Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz
BU MET Professor with Deep Industry Experience Holds 57 Patents Licensed by Apple, Google and Others
Dr. Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz
Associate Professor of the Professional Practice
PhD, George Washington University; MBA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Alfred P. Sloan School of Management); MSEE, Tehran University; BSEE, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran
What is your area of expertise?
I have specialized in a variety of areas. These include artificial intelligence; machine learning and deep learning; beacon positioning systems and the Global Positioning System (GPS); signal processing; and networking.
Please tell us about your work. Can you share any current research or recent publications?
I hold 57 US patents in the area of beacon positioning. The patents have been licensed by companies such as Apple and Google. I am also a two-time recipient of the MIT Sloan School of Management Leadership Fellowship Award, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
My work history can be summarized as follows. Before joining BU, I worked at Waylens, Inc., as chief data officer and chief scientist. There I focused on machine learning and analytics, as well as B2B business development in the area of intelligent video security for fleets of vehicles. Prior to that, I was chief scientist at ClimaCell, where I was responsible for analyzing crowd-sourced environmental data to develop high-accuracy weather prediction services for business decision making.
Previously, I was chief scientist at Skyhook Wireless, Inc. (now Liberty Media), where I oversaw R&D, machine learning, and analytics related to the company’s positioning systems and their integration with GPS. I was a pioneer in global Wi-Fi/beacon positioning systems and location intelligence. I started my career as part of the system and modem design team for the first three satellite-based mobile networks at Hughes Network Systems.
How does the subject you work in apply in practice? What is its application?
I have been working in industry for the last 25 years. My technical and research work has been directly applied to products and has always addressed real-world problems.
What courses do you teach at MET?
I teach Machine Learning (MET CS 767), as well as Data Analysis and Visualization with R (MET CS 555) and Foundations of Analytics with R (MET CS 544).
What “real-life” exercises do you bring to class?
I bring many real-life examples to the class, for example building AI at the edge; AI-enabled cameras based on TPU technology; analyzing huge amounts of crowd-sourced environmental data; and behavioral analysis based on location samples of millions of mobile users.