Abstract

Research and Development (R&D) in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector currently plays a fundamental role in driving innovation, technological advancements, and economic growth. The presentation addresses R&D functions in industry and academia within the ICT sector of Saudi Arabia. By examining the distinctive characteristics, approaches, and outcomes of R&D activities in both sectors, this study aims to provide valuable insights, challenges, and opportunities that exist in R&D function in industry and academia fields. The presentation further shows the key challenges and barriers encountered in R&D function industry and academia, including differences in organizational culture, intellectual property management, and divergent timelines and priorities.

About the Speaker

Kholud Alghamdi completed a MS degree and a PhD degree from Florida Tech in 2019 and 2022, respectively. She started her career in 2019 as a Cybersecurity Senior Specialist for one of the leading government entities in the ICT sector in Saudi Arabia. Driven by a passion for expanding her knowledge and contributing to the field, she pursued further studies and obtained her PhD on Processes for Designing and Implementing Provably Verifiable Voting Systems. She published articles regarding Automatic Verification of Multi-agent Systems Security Properties Specified by LTL and Implications of Bounded in Approval Voting. Now she holds a position as Cybersecurity Expert in the R&D department within the same government entity. In addition to her professional achievements, she currently holds the position of Assistant Professor at the King Saud University, where she teaches cybersecurity courses.