Mahdi Imani
Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office
- 428 Dana
- 617.373.5433
Related Links
Research Focus
Machine Learning, Control/Learning Theory, Bayesian Statistics, Signal Processing
Education
- PhD, Electrical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2019.
- MSc, Electrical Engineering, University of Tehran, 2014.
- BSc, Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, 2012.
Honors & Awards
- Outstanding Associate Editor Award, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 2023
- Best Paper Finalist Award, American Control Conference, 2023.
- 2022 Oracle Research Award.
- NIH Trailblazer, 2022
- NSF CISE Career Research Initiation Initiative award, 2020
- IBM Research Almaden Distinguished Speaker, San Jose, CA, Nov 2019.
- Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research-Doctoral, Texas A&M University, 2019.
- Best Ph.D. Student Award, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2015.
- Best Paper Finalist Award, the 49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, Computers, 2015.
Professional Affiliations
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – Senior Member
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
Research Overview
Machine Learning, Control/Learning Theory, Bayesian Statistics, Signal Processing
Selected Research Projects
- Enhance collaboration, communication, and learning among teams of human and AI agents
- – PI, ONR
- Bayesian Dynamical Modeling of Microbial Communities
- – PI, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- A. KazemiNajafabadi, and M. Imani, “Optimal monitoring and attack detection of networks modeled by Bayesian attack graphs”, Cybersecurity, 2023.
- A. Ravari, S. F. Ghoreishi, and M. Imani, “Optimal Recursive Expert-Enabled Inference in Regulatory Networks”, IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2023.
- M. Alali, and M. Imani, “Reinforcement Learning Data-Acquiring for Causal Inference of Regulatory Networks”, American Control Conference (ACC), 2023 [Finalist Paper Award].
- M. Imani, S. F. Ghoreishi, and U.M. Braga-Neto, “Bayesian Control of Large MDPs with Unknown Dynamicsin Data-Poor Environments”, Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 2018.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Scalable Inverse Reinforcement Learning Through Multi-Fidelity Bayesian Optimization”, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 2021.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Graph-Based Bayesian Optimization for Large-Scale Objective-Based Experimental Design”, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 2021.
- M. Imani, S. F. Ghoreishi, D. Allaire, and U.M. Braga-Neto, “MFBO-SSM: Multi-Fidelity Bayesian Optimization for Fast Inference in State-Space Models”, In Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2019.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Two-Stage Bayesian Optimization for Scalable Inference in State Space Models”, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 2021.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Optimal Finite-Horizon Perturbation Policy for Inference of Gene Regulatory Networks”, IEEE Intelligent Systems, Vol. 36, 2021.
- M. Imani, and U.M. Braga-Neto, “Control of Gene Regulatory Networks using Bayesian Inverse Reinforcement Learning,” IEEE Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (TCBB), 16.4, pp. 1250-1261, 2019.
- M. Imani, E.R. Dougherty, and U.M. Braga-Neto, “Boolean Kalman Filter and Smoother Under Model Uncertainty”, Automatica, Vol. 111, January 2020.
- M. Imani, and U.M. Braga-Neto, “Maximum-Likelihood Adaptive Filtering for Partially-Observed Boolean Dynamical Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, 65.2, pp. 359-371, 2017.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Partially-Observed Discrete Dynamical Systems”, American Control Conference (ACC), 2021.
- M. Imani, and S. F. Ghoreishi, “Bayesian Optimization Objective-Based Experimental Design”, American Control Conference (ACC), 2020.
Oct 30, 2023
Cultivating Human-AI Synergy
ECE Assistant Professor Mahdi Imani, in collaboration with George Washington University, has been awarded a $1.5 million Office of Naval Research (ONR) award. This project aims to enhance collaboration, communication, and learning among teams of human and AI agents.
Aug 23, 2023
New Methods to Improve Statistical Inference of Complex Systems
ECE Assistant Professor Mahdi Imani was awarded a $385,000 NSF grant for “Statistical Inference through Data-Collection and Expert-Knowledge Incorporation.” The project aims to develop algorithms that advance data collection and incorporate user and expert knowledge into the modeling process.
Jun 02, 2023
Alali Receives Best Student Paper Award at ACC 2023
Electrical engineering graduate student Mohammad Alali, PhD’26, received the Best Student Paper Award Finalist from the 2023 American Control Conference (ACC 2023) for his paper “Reinforcement Learning Data-Acquiring for Causal Inference of Regulatory Networks,” which was one of the five papers selected for this award.
Jun 13, 2022
Imani Awarded $590K NIH Trailblazer Grant for Mathematical Modeling of Microbial Communities
ECE Assistant Professor Mahdi Imani was awarded a $590K NIH Trailblazer R21 grant for New and Early Stage Investigators from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) for “Bayesian Dynamical Modeling of Microbial Communities”.
Aug 18, 2021
New Faculty Spotlight: Mahdi Imani
Mahdi Imani joins the Electrical and Computer Engineering department in August 2021 as an Assistant Professor.