2026
Alaa Hamadeh
Alaa Hamadeh is a Network Engineer at CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California), where she supports the operation and troubleshooting of high-performance networks for research and education institutions throughout California. She earned both her Bachelor’s in Network Engineering and her Master’s in Enterprise Systems Engineering from Damascus University in Syria. Alaa has over 10 years of experience in networking and IT infrastructure, including network operations, routing and switching, network security, and enterprise systems administration. She holds Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Juniper Networks Certified Associate (JNCIA) certifications and is now working on her CCNP. In 2026, Alaa joined the Workforce in Networking at SC (WINS) program and participated in the SCinet routing team at the SC26 conference in Chicago. She aims to expand her technical expertise, collaborate with networking professionals, and contribute to the research and education networking community.
Stephanie Hanson
Stephanie Hanson’s interest in technology began in the 1980s, when her mom brought home the family’s first computer. Some of her earliest and most memorable experiences involved playing classic computer games like Maniac Mansion and The Oregon Trail.
While attending college, Stephanie studied Art Education and Library Sciences. Although technology coursework wasn’t a requirement for her programs at the time, she took every opportunity to explore new software and incorporate technology into her projects.
Her professional IT career officially began in 2005, when she joined the Daniel Boone Regional Library as an IT professional. Currently working at MOREnet, in 2013 she started work there on the Technical Support team and became a System Administrator in 2016. Throughout her career, she has continually developed her technical knowledge, gaining experience with Windows desktops and servers, Linux operating systems, virtualization technologies such as VMware and Hyper-V, and networking.
Though mainly through self-study, Stephanie credits her professional growth to curiosity, hands-on experience, professional development workshops and classes, and most importantly, the many knowledgeable IT professionals she has had the opportunity to work alongside. Their willingness to share their expertise and guidance has been pivotal. She would also be remiss not to mention the profound influence SCinet has had on helping her build confidence and expanding her technical skills.
Shereen Ismail
Shereen Ismail is a Research Scientist in Networking and Cybersecurity at Merit Network, Inc., and an Adjunct Instructor at Washtenaw Community College, Michigan, USA. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota, USA, and her M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Computer Engineering from the University of Jordan. Her research interests include cybersecurity, network security, wireless networks, Internet of Things, and network traffic analysis.
Dr. Ismail is the PI of NSF award (No. 2612015), “CICI: RSSD: SCOPE-X: Optimizing Merit’s Network Telescope for High-Quality Large-Scale Datasets.” Her research and educational contributions have been recognized through several awards, including Best Paper and Best Presenter at IEEE UEMCON 2025, Third Place for Best Paper at IEEE EIT 2023, Best Presenter awards at IEEE CCWC 2022 and IEEE UEMCON 2021, and a scholarship award at IEEE WISC 2023. She also received a travel award for the 13th KNIT and MERIF Workshop, as well as the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018–2019) from the American University of Ras Al Khaimah. Additionally, she received the 2026 Workforce in IT Networking at SC (WINS) award and joined SCinet team for the annual SC conference. She is an IEEE Senior Member and actively contributes to the academic community as a journal reviewer and conference committee member.
Esen Gokpinar Shelton
Esen is a Research Systems Experience Analyst at Indiana University, where she is part of the Academic and AI Innovation team. Specializing in human-computer interaction and research technology, she brings a background in higher education research, program management, and UX/UI design. Her work focuses on improving the usability, accessibility, and overall user experience of research computing systems. She also leads collaborative initiatives that support professional development and strengthen connections across the research computing and data community. Esen holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies and a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction.