Behzad Akbari

I have over five years of experience in modeling complex real-time autonomous systems, including multi-target tracking and sensor fusion, consensus algorithms for cooperative multi-robot path planning, trust management, and fault-resilient autonomous systems. I am an expert in OpenCV and ROS2 in both Python and C/C++ programming languages. AI, state estimation, collaborative multi-robot (agent) systems, role-based collaboration, multi-robot path planning, multi-output Gaussian process, reinforcement learning, trust engines, and fault-tolerant multi-robot systems are some of the topics I am interested in researching.

I hold a Master's degree in Computer Science (2014) and Ph.D. in Electrical-Computer Engineering (ECE) (2021) from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Advanced Control and Mechatronics Laboratory at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, and simultaneously an instructor in the Computer Science and Math Department at Nipissing University, North Bay, ON.

Experience

Jan 2023 – now

Part-Time Faculty/ Nipissing University North Bay

Currently teaching COSC-1757: Digital Systems, covering the following topics:

• Introductory Digital Concepts, Numeric systems, and operations
• Logic gates, Boolean Algebra
• SOP and POS form, Karnaugh Maps, Logic simplification
• Functions and combinational logic analysis.
• Fundamentals of sequential logic. Latches, Flip-Flops
• Asynchronous counters, counters design

September 2022 – now

Postdoctoral Fellow/ Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

I have been working in Advanced Control and Mechatronics Laboratory at Dalhousie University Halifax, NS,  with Dr. Ya-Jun Pan and her team on USV path planning considering smoothness, obstacle avoidance, and ocean current, collaborating with Marin Thinking company. My publications and activities include:

• Nonparametric Spatio-Temporal Joint Probabilistic Data Association Coupled Filter and Interfering Extended Target Tracking (Manuscript submitted in IEEE Access)
• Trust Establishment for Collaborative Multi-Robot Systems Using E-CARGO (Manuscript submitted in IEEE-SMC2023 )
• Tracking Ocean Current for USV Path Planning (Manuscript in preparation)
  • I tracked ocean currents as a spatiotemporal factor
  • I used ocean current for optimizing path planning with minimum energy consumption
  • Implementing the simulation in ROS2 and Gazebo.

January 2021 – September 2022

Postdoctoral Fellow/ Nipissing University, North Bay, ON

I worked with Professor Haibin Zhu in the computer department of Collaborative Systems Laboratory. We were part of the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEsaS) research team and worked on developing new algorithms and technology for trustworthy multi-robot systems. I worked on collaboration and consensus algorithms. Role-based characteristics of agents in autonomous systems change the agents into role players. I developed an approximately optimal role engine for multi-robot path planning. A role engine is an algorithm that is responsible for defining roles, group role assignments, and roleplaying. Role engines can have centralized, decentralized, or hybrid control. I used the Role-Based Collaboration methodology for multi-robot path planning applications. My projects and publications:

• Tracking Dependent Extended Targets Using Multi-Output Spatiotemporal Gaussian Processes

1. Published to IEEE TITS.

• Fault-Resilience Role Engine for an Autonomous Cooperative Multi-Robot System using E-CARGO

1. Published to IEEE SMC2022 conference.

• Continuous-Time Multi-Robot Path Planning via Probabilistic Inference: An RBC Approach 

1. (Manuscript submitted for Publication in IEEE T-SMC).
2.  

2012 – 2021

Research and Teaching Assistant /McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

While working on my Master’s and Ph.D.

Teaching courses and supervising the Lab, publishing papers, designing Advanced Driving Assistance system using Python, C++

A Multilane Tracking Algorithm Using IPDA with Intensity Feature(Published In Sensors 2021)

2014-2015

Software Developer / InfoSec, Hamilton

I was working on designing a web-based engine for tracking and localizing Microsoft documents (PDF, Word, Excel, Access) on the Internet

2015 – 2016

Tutor / Inspiration Learning Center, Mississauga

Teaching and tutoring Java and OOP

2010 – 2015

Computer Network Installation/ Computec Inc, Toronto

I was installing security cameras in businesses – wiring, DVRs, network and router settings

2011 – 2011

Web Programmer/ Zarvaragh, Toronto

Website Design – programming, HTML 5 and CSS3, Java script & VB script, PHP, and Joomla

 

1999 – 2010

Associate Professor/ Azad University, Iran

I have 10 years of experience in instructing computer science courses, including:

• Digital Systems
• Computer fundamentals
• Operating systems concepts
• Computer Networks
• Computer Graphics
• Internet engineering
• Python, Java, C++, and web programming, 

1999-2008

Contract Writer/ Naghoos Publication, Iran

Authored 3 books and translated 3 from English to Farsi

1:Translations:

• Application Web Server Programming, Translated from English to Farsi 
  • Publication year; 1999, Naghoos Publication
• Advance Microprocessors, Translated from English to Farsi 
  • Publication year; 2000, Naghoos Publication
• Application Web Server Programming with ASP, Compilation
  • Publication year; 2001, Naghoos Publication
• Distributed Web Application, Translated from English to Persian 
  • Publication year; 2001, Naghoos Publication

2: Compilation:

• Internet engineering "Application of Web Server Programming", Compilation 
  • Publication year; 2005, Naghoos Publication
• Operating system Concept, Compilation
  • Publication year; 2007, Naghoos Publication
• Computer Graphics, Compilation
  • Publication year; 2008, Naghoos Publication

Education

September 2015 - January 2021

Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering / McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Thesis title: “Lane Tracking Using Dependent Extended Target Models”,

Supervised by: Professor Thia Kirubarajan

GPA: A+

 Other projects in my Ph.D.:

• Designed and developed a lane tracking system using one camera in C++, paper published in sensors journal
• Introduced a new multiple dependent extended target tracking method using GP implemented with Python
• Detect and Remove Cars in the Street using Machine Learning in the lane tracking project
• Found the probability density function (pdf) of lanes with a spatial intensity feature
• Used the Maximum A Posterior Method to classify street curves
• Investigated the curvature of the road using the Vanishing point
• Detect crosswalk lanes using the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)method
• Clustering points and line segments belonging to objects using Probabilistic Data Association
• Tracking position and shape of multiple targets using the Spatio-Temporal Gaussian process, paper accepted in Transaction Intelligent Transportation Systems, it is in revising step and will be published in March 2022.

September 2012 - January 2015

Master in Computer Science/ McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Thesis title: “Investigations into self-motion thresholds using a Stewart platform”

Supervised by: Dr. Martin von Mohrenschildt

GPA: A+

 Other projects:

• Designed and developed motion simulator software using C++ in Linux
• Drone Localization using Kalman Filter 

September 1996 - January 1999

Master in Computer Architecture/ Azad University (Science and Research)Tehran, Iran

Thesis title: “Designing a multilingual information system in VMS (VAX) system”,

GPA: A+

sep 1992 till jan 1996

Bachelor of Engineering in the Computer Software

Tehran Azad University, Iran

Thesis title: “Speech Recognition with Fast Fourier Transform Algorithms”,

GPA: -A