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Dr Sana Alyaseri

Sana Alyaseri, Lecturer, School of Information Technology, Applied Information Technology, IT, Information Technology, Faculty, Whitecliffe employee, Whitecliffe staff, Whitecliffe team, Whitecliffe member, Manukau

Dr Sana Alyaseri

Senior Lecturer

Applied Information Technology

Dr. Sana Alyaseri began her career as a computer programmer and software developer in Iraq, earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before embarking on an academic and research journey spanning more than three decades. She has taught and led courses in programming, computer networks, software development, and artificial intelligence across universities and technology institutions in Iraq, Jordan, and Oman, becoming known for her innovative, blended learning approaches.

Dr. Sana Alyaseri began her career as a computer programmer and software developer in Iraq, earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before embarking on an academic and research journey spanning more than three decades. She has taught and led courses in programming, computer networks, software development, and artificial intelligence across universities and technology institutions in Iraq, Jordan, and Oman, becoming known for her innovative, blended learning approaches.

Additional Information

After migrating to New Zealand, she brought her passion for AI and education to several institutions, refining curriculum design, interactive teaching, and industry engagement. She joined Whitecliffe College in 2023, where she supervises master’s research students, designs academic programmes, and contributes to institutional growth.

 

In 2024, Dr. Alyaseri completed her PhD at Auckland University of Technology, focusing on metaheuristic algorithms for procedural content generation in computer games. She is an active researcher with 15 peer-reviewed publications, including work on metaheuristic algorithms, game content generation, and explainable AI, presented at international conferences and published in leading journals.

 

Sana is dedicated to creating engaging and inclusive learning environments that promote student success through practical, industry-relevant education. She actively fosters critical thinking and research skills among her students. Beyond her teaching and research, Sana leads community engagement initiatives such as technology exhibitions and contributes regularly to academic committees, professional organizations, and peer review activities.

 

She is an active IEEE member, participating in conferences, workshops, and ongoing professional development in AI, data science, and software engineering. Additionally, Sana is a committed member of the Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association and a candidate in the 2024 board elections, reflecting her leadership and peer recognition in the AI research community.

 

Publications: 

  1. Alyaseri, S. (1997). Semiconductor laser simulation, M.Sc. Thesis, Basrah University, Iraq.
  2. Aljanaby, A., Yousef, N., & Alyaseri, S. (2003). Algorithm transformation and data broadcast elimination for systolic implementation, Zarka Journal of Research and Studies, 5(2), Jordan.
  3. Alyaseri, S. (2010). Distributed university registration database system using Oracle 9i, Computer and Information Science, 3(1), Canadian Center of Science and Education, Canada.
  4. Alyaseri, S., & Ku-Muhamad, K. R. (2013). Bee foraging behaviour techniques for grid scheduling problem, International Refereed Journal of Engineering and Science (IRJES), 2(4), 39-45.
  5. Alyaseri, S., & Ku-Muhamad, K. R. (2013). Multi-objective bee colony optimization framework for grid job scheduling, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computing and Informatics (ICOCI), Malaysia.
  6. Alyaseri, S., & Aljanaby, A. (2014). Population-based heuristic approaches for grid job scheduling, International Journal of Computer Applications, 91(5), 45-50. DOI:10.5120/15881-4853.
  7. Alyaseri, S. (2017). A weighting factor as a tool to adjust student grades: Web development project as a case study, International Journal of Basic Sciences and Applied Computing (IJBSAC), 2(2).
  8. Alyaseri, S. (2023). Evaluating Alternative Metaheuristic Algorithms for Procedural Content Generation in Game Design, Rangahau Aranga: AUT Graduate Review, 2(3).
  9. Alyaseri, S.; Sinha, R.; Nand, P. (2025). Systematic Literature Review of Meta-heuristic Algorithms and their Application in Procedural Content Generation (PCG) in the Context of Computer Games, submitted to Swarm and Evolutionary Computation Journal, Under review.
  10. Alyaseri, S., & Connor, A. (2024). Comparative Analysis of Metaheuristic Algorithms for Procedural Race Track Generation in Games, International Journal of Applied Metaheuristic Computing (IJAMC), 15(1), 1-30. DOI:10.4018/IJAMC.350330.
  11. Alyaseri, S.; Connor, A.; Sinha, R. (2025). Exploring Metaheuristic Algorithms for Enhanced Game Map Generation in Procedural Content Generation, International Journal of Applied Metaheuristic Computing (IJAMC), Accepted
  12. Alyaseri, S., Nand, P., & Sinha, R. (2024). A Context-Aware Approach Framework to Algorithm Selection for Search-Based Procedural Content Generation, IEEE International Conference on Industry 4.0, AI, and Communications Technology (IAICT), Bali, Indonesia. DOI:10.1109/IAICT62357.2024.10617630.
  13. Sana Alyaseri, Generative AI in Procedural Content Generation for Computer Games: Key Contributions and Trends, Accepted in IEEE TENSYMP2025 Christchurch.
  14. Parth Gangani, Sana Alyaseri, Seyed Hosseini. Machine Learning Approaches for Predicting Diabetes Onset: A Comparative Study of XGBoost, Random Forest, and Traditional Models. TechRxiv. March 28, 2025.

Link to work:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=rOc0wD8AAAAJ

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sana-alyaseri-6b111b58/