Experience

Education, research, teaching, and the organizations I've been part of along the way.

Education
2021–Present

PhD, Computer Science

University of Toronto  ·  Thirdspace Lab  ·  Supervised by Dr. Ishtiaque Ahmed

Human-computer interaction and social computing. Dissertation on how AI infrastructures shape the visibility and viability of immigrant-led nonprofit organizations.

2017–2019

MSc, Biomedical Engineering

University of Toronto  ·  Holland Bloorview  ·  Supervised by Dr. Tom Chau

Research on the effects of meditation and mental rehearsal on EEG-based brain-computer interface classification accuracy.

2012–2017

BSc, Electrical Engineering

University of Tehran, Iran

Undergraduate research internship designing a cough detection module for a dysphagia detection algorithm.

Work &
Research
2021–Present  ·  University of Toronto

PhD Researcher — Thirdspace Lab

Conducting qualitative and participatory research on AI, immigrant communities, and nonprofit technology. Lead researcher and designer of AMINA.

2019–2021  ·  Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto

Research Engineer — Rotman Research Institute

Developed a converter pipeline migrating the Ontario Brain Institute's MRI imaging database to the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) standard. Contributed to multivariate statistical tools for outlier detection in neuroimaging data under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Strother and Dr. Stephen Arnott.

Teaching
2022–Present  ·  University of Toronto

Teaching Assistant — UX Design

Facilitated studio critiques, led tutorials, designed assignments, and mentored students through user research, prototyping, and usability evaluation in HCI courses.

2021–2022  ·  University of Toronto

Teaching Assistant — Programming

Supported students in introductory and intermediate programming courses through office hours, assignment grading, and hands-on debugging sessions.

Earlier  ·  Tehran, Iran

Physics & Astronomy Instructor

Taught physics and astronomy to secondary and pre-university students. Developed curriculum materials and led observation sessions.

Leadership &
Community
Bahar Charity

Leadership Role

Coordinated programs and helped build organizational infrastructure for sustained volunteer-led community impact.

Rotman Research Institute  ·  Strother Lab

Deep Learning Club — Founder & Organizer

Founded and ran a deep learning reading group bridging neuroscience and engineering researchers around emerging ML methods for neuroimaging.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

Member & Contributor

Contributed to projects connecting engineering practice with global development and equity goals.

Dynamic Graphics Project Lab  ·  University of Toronto

CAESAR — Student Representative

Coordinated lab events, student welfare activities, and academic community building within the graduate student organization.

Derang Magazine

Editorial Contributor

Wrote and edited content at the intersection of science, society, and culture for a Persian-language intellectual magazine.

University of Tehran  ·  Biomedical Engineering

Student Branch — Leadership

Organized academic and professional development events for the undergraduate biomedical engineering student community.

University of Tehran

Undergraduate Student Representative

Elected representative advocating for student interests and contributing to academic governance within the faculty.