Mehdi Zafari is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine, advised by Prof. A. Lee Swindlehurst. His research develops signal processing and AI algorithms for next-generation wireless communication systems (5G/6G), with a focus on cell-free MIMO and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC).
He earned his M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University and his B.S. degree from the University of Tehran. At Rice University, he conducted over-the-air channel sounding experiments on the RENEW massive MIMO testbed and released more than 200 datasets. As a Wireless AI Engineering Intern at Tiami Networks in 2026, he built high-fidelity RF digital twins with NVIDIA Sionna. His honors include the Wireless History Foundation Scholarship Award, the Pia Gratton Endowed Graduate Student Award, 3rd place at the UCI Grad Slam 2026, 1st place at the UCI EECS Annual Technology Showcase, and finalist selection for the Best Paper Award at the 2025 Asilomar Conference.
Education
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Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
GPA: 4/4
Advisor: Prof. A. Lee Swindlehurst
June 2024 – December 2028, expected
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M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
GPA: 3.92/4
Thesis: Distributed Multi-User Beamforming in the Presence of CFO: An Analytical and Experimental Study
August 2021 – May 2024
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B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
GPA: 3.7/4
Thesis: Design and Hardware Implementation of a MIMO-OFDM System Using High-Level Synthesis Techniques
September 2015 – September 2019
Research interests
- Wireless communications
- Cell-Free MIMO, Integrated Sensing and Communication, Resource Allocation, Beamforming
- ML and optimization
- AI/ML for Wireless, Distributed Optimization, Generative AI for Sensing and Wildfire Prediction
Experience
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Jul 2024 – present
Graduate Student Researcher
EECS, UC Irvine
- Conduct research on reinforcement learning and graph neural network (GNN)-based models for cooperative ISAC networks
- Design distributed algorithms based on ADMM/consensus for beamforming and resource allocation in cell-free ISAC systems
- Develop large-scale network simulations and implement optimization/learning pipelines using Python/PyTorch, CVXPY, Gurobi
- Supervisor: Prof. A. Lee Swindlehurst
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Jun – Sep 2026
Wireless AI Engineering Intern
Tiami Networks, Sacramento, CA
- Investigated ISAC channel models and constructed high-fidelity RF digital twins using NVIDIA Sionna and ray-tracing engines
- Analyzed spatial propagation characteristics to optimize sensing algorithms and facilitate integration with Open RAN architectures
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Aug 2021 – Apr 2024
Graduate Research Assistant
ECE, Rice University
- Conducted research on distributed multi-user MIMO beamforming for next-generation wireless networks
- Performed over-the-air experiments using the RENEW massive MIMO testbed to evaluate distributed multi-user beamforming
- Published four research papers and released over 200 datasets collected via the RENEW platform
- Datasets: Distributed Multi-User MIMO Datasets on IEEE DataPort
- Supervisor: Dr. Rahman Doost-Mohammady
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Jan – Apr 2024
Research Fellow
Rice D2K Lab
- Mentored five undergrad students on a Rice EMS-sponsored project to analyze operational data across multiple domains
- Developed time-series prediction models to anticipate future requirements in each area
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Dec 2018 – Dec 2020
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Array Processing Lab, University of Tehran
- Conducted research on the hardware implementation of MIMO OFDM systems using the Xilinx ZedBoard platform
- Designed full-stack OFDM system, from theoretical modeling in MATLAB/Python to hardware implementation via Vivado-HLS
- Developed OFDM and SC-FDE systems on Xilinx FPGAs using High-Level Synthesis (HLS)
- Supervisor: Dr. Aliazam Abbasfar
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May – Nov 2020
Part-Time R&D Engineer
Transportation Innovation Center, Tehran
- Designed and implemented hybrid radio links (FM analog and OFDM digital) for radio-controlled camera drones
- Researched telemetry system implementation strategies for vehicular communication in drone networks
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May – Nov 2020
Part-Time R&D Engineer
Sadr Electronic Dena, Tehran
- Developed a 2.4GHz ISM band IoT system to enable remote control functionality for elevator central control boards
- Engineered embedded C/C++ firmware for AVR and ARM microcontrollers with serial data transmission protocols
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Jul – Oct 2018
Full-Time Intern
Pionaria, Tehran
- Simulated parabolic and patch antennas in HFSS and CST, improving VSWR and gain
- Implemented point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless links using wireless network standards and software-defined radio (SDR) concepts
Publications
Journal and magazine papers
CORDIS: A Scalable Coordinated Resource Allocation Framework for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC
Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
Under review
BibTeX
CORDIS: A Scalable Coordinated Resource Allocation Framework for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC
@misc{zafari2026cordis,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Ottersten, Bj{\"o}rn and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {{CORDIS}: A Scalable Coordinated Resource Allocation Framework for Distributed Cell-Free {ISAC}},
year = {2026},
eprint = {2609.12195},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
primaryClass = {eess.SP},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.12195}
}
Robust Wildfire Forecasting under Partial Observability: From Reconstruction to Prediction
Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Under review
BibTeX
Robust Wildfire Forecasting under Partial Observability: From Reconstruction to Prediction
@misc{yang2026robust,
author = {Yang, Chen and Zafari, Mehdi and Duan, Ziheng and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {Robust Wildfire Forecasting under Partial Observability: From Reconstruction to Prediction},
year = {2026},
eprint = {2603.09042},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
primaryClass = {eess.IV},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.09042}
}
Multi-Domain Optimization Framework for ISAC: From Electromagnetic Shaping to Network Cooperation
IEEE Wireless Communications (magazine)
BibTeX
Multi-Domain Optimization Framework for ISAC: From Electromagnetic Shaping to Network Cooperation
@article{liu2026multidomain,
author = {Liu, Rang and Li, Ming and Zafari, Mehdi and Ottersten, Bj{\"o}rn and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {Multi-Domain Optimization Framework for {ISAC}: From Electromagnetic Shaping to Network Cooperation},
journal = {IEEE Wireless Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
volume = {33},
number = {5},
pages = {220--229},
doi = {10.1109/MWC.2025.3646980},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/MWC.2025.3646980}
}
An Analytical and Experimental Study of Distributed Uplink Beamforming in the Presence of Carrier Frequency Offsets
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
BibTeX
An Analytical and Experimental Study of Distributed Uplink Beamforming in the Presence of Carrier Frequency Offsets
@article{zafari2026analytical,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Pandey, Divyanshu and Doost-Mohammady, Rahman},
title = {An Analytical and Experimental Study of Distributed Uplink Beamforming in the Presence of Carrier Frequency Offsets},
journal = {IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
volume = {75},
number = {7},
pages = {13194--13209},
doi = {10.1109/TVT.2026.3656108},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/TVT.2026.3656108}
}
Conference papers
Feasible but Not Safe: Constraint Violations and Report-Channel Attacks in Learned Cell-Free ISAC Association
17th ACM Workshop on Wireless of the Students, by the Students, and for the Students (S3 '26), co-located with ACM MobiCom 2026
Accepted
BibTeX
Feasible but Not Safe: Constraint Violations and Report-Channel Attacks in Learned Cell-Free ISAC Association
@misc{zafari2026feasible,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Mohammadi, Iman and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {Feasible but Not Safe: Constraint Violations and Report-Channel Attacks in Learned Cell-Free {ISAC} Association},
year = {2026},
eprint = {2609.03147},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
primaryClass = {cs.NI},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03147}
}
TiamiTwin: A Digital Twin for Bistatic ISAC Drone Sensing, Validated Against Measurements
IEEE MILCOM 2026 Workshop on Integrated Sensing and Communication for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ISAC4CIP)
Accepted
BibTeX
TiamiTwin: A Digital Twin for Bistatic ISAC Drone Sensing, Validated Against Measurements
@misc{zafari2026tiamitwin,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Enayati, Saeede and Swindlehurst, A. Lee and Mukherjee, Amitav},
title = {{TiamiTwin}: A Digital Twin for Bistatic {ISAC} Drone Sensing, Validated Against Measurements},
year = {2026},
eprint = {2609.22709},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
primaryClass = {eess.SP},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22709}
}
ASSENT: Learning-Based Association Optimization for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC
IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC)
BibTeX
ASSENT: Learning-Based Association Optimization for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC
@inproceedings{zafari2026assent,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {{ASSENT}: Learning-Based Association Optimization for Distributed Cell-Free {ISAC}},
booktitle = {ICC 2026 - IEEE International Conference on Communications},
year = {2026},
month = may,
pages = {1--6},
publisher = {IEEE},
doi = {10.1109/icc59461.2026.11588026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/icc59461.2026.11588026}
}
Coordinated Decentralized Resource Optimization for Cell-Free ISAC Systems
59th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers
Best Paper Award Finalist
BibTeX
Coordinated Decentralized Resource Optimization for Cell-Free ISAC Systems
@inproceedings{zafari2025coordinated,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Liu, Rang and Swindlehurst, A. Lee},
title = {Coordinated Decentralized Resource Optimization for Cell-Free {ISAC} Systems},
booktitle = {2025 59th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers},
year = {2025},
month = oct,
pages = {912--917},
publisher = {IEEE},
doi = {10.1109/ieeeconf67917.2025.11443385},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/ieeeconf67917.2025.11443385}
}
ADMM for Downlink Beamforming in Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems
58th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers
BibTeX
ADMM for Downlink Beamforming in Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems
@inproceedings{zafari2024admm,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi and Pandey, Divyanshu and Doost-Mohammady, Rahman and Uribe, C{\'e}sar A.},
title = {{ADMM} for Downlink Beamforming in Cell-Free Massive {MIMO} Systems},
booktitle = {2024 58th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers},
year = {2024},
month = oct,
pages = {623--628},
publisher = {IEEE},
doi = {10.1109/IEEECONF60004.2024.10943106},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEECONF60004.2024.10943106}
}
ML-Based Feedback-Free Adaptive MCS Selection for Massive Multi-User MIMO
57th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers
BibTeX
ML-Based Feedback-Free Adaptive MCS Selection for Massive Multi-User MIMO
@inproceedings{an2023mlbased,
author = {An, Qing and Zafari, Mehdi and Dick, Chris and Segarra, Santiago and Sabharwal, Ashutosh and Doost-Mohammady, Rahman},
title = {{ML}-Based Feedback-Free Adaptive {MCS} Selection for Massive Multi-User {MIMO}},
booktitle = {2023 57th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers},
year = {2023},
month = oct,
pages = {157--161},
publisher = {IEEE},
doi = {10.1109/IEEECONF59524.2023.10476866},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEECONF59524.2023.10476866}
}
Robustness of Distributed Multi-User Beamforming: An Experimental Evaluation
IEEE 12th Sensor Array and Multichannel Signal Processing Workshop (SAM)
BibTeX
Robustness of Distributed Multi-User Beamforming: An Experimental Evaluation
@inproceedings{doostmohammady2022robustness,
author = {Doost-Mohammady, Rahman and Zafari, Mehdi and Sabharwal, Ashutosh},
title = {Robustness of Distributed Multi-User Beamforming: An Experimental Evaluation},
booktitle = {2022 IEEE 12th Sensor Array and Multichannel Signal Processing Workshop (SAM)},
year = {2022},
month = jun,
pages = {146--150},
publisher = {IEEE},
doi = {10.1109/SAM53842.2022.9827783},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/SAM53842.2022.9827783}
}
Datasets and software
3gpp-tr-library: Hand-verified, section-level 3GPP Technical Reports as queryable Markdown, CSV and YAML
GitHub repository and the tr3gpp Python package on PyPI, archived on Zenodo
BibTeX
3gpp-tr-library: Hand-verified, section-level 3GPP Technical Reports as queryable Markdown, CSV and YAML
@misc{zafari20263gpp,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi},
title = {3gpp-tr-library: Hand-verified, section-level 3GPP Technical Reports as queryable Markdown, CSV and YAML},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.21501655},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21501655}
}
Distributed Multi-User MIMO Datasets
IEEE DataPort
BibTeX
Distributed Multi-User MIMO Datasets
@misc{zafari2024distributed,
author = {Zafari, Mehdi},
title = {Distributed Multi-User {MIMO} Datasets},
publisher = {IEEE DataPort},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.21227/74ez-b275},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21227/74ez-b275}
}
Talks
Feasible but Not Safe: Constraint Violations and Report-Channel Attacks in Learned Cell-Free ISAC Association
17th ACM Workshop on Wireless of the Students, by the Students, and for the Students (S3 '26) at ACM MobiCom 2026, Austin, TX
CORDIS-Track: Tracking-Aware Coordinated Resource Allocation for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC
60th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA
TiamiTwin: A Digital Twin for Bistatic ISAC Drone Sensing, Validated Against Measurements
IEEE MILCOM 2026 Workshop on Integrated Sensing and Communication for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ISAC4CIP), Rockville, MD
Joint work with Tiami Networks.
When Wireless Signals Become Our Eyes
UCI Grad Slam finals, Irvine, CA
3rd place.
Coordinated Decentralized Resource Optimization for Cell-Free ISAC Systems
59th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA
Best Paper Award finalist; also presented a poster in the Student Paper Contest.
ADMM for Downlink Beamforming in Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems
58th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA
ML-Based Feedback-Free Adaptive MCS Selection for Massive Multi-User MIMO
57th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA
Distributed optimization for beamforming in massive MIMO systems
Texas Colloquium on Distributed Learning (TL;DR 2023), Rice University, Houston, TX
DNN-based feedback-free adaptive modulation for massive MIMO
POWDER-RENEW Mobile and Wireless Week, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
1st prize for the project.
Honors and awards
- 2026 Wireless History Foundation Scholarship Award Wireless History Foundation
- 2026 Pia Gratton Endowed Graduate Student Award UC Irvine
- 2026 1st Place, UCI EECS Annual Technology Showcase UC Irvine
- 2026 3rd Place, UCI Grad Slam Competition UC Irvine
- 2025 Best Paper Award Finalist, 59th Asilomar Conference IEEE Asilomar Conference
- 2024 Graduate Dean’s Recruitment Fellowship Award UC Irvine
- 2022, 2023 SIAWE Scholarship Award for Distinguished International Students Rice University Society of Iranian-American Women for Education (SIAWE).
- 2023 1st Prize, POWDER-RENEW Mobile and Wireless Week University of Utah
- 2021 Rice University Graduate Fellowship Rice University
- 2019 Exceptional Talent Award University of Tehran Top 5% GPA.
- 2016 National Elites Foundation Fellowship Iranian National Elites Foundation
- 2015 Ranked 47th, Iranian National University Entrance Exam (Konkoor)
- 2013 Ranked 3rd, Iranian National Mathematics Olympiad
Service
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2024–2026
Peer reviewer
- IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (TWC)
- IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (TVT)
- IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (TGRS)
- IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems (TAES)
- IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (WCL)
- IEEE Signal Processing Letters (SPL)
- IEEE Communications Magazine
Teaching
- Fall 2026 Introduction to Control Systems + Lab EECS 160A/LA UC Irvine
- Spring 2025 Introduction to Digital Logic Laboratory UC Irvine
- Spring 2024 Applied Machine Learning & Data Science Rice University
- Fall 2023 Modern Communication: Theory and Practice Rice University
- Fall 2022 Modern Communication: Theory and Practice Rice University
- Spring 2020 Wireless Multimedia Communications University of Tehran
- Fall 2019 Signals and Systems Analysis University of Tehran
- Spring 2019 Digital Communications University of Tehran
Teaching assistant for every course listed.
Skills
- Key skills
- Wireless Communications, Signal Processing, Optimization, Applied Machine Learning
- Programming
- C++, Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, CVXPY, Gurobi, MATLAB, Verilog
- Software-defined radios
- USRP B210/X410, NVIDIA Aerial, GNU Radio, Iris SDR, Agora
- Simulation tools
- NVIDIA Sionna, Ray-Tracing Engines, ns-3, Wireshark, Ansys HFSS, Simulink
- Embedded and FPGA
- ARM STM32, DSP, Atmel AVR, Xilinx ZedBoard, Vivado HLS
Relevant coursework
- Fall 2025 Deep Generative Models UC Irvine Grade: A
- Fall 2024 Machine Learning for Signal Processing UC Irvine Grade: A+
- Spring 2024 Optimization: Algorithms, Complexity, & Approximations Rice University Grade: A
- Spring 2023 Distributed Methods for Optimization and Machine Learning Rice University Grade: A+
- Fall 2022 Machine Learning (Introduction to Deep Learning) Rice University Grade: A
- Spring 2022 Advanced Wireless Networks Rice University Grade: A
- Fall 2021 Modern Communication: Theory and Practice Rice University Grade: A
- Fall 2017 Advanced Object-Oriented Programming University of Tehran Grade: A
Selected conferences and workshops
- Oct 2026 ACM International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom) Austin, TX
- Oct 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023 Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers Pacific Grove, CA
- Oct 2026 IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM) Rockville, MD
- Oct 2025 IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM) Los Angeles, CA
- Sep 2023 Texas Colloquium on Distributed Learning Houston, TX