School of Computing meet the team

Dr. Rehman began his career in the media, graphic design and desktop publishing industries before moving into IT administration and support in the publishing and education sectors. He then made the transition into education, initially as an academic in multimedia and then in computing and business, before moving into programme and subject leadership in computing.

In his 20 years in the higher education sector, Mohammed has developed and delivered courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level, and has worked on a variety of initiatives and projects around technology enhanced learning. His PhD - completed in 2020 - investigated mobile learning and the use of mobile devices in higher education settings across different cultural contexts.

Joanne Newton has worked in higher education and degree apprenticeships, where she has developed and delivered various programmes across levels 4 -7, ensuring they align to current industry requirements and encompass the composite skills and accreditations required by professionals today.

With a background in industry, she started her own IT training and consultancy company offering advice and support to companies in various projects. As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI), she has also had the opportunity to mentor and support many IT professionals in attaining the knowledge and certifications to further their careers.

Mina Katti joined Arden University in 2021 as a Programme Team Leader before being promoted to the position of Principal Lecturer in 2022 and then Deputy Head of School in April 2023.  She has undertaken several duties external to her role such as External Examiner at the Open University and the University of Bedfordshire, and validation panel membership for various programmes.

Before joining Arden, Mina worked in various roles in the further education sector and gained expertise in a range of subjects. She is currently studying her Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Northampton, researching digital strategy and innovation management. Whilst working in Further Education, she galvanised curriculum innovation to make courses more up-to-date and sought to instil employability and industry skills into courses. She champions micro credentials and professional certifications such as Cisco CCNA, CompTIA, MOS, MCE, and MTA alongside core curriculum modules.

Her current interest in DevOps emerged from her studies in cyber security and networking, however, she is equally conversant in software development. Mina is also experienced in training students to provide IT and business consultancy, and to local businesses in areas such as business analysis, user requirements, legal, technical, SLA, and service provisioning.

In her current role, Mina manages the School of Computing’s Distance Learning undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and is keen to improve the student experience and the quality of provision on the distance learning programmes.

Chris began his academic career in 2005 when he joined the Microsoft Academy Team at Birmingham's Technology Innovation Centre.  He has extensive experience with professional certification programmes, learning technologies and embedding employability within the Computing curriculum.

Victor Vargas is a lecturer at Arden University’s Berlin campus, teaching several modules for the School of Computing and the School of Business and Management. With everything from an MBA in Project Management to a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering under his belt, Victor has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with Arden’s students.  

His work covers many exciting projects and subject areas such as biomedical engineering, robotics and machine design, and he’s even worked as an expert in the field of digitalisation. Victor also has many personal attributes that make him an inspiring lecturer, including being fluent in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and German!  

Amol Kshatriya is a Lecturer in the School of Computing and teaches at our Birmingham study centres. Before joining Arden, he worked for Dudley College of Technology for 20 years as a Course Tutor and Programme Leader for the HNC/D in Computing. Along with MSc (Sys Design) and MBA (Mgmt of Global IT) he also owns a patent and a registered design. He has keen interest in knowledge management, cognition, AI, and machine learning among other topics.

Rob McLaughlin is an experienced academic who specialises in User Design, Media Context and Digital Strategies. His experience includes the development and management of digital training provision, BSc and MSc course leadership and nearly 20 years teaching within a University environment, A Prince2 Practitioner he has, over the course of his career, developed IT and digital media related courses with the emphasis always being on both technology and applied business focused learning and teaching,

His specialism is in aspects of creative knowledge generation/transfer, enterprise activity, and practice-led learning within the sphere of digital media technology, business engagement, enterprise and student employability. He has been responsible for curating added value content around STEM impact areas, research, innovation and industry engagement within schools, colleges and education providers.

Dr Kousik Nalliyanna Goundar Veerappan is a lecturer in the School of Computing and teaches at Arden’s Holborn study centre. Prior to joining Arden, he worked as a lecturer at Stanmore College in London. He is very interested in IT and computing, and his main goal is to advance the state of technology. He completed the Doctor of Philosophy research degree in Computer Science. He has published many research papers in prestigious international journals and is an expert in the field of foundational computer science, cloud computing methodologies, image processing, and wireless sensor networks. He actively supports and encourages students as they learn, making sure that each student fully grasps the theories and practical essential ideas covered in their individual courses.

Nas joined Arden University in 2022 as a Lecturer in the School of Digital Education and in 2024 joined the School of Computing as a Lecturer at the Manchester Campus. Prior to this, Nas worked for 16 years in higher education institutions in roles such as Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Director of Information Systems, Instructional Technology Manager, and Director of Academic Planning. As an academic, Nas has over 7 years of teaching experience and has research interests in technology adoption, ICT for development (ICT4D), learning and teaching technologies, and cyber security with several publications in reputable conferences and journals.