Hello and welcome to LTH! How did your career as an expert in your field begin?

– If I look back, my career didn’t start with one big moment or a perfect plan. It grew slowly from curiosity, opportunities, and working with people I learned a lot from.

I became an industrial engineer at ENSAM (École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers) in Meknès, an engineering school that is part of Moulay Ismail University in Morocco. Later, I completed a PhD in data mining and artificial intelligence. Today, I am a Full Professor at ENSAM and an Associate Professor at Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) in Canada.

The combination of subjects naturally led me to what I do today, which is about applying AI to product and process design in industry. Step by step, I moved deeper into this intersection between engineering and AI, and over time it became my main area.

So, my career as an “expert” really came about from this journey, that was based in curiosity, collaboration, and a constant effort to keep AI connected to real industrial needs, not just something abstract or theoretical.

Why did you choose to work here at LTH?

– Honestly, my connection to LTH started very naturally. During an Erasmus mobility in Sweden, I had discussions with colleagues at Design Sciences about the new capabilities of generative AI. When I returned to Morocco, I proposed the idea to one of my students, and together we developed a methodology and built the first version of the project.

The results encouraged us, we were awarded at the International Design Conference and were later invited to write a full paper together. After that, my colleagues in Sweden suggested continuing the collaboration more formally and introduced me to the Lise Meitner professorship. We applied together, and I was selected.

So for me, choosing LTH came from working together and realising we share the same way of thinking. LTH felt like the right place to continue this journey.

What expectations do you have of your role as a Lise Meitner visiting professor?

– I see this role as a chance to contribute and to learn together with colleagues. I hope to take part in both research and teaching in a way that is useful for the division and for the students.

As a woman in engineering and AI, I also hope that my presence can support the visibility of women in this field, especially for students and younger researchers.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

– If I speak from the heart, it's the work I’ve done with my students. Seeing them grow, gain confidence, and develop their own ideas has been the most meaningful part of my career.

As a woman in engineering and AI, I’m especially proud when I see young women step into this field with ambition and talent. If I’ve helped, even a little, to encourage that, then it’s something I value very deeply.

What have you achieved at LTH so far and what are you looking forward to be working on?

– So far, I’ve focused on getting to know the community and I also started to contribute. I gave a seminar on Combining Human Expertise and AI in Industrial Research: Case Studies and Emerging Insights. I had inspiring discussions about how AI can support product and process design, and I will soon teach a session on AI in project management.

We are currently preparing a research application on agentic AI in product development, and we're meeting with several companies to explore possible collaborations and real use cases. My expectation is that this work can grow into a small but solid research line on AI for product and process design, grounded in industrial practice.

I look forward to working more closely with students. And I hope to contribute, no matter how small, to diversity in engineering by being present and accessible, especially for young women who are curious about this field.