RESUME

PhD, Intelligent Systems, Robotics and Control (Oct 2017 - Sep 2021)

University of California, San Diego, USA

Dissertation Topic: Automation in Robot Surgery.

Advisor: Prof. Michael C. Yip

CGPA: 4.00/4.00

Master in Engineering (Oct 2015 - Aug 2017)

Osaka University, Japan

Dissertation Topic: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Human-Robot Interaction in the Real-World.

Advisor: Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro

CGPA: 3.00/3.00

Bachelor in Electrical Engineering (Sep 2010 - Aug 2014)

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan.

Dissertation Topic: Enhanced RRT* for motion planning in complex cluttered and time-varying environments.

Advisors: Dr. Yasar Ayaz and Dr. Osman Hasan

CGPA : 3.59/4.00

Rank in the batch of 149 students: 20/149

Cambridge International Examination, UK (2006 - 2010)

A-levels: Math, Physics, Bio, Chemistry. Grades 4A*'s

O-levels: Grades 5A's

Research Student (Apr 2015 - Aug 2015)

Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, Osaka University, Japan

Worked as a junior researcher on various projects:

RGB-D based human activity recognition using the dual stream convolutional neural networks.
Facial expressions recognition through deep neural networks.
Collected RGB-D dataset of daily life human activities.
Treatment of Dyslexia patients with the help of HRI.

Research Associate (Jul 2014 - Mar 2015)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Worked on the following projects:

Led the team solving navigation and planning problems of an autonomous wheelchair.
Team coordinator and co-supervisor of the teams qualified for RoboCup Standard Platform League in 2014 and 2015.

Research Assistant (Aug 2012 - Jun 2014)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Worked on the following projects:

Person tracking by a mobile robot using 3D features.
Path planning of autonomous vehicles in environments with narrow passages.
Path planning of autonomous vehicles in time-varying environments.
Goal-directed sampling heuristics for sampling-based planning methods.
Solutions to the perceptual aliasing problem in map generation and localization.
Optimal collision avoidance method for autonomous vehicles operating in a joint space.
Constructed a sensor network system for implementation and testing of motion planning algorithms on Pioneer P3AT robot.

Research Intern (Jan 2013 - Apr 2013)

Smart Machines and Robotics Technology Lab, NUST

Worked on the development of an interactive welcome system for NUST entrance using Microsoft KINECT sensors and various machine learning methods.

Research Intern (Jul 2012 - Aug 2012)

Vision Imaging and Signal Processing Lab, NUST

Worked with the team working on the development of an efficient and robust pose estimation techniques using Microsoft KINECT sensors.

Teaching Assistant (Feb 2016 - Present)

edX online course on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics I & II

Tutorials on Variational Inference (Dec 2016)

Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.

Derivation & examples. [slides]

Tutorials on Deep learning (Nov 2015 - Jan 2016)

Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.

Topics covered:

Neural Networks, Convolutional Neural Network, Echo State Network, Recurrent Neural Networks (Vanila RNN, BiDirectional RNN, LSTM), Natural Language Processing (word embedding, machine translation), Caption Generation, Memory Networks, Deep Reinforcement Learning and tutorials on Torch/Lua (Deep Learning Library). [Slides]

Tutorials on Planning Algorithms (Sep 2014 - Jan 2015)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Followed a book on Planning Algorithms by Steven M. Lavalle.

Teaching Assistant (Sep 2011 - Jan 2012)

Linear System Analysis Course at SEECS, NUST

Task entrusted was to give hands-on training to students on the usage of various electronic equipment (oscilloscope, function generator, power board, breadboard, etc).

National Record on publishing 10 international research papers during undergraduate. [URL]
Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship, 2015-2017
Youngest Researcher Award by RISE-NUST, 2014
NUST GPA-based scholarship, 2010-2014.

Journal Reviewer:

RSJ Advanced Robotics
Cambridge Robotica
SAGE Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science

Programming: C/C++, Java, Python, Lua, PHP, GNU make, etc.
Robotic Software: ROS, Player/Gazebo/Stage, Webots, OMPL, V-REP PRO
Machine Learning Libraries: OpenCV, Torch, Theano, Scikit-learn, Tensor-Flow, mlpack
Computer-Aided Design: 3DS SolidWorks, Cadence OrCAD, SPICE
MATLAB experience: Linear algebra, Fourier transforms, nonlinear numerical methods, polynomials, statistics, N-dimensional filters, visualization.
MATLAB toolboxes: neural networks, communications, control system, filter design, genetic algorithm and direct search, signal processing, system identication.
Embedded Systems: Software and hardware development with several MCU and DSP platforms (e.g., Motorola MCUs, Texas Instruments DSPs, Atmel ATmega MCUs, Microchip PIC MCUs, and others)
Instrumentation and Control: dSPACE hardware (e.g., RTI1104) and Control Desk software, Simulink, LabVIEW and other National Instruments control and data acquisition hardware and software (e.g., MIO, SMIO, DSA, DMM, and others)
Analog and Digital Electronics: Bipolar and FET implementations of continuous and switched ampliers, modulators, and filters.
Computer Applications: LATEX, common Windows database, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
Operating Systems: Unix/Linux, Macintosh, Windows.

Robot gains social intelligence through multimodal deep reinforcement learning at IEEE/RAS Humanoids 2016 at Cancun, Mexico. [Slides]
Living with Robots- The Next Generation of Intelligent Machines at Information Technology University, Lahore, Pakistan 2016. [Slides]
Sampling-based motion planning algorithms at Topics in Robotics session 2015 organized at Osaka University, Japan. [Slides]
Potential guided directional-RRT* for accelerated motion planning in cluttered environments at IEEE/RAS International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation 2013 at Takamatsu, Japan. [Slides]

Designing a course on Lego Robotics for high school students.
Organized blood donation drive for thelasemia patients at NUST in collaboration with Jamila Sultana Foundation.
Organized book donation drive for needy students at NUST in collaboration with Taba Youth Foundation.
Teaching primary school courses to slums of Islamabad, Pakistan in collaboration with Edvolution: Educational revolution of Pakistan.

Book reading, swimming, cycling, hiking, dancing, tourism.

RESUME

Research Student (Apr 2015 - Aug 2015)

Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, Osaka University, Japan

Worked as a junior researcher on various projects:

RGB-D based human activity recognition using the dual stream convolutional neural networks.

Facial expressions recognition through deep neural networks.

Collected RGB-D dataset of daily life human activities.

Treatment of Dyslexia patients with the help of HRI.

Research Associate (Jul 2014 - Mar 2015)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Worked on the following projects:

Led the team solving navigation and planning problems of an autonomous wheelchair.

Team coordinator and co-supervisor of the teams qualified for RoboCup Standard Platform League in 2014 and 2015.

Research Assistant (Aug 2012 - Jun 2014)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Worked on the following projects:

Person tracking by a mobile robot using 3D features.

Path planning of autonomous vehicles in environments with narrow passages.

Path planning of autonomous vehicles in time-varying environments.

Goal-directed sampling heuristics for sampling-based planning methods.

Solutions to the perceptual aliasing problem in map generation and localization.

Optimal collision avoidance method for autonomous vehicles operating in a joint space.

Constructed a sensor network system for implementation and testing of motion planning algorithms on Pioneer P3AT robot.

​

Research Intern (Jan 2013 - Apr 2013)

Smart Machines and Robotics Technology Lab, NUST

Worked on the development of an interactive welcome system for NUST entrance using Microsoft KINECT sensors and various machine learning methods.

​

Research Intern (Jul 2012 - Aug 2012)

Vision Imaging and Signal Processing Lab, NUST

Worked with the team working on the development of an efficient and robust pose estimation techniques using Microsoft KINECT sensors.

Teaching Assistant (Feb 2016 - Present)

edX online course on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics I & II

Tutorials on Variational Inference (Dec 2016)

Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.

Derivation & examples. [slides]

Tutorials on Deep learning (Nov 2015 - Jan 2016)

Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.

Topics covered:

Tutorials on Planning Algorithms (Sep 2014 - Jan 2015)

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering Lab, NUST

Followed a book on Planning Algorithms by Steven M. Lavalle.

​

Teaching Assistant (Sep 2011 - Jan 2012)

Linear System Analysis Course at SEECS, NUST

Task entrusted was to give hands-on training to students on the usage of various electronic equipment (oscilloscope, function generator, power board, breadboard, etc).

​

Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship, 2015-2017

Youngest Researcher Award by RISE-NUST, 2014

NUST GPA-based scholarship, 2010-2014.

​

Journal Reviewer:

​

RSJ Advanced Robotics

Cambridge Robotica

SAGE Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science

​

​​

Programming: C/C++, Java, Python, Lua, PHP, GNU make, etc.

Robotic Software: ROS, Player/Gazebo/Stage, Webots, OMPL, V-REP PRO

Machine Learning Libraries: OpenCV, Torch, Theano, Scikit-learn, Tensor-Flow, mlpack

Computer-Aided Design: 3DS SolidWorks, Cadence OrCAD, SPICE

MATLAB experience: Linear algebra, Fourier transforms, nonlinear numerical methods, polynomials, statistics, N-dimensional filters, visualization.

MATLAB toolboxes: neural networks, communications, control system, filter design, genetic algorithm and direct search, signal processing, system identication.

Embedded Systems: Software and hardware development with several MCU and DSP platforms (e.g., Motorola MCUs, Texas Instruments DSPs, Atmel ATmega MCUs, Microchip PIC MCUs, and others)

Instrumentation and Control: dSPACE hardware (e.g., RTI1104) and Control Desk software, Simulink, LabVIEW and other National Instruments control and data acquisition hardware and software (e.g., MIO, SMIO, DSA, DMM, and others)

Analog and Digital Electronics: Bipolar and FET implementations of continuous and switched ampliers, modulators, and filters.

Computer Applications: LATEX, common Windows database, spreadsheet, and presentation software.

Operating Systems: Unix/Linux, Macintosh, Windows.

​​

​

Robot gains social intelligence through multimodal deep reinforcement learning at IEEE/RAS Humanoids 2016 at Cancun, Mexico. [Slides]

Living with Robots- The Next Generation of Intelligent Machines at Information Technology University, Lahore, Pakistan 2016. [Slides]

Sampling-based motion planning algorithms at Topics in Robotics session 2015 organized at Osaka University, Japan. [Slides]

Designing a course on Lego Robotics for high school students.

Organized blood donation drive for thelasemia patients at NUST in collaboration with Jamila Sultana Foundation.

Organized book donation drive for needy students at NUST in collaboration with Taba Youth Foundation.

Teaching primary school courses to slums of Islamabad, Pakistan in collaboration with Edvolution: Educational revolution of Pakistan.

Book reading, swimming, cycling, hiking, dancing, tourism.