Dr. Mashrura Musharraf is an Assistant Professor at Aalto University, Finland, specializing in Marine and Arctic Technology. With dual citizenship from Canada and Bangladesh, she holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Her research integrates human-centered automation, marine systems, AI, and decision support for marine operations. She has made significant contributions to the advancement of winter navigation, emergency evacuation simulations, and human reliability analysis, primarily in harsh maritime environments. Over the years, she has established herself as a thought leader, publishing extensively in peer-reviewed journals, receiving multiple research grants, and leading international projects. Dr. Musharraf is committed to promoting women in STEM and has mentored aspiring researchers and students globally. With a strong pedagogical background, she is also responsible for teaching several MSc courses at Aalto University.
Profile:
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Education:
Dr. Mashrura Musharraf completed her PhD in Computer Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, in May 2018. Her doctoral research focused on human reliability assessment and its application in offshore emergency situations. Prior to her PhD, she earned a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Computer Engineering from the same institution in May 2014, where she contributed to marine simulation research. Dr. Musharraf began her academic journey at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), where she earned a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering in October 2009. She continuously builds on her educational background by engaging in pedagogical training at Aalto University, having completed 20 ECTs in various courses related to higher education teaching, supervision, and course design. Her educational journey and expertise have led her to become a recognized scholar in marine technology, AI, and human-centered automation.
Experience:
Dr. Mashrura Musharraf is an Assistant Professor in the Marine and Arctic Technology Research Group at Aalto University, Finland, where she leads research on human-centered automation and decision support in marine systems. Her previous academic experience includes postdoctoral fellowships at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, where she also served as a per-course instructor. Additionally, Dr. Musharraf was a teaching assistant from 2012 to 2017 and held part-time research assistant roles in marine technology and simulation research. Her industry experience includes working as a Human Factor Researcher and Software Engineer at Virtual Marine and Dohatec New Media, respectively. Dr. Musharraf’s leadership extends to supervising multiple MSc and DSc students, co-supervising doctoral research, and managing research teams. She has also contributed to various international multidisciplinary research projects, working with organizations such as the National Research Council of Canada and the National Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Awards and Honors:
Dr. Mashrura Musharraf has been recognized for her academic and research excellence throughout her career. In 2023, she received the Best Paper Award at the Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) 2023 for her research on mining students’ digital footprints to enhance simulator training. Her intern, Sitaram Rathi, won the Best Poster Award for the Winter Navigation Database Creation project at the AScI poster exhibition in 2023. She was also a Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2014 and 2018, an honor given for outstanding academic achievement. In 2017, she was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. These accolades reflect Dr. Musharraf’s dedication to advancing knowledge, enhancing student learning, and contributing to critical research in marine technology and AI.
Research Focus:
Dr. Mashrura Musharraf’s research focuses on human-centered automation, marine systems, and AI in ship design and operation. Her expertise lies in applying decision support systems, AI, and data-driven methods to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability in marine operations. Dr. Musharraf has made significant contributions to the development of winter navigation tools, maritime cybersecurity, and human reliability analysis in offshore environments. Her research interests span across modeling human behavior in emergency situations, optimizing vessel route planning in ice-covered waters, and enhancing marine simulation and training. She leads several international, multidisciplinary projects involving AI applications in logistics, marine operations during digital transformation, and strategic voyage routing. Additionally, Dr. Musharraf is focused on integrating human factors and machine learning to develop more resilient and adaptive marine systems. Her research aims to improve decision-making in harsh and unpredictable maritime environments, ensuring safer and more effective operational practices.
Publications:
- Human reliability assessment during offshore emergency conditions 🛥️⛑️
- Developments and research directions in maritime cybersecurity 🛡️🔐
- Assessing offshore emergency evacuation behavior in a virtual environment using a Bayesian Network approach 🚢💻
- A machine learning method for the prediction of ship motion trajectories in real operational conditions 🤖⚓
- A virtual experimental technique for data collection for a Bayesian network approach to human reliability analysis 🧠🧑🔬
- Measuring and improving adaptive capacity in resilient systems by means of an integrated DEA-Machine learning approach 💡📊
- Incorporating individual differences in human reliability analysis: an extension to the virtual experimental technique 🌐🧑💼
- Identifying route selection strategies in offshore emergency situations using decision trees 🌲🚢
- A data mining method for automatic identification and analysis of icebreaker assistance operation in ice-covered waters 🧊❄️
- Modeling and simulation of offshore personnel during emergency situations 🎮👥
- Human factor risk assessment during emergency condition in harsh environment 🚨🏔️
- Capturing expert knowledge to inform decision support technology for marine operations 🧑🏫💡
- On the data-driven investigation of factors affecting the need for icebreaker assistance in ice-covered waters 🚢❄️
- Using simulator data to facilitate human reliability analysis 🎮📉
- Using Bayesian methods and simulator data to model lifeboat coxswain performance 🚤👩✈️
- Simulation tool for winter navigation decision support in the Baltic Sea 🌨️🚢
- Pathfinding and optimization for vessels in ice: A literature review 🧭🧊
- Validating human behavior representation model of general personnel during offshore emergency situations 🧑🔬🌊
- Route optimization for vessels in ice: Investigating operational implications of the carbon intensity indicator regulation 🌱🚢
- Decarbonizing shipping in ice by intelligent icebreaking assistance 🧊⚡
Conclusion:
Dr. Mashrura Musharraf has made significant contributions to the field of marine technology and AI, with a strong focus on improving safety and efficiency in maritime operations. Her expertise in human-centered automation, marine systems, and data-driven methods has earned her a prominent place in academic and research circles. With numerous prestigious awards and publications to her name, she continues to advance her field while mentoring the next generation of researchers. Dr. Musharraf’s passion for scientific and societal impact is reflected in her work, which has practical applications in improving the safety and sustainability of marine systems in harsh environments.