assistant for dementia patients.
Secure intelligent health systems
Federated-learning privacy for healthcare IoMT, medical-record security in multimodal images and steganography, blockchain for smart healthcare, tampering detection, and IoT diagnosis platforms (I-CARES).
Selected Publications in this pillar
- RP-IoMT: A Robust and Provable Framework for Federated Learning Privacy-Preserving Intelligence in Healthcare IoMTM. Saad Bin Ilyas, Sohail Masood Bhatti, Ghazanfar Latif, Sherif Abdelhamid, Arfan JaffarComputer Modeling in Engineering & SciencesJournals2026Health & Healing
- Fungal Infection Detection Using Custom Fusion-Based Deep Learning FeaturesIrum Nehvi, D. N. F. Awang Iskandar, Jaafar Alghazo, Ghazanfar Latif, Insha NahviCommunications in computer and information scienceConferences2026Health & Healing
- Optimized Deep Learning Framework for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection and Classification Using Fundus ImagingPooja Verma, Ghazanfar Latif, Jaspreet Kaur, Mohsin ButtInspire Health JournalJournals2026Health & Healing
- Ensemble Deep Learning-Based High-Precision Framework for Breast Cancer Detection from Histopathological ImagesFaizan Ahmad, Arfan Jaffar, Ghazanfar Latif, Jaafar Alghazo, Sohail Masood BhattiDiagnosticsJournals2026Health & Healing
- Inaugural Editorial of the Inspire Intelligence First Issue PublicationGhazanfar LatifInspire Intelligence Journal, 1(1), 68-71Journal Editorials2026Health & Healing
- Monkeypox and Chickenpox Skin Lesions Classification Using Hybrid Deep Learning FeaturesEmaan Nazeeruddin, Ghazanfar Latif, Nazeeruddin MohammadConferences2025Health & Healing
- Enhanced Multi-Class Breast Cancer Classification from Whole-Slide Histopathology Images Using a Proposed Deep Learning ModelAdnan Rafiq, Arfan Jaffar, Ghazanfar Latif, Sohail Masood, Sherif E. AbdelhamidDiagnosticsJournals2025Health & Healing
- MEDCnet : A Memory Efficient Approach for Processing High‐Resolution Fundus Images for Diabetic Retinopathy Classification Using CNNMohsin Butt, D. N. F. Awang Iskandar, Majid Ali Khan, Ghazanfar Latif, Abul BasharInternational Journal of Imaging Systems and TechnologyJournals2025Health & Healing
Defence & Security
From the governance of AI-generated disinformation to deployed detection systems and a nine-patent document-forensics portfolio.
Disinformation & synthetic media
Detection of AI-written vs. human-written text with deep recurrent networks; sociotechnical research on institutional resilience against synthetic threats in Canada's defence and security sector; misinformation identification for parliamentary information services.
Defence applications
Deep learning for the defence of military installations against UAV-borne attacks (IEEE CSCE); AI decision-support research for defence contexts with international research interns.
Surveillance & threat detection
Weakly-supervised violence detection with transformer attention, smart-city robbery detection, and maritime ship detection from satellite imagery.
Document forensics
Nine granted US patents for writer verification and authorship identification of handwritten text — including damaged and cursive Arabic documents, imaging devices, and digital-pen verification.
Cybersecurity
Malicious URL and PDF detection with machine learning, email fraud analysis, hate/offense speech detection (including low-resource languages), banking cybersecurity, and IoT/WSN security.
Public safety & wildfire resilience
An intelligent wildfire-management system for data collection, prediction and response; a wildfire-risk, air-quality and community-preparedness platform for the Thompson-Okanagan; post-fire reforestation analysis; flood detection from visual imagery.
Selected Publications in this pillar
- Violence Detection of Weakly Supervised Surveillance in the Real World Through Transformer-Based Attention Multiple Instance LearningZafar Kazimi, D. N. F. Awang Iskandar, Ghazanfar Latif, Farhan UllahConferences2026Defence & Security
- Detection of AI-written and human-written text using deep recurrent neural networksGhazanfar Latif, Nazeeruddin Mohammad, Ghassen Ben Brahim, Jaafar Alghazo, Khaled FawagrehFourth Symposium on Pattern Recognition and Applications (SPRA 2023)Conferences2024Defence & Security
- Digital pen writer verification deviceGhazanfar LatifUS 12,111,887US Patents2024Defence & Security
- Writer verification device having imaging deviceGhazanfar LatifUS 12,093,344US Patents2024Defence & Security
- Verification system for handwritten Arabic textGhazanfar LatifUS 12,045,313US Patents2024Defence & Security
- Flood detection using deep learning methods from visual imagesAkhtar Hussain, Ghazanfar Latif, Jaafar Alghazo, Eunjin KimAIP conference proceedingsConferences2024Defence & Security
- Text verification device with battery power supplyGhazanfar LatifUS 12,045,312US Patents2024Defence & Security
- Writer verification device for Arabic handwritingGhazanfar LatifUS 12,039,006US Patents2024Defence & Security
Assistive Technologies
Flagships: BlindLine — first among 800 entries at the NEOM OXAGON Hackathon — and the patented deep-learning Braille Reader (US 11,393,361), honoured with the Geneva Gold Medal.
Braille & blind education
"Learning at Your Fingertips" — an IoT-based, AI-powered Braille learning system — plus Braille recognition research and a pan-Canada Braille-learning knowledge-exchange initiative.
Sign-language AI
Deep-learning Arabic Sign Language recognition and translation for automated communication with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, built on the open ArASL dataset (54,049 images).
Accessible interfaces
Eye-gaze user interfaces, real-time IoT voice analysis and smart monitoring for persons with disabilities, and hands-free cloud e-learning environments.
Cognitive support
A vision-and-AI personalized memory-recall assistant for dementia patients, developed through the Mitacs Globalink program.
Inclusive & intelligent education
Generative-AI accessibility adaptation of course content, at-risk student prediction, ML-driven performance assessment, automated grading, retrieval-augmented generation evaluation, and privacy-preserving campus LLMs.
Recognition
Presented to BC Government MLAs on AI in medical diagnostics and assistive technologies; the co-supervised "We'll Care" team won first place and the Audience Choice Award at TRU's Wolves' DEN.
Selected Publications in this pillar
- Deep Learning-based Arabic Sign Recognition System for Automated Communication with Hearing Impaired Individuals.Runna Alghazo, Ghazanfar Latif, Nazeeruddin Mohammad, Jaafar Alghazo, Maura AE PilottiKSII Transactions on Internet & Information SystemsJournals2024Assistive Technologies
- Learning at Your Fingertips: An Innovative IoT-Based AI-Powered Braille Learning SystemGhazanfar Latif, Ghassen Ben Brahim, Sherif E. Abdelhamid, Runna Alghazo, Ghadah Alhabib, Khalid AlnujaidiApplied System InnovationJournals2023Assistive Technologies
- Machine Learning in Higher Education: Students’ Performance Assessment Considering Online Activity LogsGhazanfar Latif, Sherif E. Abdelhamid, Khaled Fawagreh, Ghassen Ben Brahim, Runna AlghazoIEEE AccessJournals2023Assistive Technologies
- Braille Reader System using a deep-learning frameworkGhazanfar Latif, Jaafar Alghazo, Shurouq Alufaisan, Wafa Albur, Shaikha AlsedrahUS 11,393,361US Patents2022Assistive Technologies
- Innovative Education System for the Blind: AI based Arabic Braille Language SystemGhazanfar Latif, Khalid Alnujaidi, Ghadah AlhabibTechnology in the Service of People, NEOM Oxagon Hackathon, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaResearch Posters2022Assistive Technologies
- Identifying “At-Risk” Students: An AI-based Prediction ApproachGhazanfar Latif, Runna Alghazo, Maura Pilotti, Ghassen Ben BrahimInternational Journal of Computing and Digital SystemsJournals2022Assistive Technologies
- Identifying” at-risk” students: An AI-based prediction approachGhazanfar Latif, Runna Alghazo, Maura AE Pilotti, Ghassen Ben BrahimUniversity of BahrainJournals2021Assistive Technologies
- Communicating with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing through Automatic Arabic Sign Language TranslatorGhazanfar Latif, Jaafar Alghazo, Nazeeruddin Mohammad, Runna AlghazoJournal of Physics Conference SeriesConferences2021Assistive Technologies
Indigenous Communities
A growing priority area developed in the spirit of respectful partnership on Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc territory, within Secwepemcúl'ecw.
Language preservation & revitalization
Leveraging AI for the digital preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages in Canada — building on the lab's depth in low-resource-language NLP and multi-language recognition.
Culturally responsive AI in education
Generative AI for Indigenous student success: culturally responsive custom content creation, presented at TRU's Global Horizons internationalization forum.
Community resilience
Wildfire-risk, air-quality and preparedness platforms serving Interior BC communities, developed with community benefit at the centre.
Roadmap: community-led data sovereignty and stewardship · partnership development with TRU's Office of Indigenous Education · Secwepemctsín-focused language-technology exploration guided by community priorities.
Selected Publications in this pillar
No publications in this pillar yet.
Applied AI Systems
Cross-cutting intelligent systems for the economy and environment — agriculture, earth science, smart cities, and connected infrastructure.
Agriculture & food
Rice and plant-disease detection with improved CNNs, a global context-aware plant-diagnosis model, cognitive-vision spraying drones, date-fruit classification and disease recognition, fruit-calorie estimation, and marine-life classification.
Earth & environment
Automated mineral-grain segmentation and recognition (FRQNT program with UQAC), the 2026 lithofacies drilling-decision patent (US 12,518,075), seismic-structure classification, oil-spill identification, solar-PV performance prediction, and IoT garbage classification.
Smart cities & mobility
Optimized deep residual networks for Arabic traffic-sign recognition, the autonomous pothole-detection and road-repair patent (US 11,829,959), real-time licence-plate recognition on edge devices, and smart-nursery infant-sound classification.
Connected infrastructure
Secure printer paper-management patent (US 11,748,588), underwater wireless-sensor-network routing, all-optical data-centre interconnects, network traffic engineering, and IoT for oil fields, retail, and smart living.
Document & handwriting AI
Multi-language handwritten numeral and digit recognition, structural-feature methods, scanned-document layout analysis, and automated answer-sheet grading.
Foundations
CNN optimization techniques, GPU-parallel SVMs, memory-efficient architectures, and evaluation methodology — the toolbox powering every pillar.
Selected Publications in this pillar
- Drilling decision system and method of multimodal lithofacies prediction and decision-makingGhazanfar LatifUS 12,518,075US Patents2026Applied AI Systems
- Signals and Communication Technology — Proceedings of the International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Computational Strategies in Engineering and Technology (ICICET 25)Ghazanfar Latif, Jaafar AlghazoSignals and Communication TechnologyEdited Books2026Applied AI Systems
- A novel hybrid static offset voltage calibration technique for dynamic comparators using bulk voltage and shunt current trimming techniquesFadi Nessir Zghoul, Takwa Shawkat Awad Mansour, Jaafar Alghazo, Ghazanfar LatifIntegrationJournals2025Applied AI Systems
- Date Fruit Classification Using Transfer Learning TechniquesGhazanfar Latif, Ghassen Ben Brahim, Taha Houda, Jaafar AlghazoConferences2024Applied AI Systems
- A Novel Hybrid Technique for Static Offset Voltage Calibration in Dynamic Comparators Leveraging Bulk Voltage and Shunt Current TrimmingFadi Nessir Zghoul, Takwa Shawkat Awad Mansour, Jaafar Alghazo, Ghazanfar LatifSSRN Electronic JournalJournals2024Applied AI Systems
- A framework for microscopic grains segmentation and Classification for Minerals Recognition using hybrid featuresGhazanfar Latif, Kévin Bouchard, Julien Maítre, Arnaud Back, L. Paul BédardEarth Science InformaticsJournals2024Applied AI Systems
- Deep learning in Transportation: Optimized driven deep residual networks for Arabic traffic sign recognitionGhazanfar Latif, Danyah A. Alghmgham, R. Maheswar, Jaafar Alghazo, Fadi N. Sibai, Moustafa H. AlyAlexandria Engineering JournalJournals2023Applied AI Systems
- DeepFruit: A dataset of fruit images for fruit classification and calories calculationGhazanfar Latif, Nazeeruddin Mohammad, Jaafar AlghazoData in BriefJournals2023Applied AI Systems