SAFIR Research Newsletter - Sixth Issue

Released eight times per year, the newsletter highlights recent research outputs, events, partnerships, and opportunities across SUAD.

Recent Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLES

• Svärd, P. et al - Accessibility of digital resources for students with disabilities in Kenyan public universities. Universal Access in the Information Society, 2026, 25 (1), pp.14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-025-01296-2

• De Masi, G. et al - AG-CLIP: Attribute-guided CLIP for Zero-shot Fine-grained Recognition. IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society. 2026, pp.1-11. https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCS.2026.3654171

• Bsaibess, E. et al - Comparative analysis of high-temperature SPS and post-annealing effects on thermoelectric performance of (Sr₁₋ₓBaₓ)₀.₉₅La₀.₀₅TiO₃ ceramics. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2025, 1047, pp.185122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.185122

• Bourdeau, T. - Compréhension orale et exposition au français parlé authentique : analyse d’un programme de FLE en milieu hétéroglotte. Contextes et Didactiques, 2025, 26. https://doi.org/10.4000/15f4g

• Kordoni, A. - De la réalité virtuelle à l’écriture créative; From virtual reality to creative writing. Etudes en didactique des langues, 2025, pp.49-68.

• Christopoulos, S. et al - Exploring WS2 as a Potential Buffer Layer for Improved CFTS-Solar Cell Performance. Romanian Journal of Physics, 2025, 70 (5-6), pp.612-612. https://doi.org/10.59277/RomJPhys.2025.70.612

• Chakraborty, T. et al - Footprints of Data in a Classifier: Understanding the Privacy Risks and Solution Strategies. Information Systems Frontiers, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-025-10679-y

• Panja, M., Chakraborty, T. et al - Forecasting precipitation in the Arctic using probabilistic machine learning informed by causal climate drivers. Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science, 2025, 35 (11), pp.3108. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0297336

• Constantinou, G. - From verb to emoji: the new codes young Cypriots use on social networks. Multilinguales, 2025, 13 (2), pp.671-714.

• Li, L. et al - Generative Deep Learning-Aided Design of Flexible Molecular Crystals. Chemistry of Materials, 2025, 37 (20), pp.8421-8435. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c02194

• Svärd, P. et al - Implementation support: A critical examination of mechanisms enhancing equitable digital access for students with disabilities in Kenyan public university libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 2026, 52(1), pp.103182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2025.103182

• Mahroug, S. - La guerre informationnelle dans la stratégie militaire du Corps des Gardiens de la Révolution islamique d’Iran: conception et application depuis 2003. Études françaises de renseignement et de cyber, 2025, n° 5 (2), pp.19-34. https://doi.org/10.3917/efrc.252.0019

• Bouthiba, F. - L’atelier A1 in an international university context: representations and practices of teachers of French as a foreign language. Annals of the University of Craiova. Series: Philology, English, 2025, 47 (2), pp.23-33. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18023789

• Boubakri, S. et al - Measuring financial integration in GCC stock markets: Dynamics, risk premia, and the path to enhanced cooperation. International Economics, 2026, 185, pp.100667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inteco.2025.100667

• Boubakri, S. - The asymmetric effect of commodity price returns on economic growth: evidence from net-commodity-exporting countries during inflationary times. Journal of Economic Studies, 2025, pp.1-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-03-2025-0176

• Chauvin, P. et al - MSR133 Integrating Equity and Efficiency in Health Economic Evaluation: Development of Equity-Informed Methodologies in the French Healthcare Context (INEES Project). Value in Health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 2025, 28 (12), pp.S520-S521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2025.09.3417

• Motte-Baumvol, B. et al - Older adults’ immobility: disentangling choice and constraint. Transportation, 2024, 51 (4), pp.870-888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-024-10560-y

• Bourdeau, T., Boufroukh, H. - Représentations de l’oral et du français parlé chez les enseignants de FLE. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 2025, 22 (1), pp.1-8. https://doi.org/10.5152/hayef.2025.25023

• Meziane, T. et al - Should I stay, or should I go: Anthropogenic noises disrupt early recruitment of subarctic invertebrates. Ecological Applications, 2025, 35 (7). https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.70119

• Li, L. et al - Stiffening Organic Crystals through Polymerization Using Visible Light. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147 (44), pp.41034-41045. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c15122

• Ferhani, B. et al - When the dark core meets the digital: Toward a theory of dark digital leadership. Strategic Business Research, 2026, 2 (1), pp.100040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbr.2025.100040

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

• Hadid, A. et al - Deformable Transformer-Based Object Detection for Robust Perception in Autonomous Driving. 2025 8th International Conference on Signal Processing and Information Security (ICSPIS), IEEE, pp.1-6, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSPIS67605.2025.11318379

• Hadid, A. et al - Efficient Real-Time Multi-Class Object Tracking with YOLO11 and ByteTrack in Real-World Driving Scenes. 2025 8th International Conference on Signal Processing and Information Security (ICSPIS), IEEE, pp.1-6, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSPIS67605.2025.11318321

•Masuku, M. - Electronic Health Records and the Archival Question: Shared Responsibility as a Panacea. HEALTHINFO 2025: The Tenth International Conference on Informatics and Assistive Technologies for Health-Care, Medical Support and Wellbeing, Oct 2025, pp.63-67, 2025.

• De Masi, G. et al - HST-4: An Accountability Extension to Human-Swarm Teaming Architecture. International Conference on Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Multidisciplinary Applications, 2025, pp. 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-7945-4_1

• Christopoulos, S. et al - Numerical Performance Analysis of BaZrS 3 -Based MSM Vertical Photodetector. 2025 IEEE 34th International Conference on Microelectronics (MIEL), 2025, pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/MIEL66332.2025.11261213

• Hadid, A. et al - REVEAL: A Retrieval-Augmented Generation Approach for Contextual Identification of Synthetic Visual Content. MM '25: The 33rd ACM International Conference on Multimedia, 2025. pp. 12-20. https://doi.org/10.1145/3746265.3759667

• Hadid, A. et al - SAViL-Det: Semantic-Aware Vision-Language Model for Multi-script Text Detection. Advanced Concepts for Intelligent Vision Systems, ACIVS 2025, 2025, pp. 159-171. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-07343-3_13

• Younes, G. et al - Symbolic and Numerical Tools for L∞-Norm Calculation. SSSC 2025 - 9th IFAC Symposium on System Structure and Control, 2025, pp. 202 - 207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.09.592

• De Masi, G. et al - Underwater Inspection Platform for Vision-Based Biodiversity Identification. 2025 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea; Learning to Measure Sea Health Parameters (MetroSea), 2025, pp. 45-49. https://doi.org/10.1109/MetroSea66681.2025.11245779

• De Masi, G. et al - Vision-Language Models for Underwater Ecological Monitoring. 2025 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea; Learning to Measure Sea Health Parameters (MetroSea), 2025, pp. 117-122. https://doi.org/10.1109/MetroSea66681.2025.11245715

CONFERENCE PAPERS

• Kordoni, A. - Development of an Educational AI-based Chatbot for Teaching and Learning a foreign language. 13th International Conference on Open & Distance Education ICODL 2025. Open and Distance Education: 21st Century Skills and the challenge of Artificial Intelligence, 2025.

• Kordoni, A. - Enhancing Language Learning Through VR: a Focus on creative writing skills. 21st Century Learning, 2025.

• Hendam, M., Boubakri, S. et al - Exploring Demand Management Flexibility as a Catalyst for the GCC Energy Transition: a Framework to Assess Time-of-Use Tariffs. Saudi Arabia Smart Grid (SASG) 2025, 2025.

• Chaveneau, C. - It is not against you, but who you got married to” : Foreign Spouses of Palestinians Navigating Privilege and Repression. 22nd IMISCOE Annual Conference : Decentering migration studies, 2025.

• Motte-Baumvol, J. et al - L'exemple du projet d'accord UE-MERCOSUR. La négociation des accords de libre échange de l’Union Européenne, 2024.

• Ben Lagha, Z. - L’affranchi, l’homme libre et la mulâtresse ou l’expérience paradoxale de la frontière : une lecture de Ṣudfat Layl ("Hasard de la nuit") de ‘Abduh Ḫāl; The Freedman, the Free Man, and the Mulatto Woman, or the Paradoxical Experience of the Border: A Reading of Ṣudfat Layl (‘Chance of the Night’) by ʿAbduh Khāl. Crossing the Borders of the Arabian Peninsula, 2025.

• Kordoni, A. - L’écriture créative numérique et l’IA en FLE : outils et pratiques pédagogiques. Journées de formation ludique, créative et artistique. Les ateliers d’écriture créative et de réécriture dans la pratique pédagogique du FLE une aventure scripturale partagée à la portée de tous, 2025.

• Shonhe, L. - Navigating the Impact of AI Technology on Professional Identity: A Study of RIM Practitioners in ESARBICA Member States. International Archives Congress ICA Barcelona 2025-Knowing Pasts, Creating Futures, 2025.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. et al - présidence de la table ronde : Communautés villageoises et droits culturels dans la République : du tabou à la reconnaissance. Les communs fonciers enfin accueillis par la puissance publique ?, Chaire Valcom, 2025.

• Beveridge, I. - Root Causes and Many Faces of Greenwashing. Congreso de Comunicación Medioambiental, Alfabetización y Activismo Climático, 2026.

• Chaveneau, C., Beveridge, I. - Strategic Communication and Behavioural Interventions for Household Waste Management in Abu Dhabi. 3rd International Conference on Advancing Sustainable Futures (ICASF 2025), 2025.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - Synthèse générale des 4° édition des Open Science Days 2025, La 4° édition des Open Science Days, Université Grenoble Alpes, 2025.

• Ferhani, B. et al - Technology-Driven Toxicity: Conceptualizing Dark Digital Leadership in Contemporary Organizations. Empowering Leaders for Global Contemporary Businesses, 2025.

• Desruelles, S. et al - The Rakhat al Madrh sedimentary archive in the periphery of the Bat oasis, Oman: paleoenvironmental evolution and human occupation. EGU General Assembly 2025, 2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-465

• Kordoni, A. - Virtual Reality in Language classroom: exploring creative writing through immersive experiences. International Conference on Education Sciences, distance education and educational technology, 2025.

• Panja, M., Younes, G., Chakraborty, S. et al - Zero-shot forecasting of epidemics. NeurIPS 2025: Recent Advances in Time Series Foundation Models Have We Reached the 'BERT Moment'?, 2025.

PREPRINT ARTICLES

 • Ruszinkó, M. et al - A complete dichotomy theorem on the sparse t-Uniform Hypergraphicality Problem. 2025. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.15356

• Hadid, A. - VLM-PAR: A Vision Language Model for Pedestrian Attribute Recognition. 2025. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.22217

BOOK CHAPTERS

• Bianco, A - A Danish Kasbah? The Mediterranean-Islamic homes and town centres as models of Danish dense-low housing (1950s–1980s). Modelling Social Housing, 1, Routledge, pp.23-39, 2025, 9781003565741. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003565741-3

• Desruelles S. et al, Aménagement et exploitation du littoral de Rue et de l’estuaire de la Maye (Picardie, France) du XIe au XVIe siècle. In "Archéologie des peuplements littoraux" pp.455-466. Sidestone Press 2026. https://doi.org/10.59641/vv634yh

• Kayal, M. - Sustainable Food Practices and Legal Regulations in Tourism/Sustainable Tourism. In Gastronomy Law, 2025, 978-989-9066-31-1.

• Kayal, M. - Sustainable Food Practices and Legal Regulations in Tourism/Sustainable Tourism. In Gastronomy Law, 2025, 978-989-9066-31-1.

• Merz. A. et al - Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan: The Father of the United Arab Emirates. In Negotiators who Changed the World (pp. 155-196). Springer Nature Switzerland. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-90367-0_9

REPORTS

• Syvilay, D. et al. - Archaeometric analyses on pottery and artefacts from Chanhu-daro and Ghazi Shah - Preliminary Report, 2025

• Syvilay, D. et al - FRENCH ARCHAEOLOGICAL MISSION IN THE INDUS BASIN. Field-Season 2025 in Sindh - Preliminary Report, 2025.

PRACTITIONER- ORIENTED ARTICLES

• Martial-Braz, N. - Commentaire - Consentement, cookie walls et architecture du choix : la CNIL contrôle l'interface. Communication Commerce électronique, n° 12, 2025.

• Catelan, N. - Computation des interdictions professionnelles : constitutionnalité ?, Lexbase Pénal, 2025, 86.

• Catelan, N. - Fraude CumCum : une CJIP « gagnant-gagnant » ?. Actualité juridique Pénal, 2025, pp.504.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - La primauté du RGPD sur le régime des hébergeurs : analyse de l’arrêt Russmedian. Dalloz Actualité, 2025.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - La rationalisation du droit numérique européen : le rapport parlementaire sur l’AI Act, prélude aux règlements Digital Omnibus et Omnibus IA; The Streamlining of European Digital Law: The Parliamentary Report on the AI Act as a Prelude to the Digital Omnibus and AI Omnibus Regulations. Dalloz Actualité, 2025.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - Panorama rapide de l’actualité « Numérique » de la semaine du 8 décembre. Dalloz Actualité, 2025.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. et al - Panorama rapide de l’actualité « Numérique » des semaines du 15 décembre 2025 au 5 janvier 2026. Dalloz Actualité, 2026.

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - Panorama rapide de l’actualité « Numérique » de la semaine du 8 décembre. Dalloz Actualité, 2025.

• Epstein, A. - Trois modèles pour mieux comprendre et orienter le droit de la gouvernance d'entreprise durable. Revue des Sociétés [Journal des Sociétés], 2025, pp.647.

• Martial-Braz, N. - Repère: IA - X, Grok, deepfakes sexuels : quand la « liberté » devient un marché de l'atteinte !. Communication Commerce électronique, n° 2, 2026.

• Martial-Braz, N. - Repère - L'IA : c'est politique !. Communication Commerce électronique, n° 11, 2025.

• Martial-Braz, N. - Repère - IA générative - Création musicale : quand l'IA donne le la !. Communication Commerce électronique, n° 12, 2025.

• Martial-Braz, N. - Repère - L'IA :Réguler, sanctionner… puis simplifier?. Communication Commerce électronique, n° 1, 2026.

CONFERENCE POSTER

• Clément-Fontaine, M. - Ouvrir l’IA : entre exigences juridiques, souveraineté scientifique et politiques de diffusion. IMPACT SO 2026 : Impact de la science ouverte sur la recherche et les pratiques scientifiques, 2026.

Spotlight on Research Excellence – Dr. Sophia Mahroug

The Sacred Defence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards according to digital sources: from the Iran-Iraq war to the «soft war» (1981-2024), Phd Thesis, Sorbonne-Université and Université du Luxembourg.

How do contemporary armies write their own history—and shape power through it?

In her award-winning PhD thesis, Dr. Sophia Mahroug explores how Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps transformed the memory of the Iran–Iraq War into a powerful political, cultural, and military framework known as the “Sacred Defense.”

Drawing on digital archives, websites, and social media, and using OSINT and automated data-processing methods, her research shows how war narratives have been mobilized since the 1980s to structure cultural policy, legitimize military doctrine, and develop new forms of information and “soft” warfare in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The thesis also makes a strong methodological contribution by demonstrating how native digital sources can be used to write contemporary political and military history when field access is limited.

This work has received major recognition, including the Excellent Thesis Award of the University of Luxembourg (2025) and the IISMM–GIS MOMM (CNRS) Prize for Political Science and International Relations (2025). It will be published as a book by Presses universitaires de France (PUF) in September 2026.

About the researcher

Dr. Sophia Mahroug is Assistant Professor of International Relations History at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. She is a historian of Iran and the Middle East, with expertise in political history, military institutions, and digital methodologies. Her work combines historical analysis with digital humanities and OSINT approaches, and she is trained in Arabic and Persian (Sorbonne University, INALCO, Dehkhoda Institute, Tehran).

Her research contributes to contemporary debates on warfare, power, and knowledge production in the Middle East.

International Conference Participation

Past Events (November 2025 – January 2026)

• XIIIe colloque international du CODFREURCOR – Français et histoire, Sofia, Bulgaria – Dr. Georgia Constantinou, 6 Nov 2025

• UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30), Belém, Brazil – Dr. Beatriz Garcia, 13 Nov 2025

• PAMLA 2025 – “Palimpsests: Memory and Oblivion”, San Francisco, United States – Dr. Karine Germoni, 20 Nov 2025

• Institute for Advanced Studies in National Defence (IHEDN), French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Paris – Dr. Sophia Mahroug, 20 Nov 2025

• The 47th Australasian Combinatorics Conference, New Zealand – Dr. Miklos Ruszinko, 1 Dec 2025

• International Conference on Complex Dynamical Systems and Applications – Dr. Tanujit Chakraborty, 23 Jan 2026

Upcoming Events (February 2026)

• The 6th South East Asian Conference on Education – Dr. Samson Mutsagondo, 5 Feb 2026

• 2nd International Conference: Applied Research in Humanities & Social Sciences – Dr. Ivana Beveridge, 10 Feb 2026

SAFIR Events

Past Events (November 2025 – January 2026)

• Crossing Borders in the Arabian Peninsula – Dr. Clio Chaveneau and Dr. Zeinab Ben Lagha, 6–7 Nov 2025

• Bridging Cities: Connectivity & Sustainability in the Dubai–Abu Dhabi Metro-Region – Dr. Benjamin Motte-Baumvol, 19 Nov 2025

• Paroles en action : enjeux didactiques et interactionnels en classe de FLE – Dr. Tifany Bourdeau, 20 Nov 2025

• Second Annual Negotiation in the Middle East Conference: Negotiating to Bridge Cultures and Perspectives – Dr. Anja Merz, 26 Nov 2025

• Le droit européen du numérique en perpétuelle évolution – Pr. Mélanie Clément-Fontaine & Pr. Nathalie Martial-Braz, 11 Dec 2025

• International Symposium in Marine Robotics and AI for Ocean Sustainability – Advancing Ocean Science and Technology to Preserve Marine Biodiversity – Dr. Giulia De Masi, 21 Jan 2026

• "Rethinking Language Education through Plurilingual Voices – Hajiba Ankach, Tiffany Bourdeau and al., 26–27 Jan 2026

Upcoming Events (February 2026)

• Environmental Law in a Digital Age – Dr. Beatriz Garcia & Dr. Aude Solveig Epstein, 9–10 Feb 2026

• France–UAE Forum for Research and Innovation – 2–3 Feb 2026, SUAD Campus

High-level Franco-Emirati forum bringing together researchers, universities, research centers, start-ups, and innovation actors from both countries. The event focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies, and Space, and aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in research and innovation. The forum is open to the public.

Internal Events

Past Events (January 2026)

• ResearchRabbit Training Session (AI-based bibliographic research tool) – In-person session, 20 Jan 2026

• ResearchRabbit Training Session (AI-based bibliographic research tool) – Online session, 27 Jan 2026

Upcoming Events (February 2026)

• Research General Assembly – 4 Feb 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm, Robert de Sorbon Amphitheatre (with online access via Microsoft Teams)

Collaborative Scientific Writing Workshop (Social Sciences & Humanities)

A collaborative scientific writing workshop is held every Thursday at 9:00, in Salle Gauguin, and is open to researchers in the social sciences and humanities.

This is a collaborative, hands-on session aimed at supporting the publication of your work in Q1 journals. Please come with a manuscript in progress, a near-final draft, or reviewers’ comments, and we will work together on structure, positioning, and journal fit. This is not a course, but a peer-based workshop focused on concrete improvements.

Call for Projects

2026 Internal Research Excellence Grant (IREG)

The 2026 Call for Proposals for the Internal Research Excellence Grant (IREG) is now open. The IREG supports ambitious, high-impact research projects aligned with SAFIR priorities and SUAD’s research strategy, encouraging both new initiatives and the continuation of ongoing research.

Submission deadline: 2 March 2026

Funding: Up to AED 300,000 per project (1–3 years)

Project start: From June 2026

Full details and submission procedures are available in the SAFIR email circulated on 21 November 2025.

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Projects Call – 2026

The 2026 SAFIR Call for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Projects closed on 20 January 2026. A total of 13 project proposals were submitted. The results will be announced on 20 February 2026.

For reference, six projects were funded last year (3 doctoral and 3 postdoctoral grants).