Prof. Tariq Rahim Soomro

About

Dr. Tariq Rahim Soomro, Professor of Computer Science and Rector at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, holds a B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan, and a Ph.D. in Computer Applications from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Notably, he is the first Pakistani to have earned all three degrees in the field of Computer Science.

With over 30 years of diverse and extensive experience, Dr. Soomro has excelled as an academic administrator, computer programmer, researcher, and educator. As an administrator, he has held multiple leadership positions, including Coordinator, Head of Department, Dean of Faculty, and Head of Academic Affairs. His expertise in accreditation spans globally recognized frameworks such as ABET (USA), NBEAC, NCEAC, HEC Pakistan, KHDA Dubai, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE. In addition, Dr. Soomro has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research papers. He excelled academically, earning his B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. with distinction. During his Ph.D. studies in China, he received the Exemplary Foreign Student Award (1998) and became the first foreigner to earn the Exemplary Graduate Award (1999) from Zhejiang University.

Dr. Soomro has been an IEEE member since 2000 and a Senior Member of IEEE since 2005. He is currently serving as the Chair of IEEE Karachi Section (2024–2025) and as the IEEE Computer Society R10 Southern Area Coordinator (2020–2025). He has served on numerous committees and editorial boards, including the Task Force on Arabic Script IDNs by ICANN’s Middle East Strategy Working Group (MESWG) and the editorial boards of several research journals. Dr. Soomro has also contributed to numerous national and international conferences as a Technical Program Committee member.

Dr. Soomro’s contributions have been recognized with several prestigious accolades, including the ISOC Fellowship to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for its 68th meeting. He is affiliated with several professional societies, such as the Computer Society of Pakistan (CSP), the Sindh Graduate Association (SGA), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

He is the first Pakistani to be recognized as an IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Visitor (2021–2023) and the only Pakistani to be honored as a Distinguished Contributor in the inaugural class of IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Contributors (2021).

Dr. Tariq Rahim Soomro exemplifies excellence, resilience, and dedication in academia, research, and professional service, making him an inspiring role model for many.

Areas of Expertise