Manuel Jesús Azabal

Associate Professor
School of Information Engineering, Wenzhou Business College

Manuel Jesús-Azabal holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Extremadura (Spain). He has taught at the University of Extremadura and the University of Málaga. Currently, he is an associate professor at Wenzhou Business College and co-founder of Health and Aging Tech, a spin-off research company. His interests focus on Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and connectivity in isolated rural areas. You can contact him by email: manuel@wzbc.edu.cn.

1. Academic background.

[Nov. 2020 – Oct. 2023] PhD in Computer Science. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

The thesis addresses the challenge of providing Internet access in rural areas where connectivity is limited or nonexistent. It proposes a sustainable architecture based on the Edge-Fog-Cloud model, which distributes tasks across three layers: Edge (devices collecting and sending data), Fog (intermediaries with Internet access), and Cloud (remote processing). In isolated areas, the architecture employs opportunistic communication between devices, using physical proximity to relay data to Fog nodes. The solution demonstrates energy efficiency, enhanced service quality, and viability in remote areas, offering a potential approach to digitalizing regions without Internet infrastructure.

[Sep. 2018– Dec. 2020] Master in Computer Science. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

[Sep. 2014– Sep. 2018] Degree in Computer Science. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

2. Professional history.

[Aug. 2024 – Currently] Associate Professor. Wenzhou Business College at Wenzhou, China.

[Sep. 2023 – Aug. 2024] Substitute Professor. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

Substitute professor for multiple subjects in the Computer Science Degree program:

- Analysis and Design of Algorithms.

- Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems.

Subjects in the Public Administration Management Degree program:

- Information Systems for Public Administrations.

[Sep. 2023 – Aug. 2024] Co-founder and Software Architect. Health and Aging Tech at Cáceres, Spain.

Co-founder of Health and Aging Tech (HAT), a trailblazing spin-off from the University of Extremadura. Committed to researching and developing cutting-edge enterprise solutions.

[Oct. 2022 – Jul. 2023] Substitute Professor. University of Málaga at Málaga, Spain.

Substitute professor in multiple subjects of Computer Engineering Degree:

- Data Structures, applying Haskell and functional programming to solve problems.

- Databases, using SQL Developer and SQL Data Modeler.

- Systems applied to Biology, applying iGraph library and operating with STRING and EMBL databases.

[Jul. 2022 – Oct. 2022] Frontend Developer. Astrata Europe, Spain.

Contributed to the advancement of the Fleetvisor-Next platform by utilizing React for the development of innovative features. Provided crucial support for production issues within the Azure environment. Undertook the pivotal role of Build Master, overseeing and managing builds within Team City.

[May 2022 – Jul. 2022] Co-founder and Software Developer. Health and Aging Tech at Cáceres, Spain.

[Mar. 2021 – Oct. 2022] Substitute Professor. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

Substitute professor in multiple subjects of Computer Engineering Degree:

- Concurrent and Distributed Programming.

- Analysis and Design of Algorithms.

- Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems.

Substitute professor in BIM Modelling Master:

- Collaborative Development Environments.

[Apr. 2019 – Mar. 2021] Scientific Researcher. University of Extremadura at Cáceres, Spain.

Development of ACHO, an offline voice assistant for pharmacologic treatments in older adults.

Development of Android applications using Kotlin.

Researching on Delay Tolerant Networks and studying how to implement emergency detection systems in contexts without Internet.

3. Publication record (updated September 2024).

[1] Azabal, M.J.; Garcia-Alonso, J.; Galán-Jiménez, J. Beyond 5G Satellite Transmission and Indoor UAVs in Dams Monitoring: An Opportunistic Data Collection Strategy for Isolated Rural Areas. IT Professional, doi: 10.1109/MITP.2024.3433399.

[2] Azabal, M.J.; Garcia-Alonso, J.; Galán-Jiménez, J. Evaluating the Quality of Service of Opportunistic Mobile Ad Hoc Network Routing Algorithms on Real Devices: A Software-Driven Approach. Ad Hoc Networks, 163, issn: 103591. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2024.103591.

[3] Galán-Jiménez, J., Berrocal, J., Garcia-Alonso, J., & Azabal, M. J. (2019). A novel routing scheme for creating opportunistic context-virtual networks in IoT scenarios. Sensors, 19(8), 1875. Apr. 2019, issn: 1424-8220. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/s19081875.

[4] Jesús-Azabal, M., Moguel, E., Laso, S., Murillo, J. M., Galán-Jiménez, J., & García-Alonso, J. (2021). Pushed SOLID: deploying SOLID in smartphones. Mobile Information Systems, 2021, 1-13. Aug. 2021, issn: 1574-017X. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2756666.

[5] Jesús-Azabal, M., Soares, V. N., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2024). ML-Enhanced Live Video Streaming in Offline Mobile Ad Hoc Networks: An Applied Approach. Electronics, 13(8), 1569l. Apr. 2024, issn: 2079-9292. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13081569.

[6] Jesús-Azabal, M., Berrocal, J., Laso, S., Murillo, J. M., & Garcia-Alonso, J. (2020). SOLID and PeaaS: Your Phone as a Store for Personal Data. In Current Trends in Web Engineering: ICWE 2020 International Workshops, KDWEB, Sem4Tra, and WoT4H, Helsinki, Finland, June 9–12, 2020, Revised Selected Papers 20 (pp. 5-10). Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-65665-2. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65665-2_1.

[7] Jesús-Azabal, M., Mariano, L., García-Alonso, J., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2021, November). Distributed sustainable IoT architecture for detecting loneliness in isolated rural areas. In International Workshop on Gerontechnology (pp. 42-54). Cham: Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-97524-1. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97524-1_5.

[8] Jesús-Azabal, M., Mariano, L., Galán-Jiménez, J., & García-Alonso, J. (2022). Evaluating technical viability of a loneliness detector system for older adults from rural areas. Gerontechnology, 21. doi: https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2022.21.s.614.opp4.

[9] Jesús-Azabal, M., Herrera, J. L., Laso, S., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2021). OPPNets and rural areas: an opportunistic solution for remote communications. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2021, 1-11. Jul. 2023, issn: 1572-8196. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11276-023-03294-9.

[10] Conde-Caballero, D., Rivero-Jiménez, B., Cipriano-Crespo, C., Jesus-Azabal, M., Garcia-Alonso, J., & Mariano-Juárez, L. (2021). Treatment adherence in chronic conditions during ageing: uses, functionalities, and cultural adaptation of the assistant on care and health offline (acho) in rural areas. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 11(3), 173. Mar. 2021, issn: 2075-4426. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11030173.

[11] Jesús-Azabal, M., García-Alonso, J., Soares, V. N., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2022). Improving delivery probability in mobile opportunistic networks with social-based routing. Electronics, 11(13), 2084. Jul. 2022, issn: 2079-9292. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11132084.

[12] Jesus-Azabal, M., Berrocal, J., Soares, V. N., García-Alonso, J., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2023). A self-sustainable opportunistic solution for emergency detection in ageing people living in rural areas. Wireless Networks, 29(5), 2353-2370. Jul. 2023, issn: 1572-8196. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11276-023-03294-9.

[13] M. J. Azabal, J. M. G. Alonso, J. E. M. Márquez, et al., Electronic system assisted by voice for pharmacological management and medical appointments, Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, Aug. 2022. url: https://consultas2.oepm.es/InvenesWeb/detalle?referencia=U202230195.

[14] M. Jesús-Azabal, J. Berrocal, V. N. G. J. Soares, J. García-Alonso, and J. Galán-Jiménez, “Jornadas de ingeniería telemática,” in A Self-Sustainable Opportunistic Solution for Emergency Detection in Isolated Rural Areas, JITEL, Ed., 2023, p. 299. url: https://web.salleurl.edu/docsmkt/JITEL/libro-actas-jitel.pdf.

[15] M. Jesús-Azabal, J. García-Alonso, and J. Galán-Jiménez, “Communication in isolated rural areas: A comprehensive review of the alternatives to the internet,” in Gerontechnology V, E. Moguel, L. G. de Pinho, and C. Fonseca, Eds., Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023, pp. 11–21, isbn: 978-3-031-29067-1. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29067-1_2.

[16] M. Jesús-Azabal, J. Berrocal, L. M. Juarez, J. Galán-Jiménez, and J. García-Alonso, “Detectando la soledad en ancianos de zonas rurales,” in Jornadas de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Servicios (JCIS 2021), vol. 1, SISTEDES, 2021. doi: https://hdl.handle.net/11705/JCIS/2021/018.

[17] Jesús-Azabal, M., Berrocal, J., Murillo, J. M., & García-Alonso, J. (2020). Voice Assistant for ageing people: Reminding drugs prescriptions without Internet connection. Gerontechnology, 19. doi: https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2020.19.s.69640.

[18] Jesús-Azabal, M., Berrocal-Olmeda, J., García-Alonso, J., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2021). A self-sustainable dtn solution for isolation monitoring in remote areas. In Gerontechnology III: Contributions to the Third International Workshop on Gerontechnology, IWoG 2020, October 5-6, 2020, évora, Portugal (pp. 57-68). Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-72567-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72567-9_6.

[19] M. Jesús-Azabal, J. L. Herrera, S. Laso, and J. Galán-Jiménez, “Oppnets and rural areas: An opportunistic solution for remote communications,” in Jornadas de Ingeniería Telemática, JITEL, Ed., 2021, p. 155. url: https://jitel21.udc.es/files/actasJITEL21.pdf.

[20] Jesús-Azabal, M., Rojo, J., Moguel, E., Flores-Martin, D., Berrocal, J., García-Alonso, J., & Murillo, J. M. (2020). Voice assistant to remind pharmacologic treatment in elders. In Gerontechnology: Second International Workshop, IWoG 2019, Cáceres, Spain, September 4–5, 2019, Revised Selected Papers 2 (pp. 123-133). Springer International Publishing.

[21] Jesús-Azabal, M., Berrocal, J., García-Alonso, J., Soares, V. N., & Galán-Jiménez, J. (2020). An opportunistic routing solution to monitor isolated elderly people in rural areas. In Gerontechnology: Second International Workshop, IWoG 2019, Cáceres, Spain, September 4–5, 2019, Revised Selected Papers 2 (pp. 195-203). Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-41494-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41494-8_19.

[22] Jesús-Azabal, M., Medina-Rodríguez, J. A., Durán-García, J., & García-Pérez, D. (2020). Remembranza pills: Using alexa to remind the daily medicine doses to elderly. In Gerontechnology: Second International Workshop, IWoG 2019, Cáceres, Spain, September 4–5, 2019, Revised Selected Papers 2 (pp. 151-159). Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-41494-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41494-8_15.

[23] Rivero Jiménez, B., Jesús-Azabal, M., Conde Caballero, D., Beatriz, M. G., & Mariano Juárez, L. (2019, September). Technology for anthropological research. Feedelio: an application for food and nutrition studies. In International Workshop on Gerontechnology (pp. 134-139). Cham: Springer International Publishing. isbn: 978-3-030-41494-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41494-8_13.

[24] E. Moguel, M. J. Azabal, D. Flores-Martin, J. Berrocal, J. Garc?a-Alonso, and J. M. Murillo, “Asistente de voz para el recordatorio de tratamiento farmacológico,” in Jornadas de Ingeniería del Software y Bases de Datos (JISBD), vol. 1, SISTEDES, 2019. doi: https://hdl.handle.net/11705/JISBD/2019/078.

[25] Azabal, J. (2023). Arquitectura sostenible de comunicación oportunista para despliegue de aplicaciones edge-fog-cloud en zonas rurales [Doctoral Thesis, University of Extremadura]. Dehesa. https://hdl.handle.net/10662/18235.