About

I am a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Eastern New Mexico University, with a Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in 2020 and 2022 from New Mexico State University. I lead the Software Engineering and Performance Optimization (SEPO) Lab, where we explore Agile-based pedagogical approaches and develop tools that support programming instruction and promote effective software engineering practices in the classroom.

Research Interests

Computer Science and Software Engineering Education
Agile-Based Learning
NLP and Generative AI for Education
Memory Architecture and System Design

You can visit the SEPO Lab page for more information about current research projects.

Contact Information

Mailing Address
ENMU Station 18
Mathematical Sciences Department
1500 S Ave K
Portales, NM 88130

Email: essa dot imhmed at enmu dot edu
Phone: 575-562-2090
Fax: 575-562-2555

News Timeline

June 2025

Publication: BugTor: A Feedback-Driven Static Analysis Tailored for Novice Java Programmers
Accepted for presentation at the 21st International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science & Computer Engineering (Springer proceedings).
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Publication: Enhancing Code Assessment and Feedback Generation with GenAI Agents
Accepted as a chapter in Innovative Educational Assessment with Generative AI: Opportunities, Challenges, and Practical Case Studies (Springer Nature).

May 2025

Grant (Co-PI): Expanding Research Awareness in Artificial Intelligence for Mathematical Sciences Undergraduate Students at ENMU
Funded by NSF EPSCoR (2025–2026)

Grant (PI): Investigating NLP-Based Clustering Techniques for Formative Feedback on Code Errors
Funded by ENMU FRID Grant Program (2025–2026)

Publication: CodeInspector: Automated LLM-Supported CS1-Level Code Assessment
Accepted at IEEE Frontiers in Education (FIE 2025), Nashville, TN, USA

Publication: Using Scrum to Improve Student Teamwork in a Project-Based Hybrid Learning Setting
Accepted at IEEE FIE 2025, Nashville, TN, USA

May 2024

Grant (PI): Enhancing Student Learning and Grading Efficiency through Automated Code Assessment
Funded by ENMU FRID Grant Program (2024–2025)

March 2024

Publication: Fostering Code Quality Practices Among Undergraduate Novice Programmers
ACM CCSC-South Central Conference, Nacogdoches, TX, USA

October 2023

Publication: Identifying Code Quality Issues for Undergraduate Students Using Static Analysis and NLP
IEEE CSCI Conference, Las Vegas, NV, USA

May 2023

Grant (PI): Conveying the Importance of Coding Quality Through Teaching and Automated Assessment
Funded by ENMU FRID Grant Program (2023–2024)

Publication: Evaluation of the Performance Impact of SPM Allocation on a Novel Scratchpad Memory
IEEE COMPSAC Conference, Torino, Italy

August 2022

Publication: Evaluation of a Novel Scratchpad Memory Through Compiler Supported Simulation
IEEE HPEC Conference, Waltham, MA, USA