Sheikh Jamil Ahmed
“A great teacher never stops being a student.” For Prof. Sheik Jamil Ahmed, this belief connects his work as an educator with his own desire to keep learning. A Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at CMR University’s Lakeside Campus, Bengaluru, he sees continuous learning as an essential part of teaching and research. His journey with NPTEL has given him an opportunity to strengthen his technical knowledge while pursuing his interest in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Alongside his teaching and research responsibilities, he enrolled in three NPTEL courses: ‘Introduction to Machine Learning’ from IIT Kharagpur and passed with 93% & Gold certification, ‘Fundamentals of Generative AI and ‘LLMs from IISc Bengaluru’ and passed with 84% & Silver certification, and ‘Generative AI for Computer Vision’ from IIT Guwahati and passed with 97% & Gold certification.
Together, these choices reflect the direction he wants to explore – from understanding the foundations of Machine Learning to studying newer developments in Generative AI.
A particularly proud moment came with the results of ‘Introduction to Machine Learning’. He scored 93%, earned an Elite + Gold certification, and secured a place among the top 1% of performers. Balancing coursework with his responsibilities as a teacher and researcher took discipline and perseverance, making the achievement especially meaningful to him. The achievement in Machine Learning is one milestone in that continuing journey, rather than its finishing point.
The result has encouraged him to take his learning further, and he believes that the value of a course lies not only in understanding a subject better, but also in finding ways to use that knowledge in his academic work.
Prof. Ahmed also acknowledges the encouragement he has received along the way. He credits the management of CMR University for supporting continuous learning and professional development. He expresses particular gratitude to Dr. N. Kannan, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Kiran Kumari Patil, Director-Academic at the Lakeside Campus, and Dr. Rubini, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, for their guidance and support. He is equally appreciative of NPTEL, SWAYAM, and the faculty members of IIT Kharagpur, IISc Bengaluru, and IIT Guwahati for the learning opportunities they have provided.
His message to students, researchers, and fellow educators is straightforward: keep making room for learning. He believes that courses like these help build more than technical expertise. The commitment involved also develops confidence and discipline, qualities that matter whether someone is beginning their academic journey or already teaching others.
“Learning has no age limit, and excellence has no finish line. Every achievement is a new beginning,” he says.
As he continues exploring AI, Prof. Ahmed hopes to share his knowledge, inspire his students, and contribute to research and innovation. Through it all, he remains committed to being a learner, even as he helps others learn.
~written by Khadija Hussain
