Mehdi Zafari

Mehdi Zafari

PhD Student | AI/ML for Next-Gen Wireless Communications (5G/6G)

About Me

I am a Ph.D. student at UC Irvine, where I work under the supervision of Professor Lee Swindlehurst. My research centers on advancing wireless communication systems through signal processing, optimization techniques, AI/machine learning, and hands-on experimental implementations.

Research Interests

Education

  • Wireless Communication Systems
  • Integrated Sensing and Communication
  • Cell‑Free / Distributed Massive MIMO
  • AI / Machine Learning for Wireless Networks
  • Distributed / Decentralized Optimization
  • Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, UC Irvine, 2028 (expected)
  • M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, 2024
  • B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, 2019

Recent Publications

  • An Analytical and Experimental Study of Distributed Uplink Beamforming in the Presence of Carrier Frequency Offsets - Published at IEEE TVT Journal, Jan 2026.
  • ASSENT: Learning-Based Association Optimization for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC - Accepted to the IEEE ICC, Jan 2026.
  • ASSENT-CellFree-ISAC: Simulation Framework - GitHub Repository, Nov 2025.
  • Coordinated Decentralized Resource Optimization for Cell-Free ISAC Systems - Asilomar, 2025.
  • Distributed Cell-Free ISAC Simulation Framework - GitHub Repository, 2025.
  • ADMM for Downlink Beamforming in Cell‑Free Massive MIMO Systems - Asilomar, 2024.

For a full list of my publications, visit the Publications page.

Recent News

  • [Feb. 2026]: Selected as a finalist in the UCI Grad Slam Finals competition! (Read more)
  • [Jan. 2026]: I will be presenting at the UCI Grad Slam Semi Finals!
  • [Jan. 2026]: My experimental paper is published at the IEEE TVT journal (see Publications).
  • [Jan. 2026]: My ASSENT paper is accepted at the IEEE ICC 2026.
  • [Dec. 2025]: Released a GitHub repository for our GenAI-based wildfire prediction project.
  • [Nov. 2025]: Published a preprint of the ASSENT paper and its GitHub repository.
  • [Oct. 2025]: Lecture presentation at the 59th Asilomar Conference.
  • [Oct. 2025]: Poster presentation at the Student Paper Contest (SPC) of Asilomar Conference.
  • [Oct. 2025]: Attended the IEEE MILCOM 2025 conference in LA, CA.
  • [Aug. 2025]: My submission to Asilomar 2025 has been shortlisted for the Best Paper Award contest.
    • Older News
    • [Apr. 2025]: Released a simulation framework for distributed cell-free ISAC systems on GitHub.
    • [Nov. 2024]: Posted two short tutorial videos on YouTube.
    • [Oct. 2024]: Presented a lecture of my recent paper at the 58th Asilomar Conference.
    • [Jul. 2024]: Received the Graduate Dean’s Recruitment Fellowship Award from UC Irvine.

For a full list of news and activities, visit the News & Posts page.