Alireza applies computer science and mathematics to tackle grand research challenges in engineering, physics and medicine.
Beyond his scientific career, he enjoys running, climbing, music, photography, studying linguistics and new languages, English literature, history and archaeology. Learn More
2004 - Present
Through my passion, teaching, and working as a researcher at different universities internationally, my experience has covered a wide range of topics in computer science, electrical engineering, applied mathematics and physiology. My main research interests span a wide range of topics in high-performancve computing (HPC), biophsics, mathematical modelling and neuroscience.
Recently, I have been developing new mathematical models, computational tools and simulation environments for analysing the human nervous system (neurons, and glial cells such as astrocytes and microglia). Our final goal aims at providing a unified computational framework for studying neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, particularly Alzheimer, within this ecosystem for neuroscience and biological communities by exploiting the power of cutting-edge supercomputers. We are also colloborating with experimental biologists from the University of Reading in order to get deeper, more than realistic insight into human brain in our models.
In the field of computer science, I have always wanted to (a) create innovative tools to help people become more productive when doing computer programming, and (b) optimise performance of computer systems and computer programs through novel parallelisation techniques and implementing unified software infrastructures.
A complete list of my research interests can be found here.
My research statement can be found here.
My research overview between 2013 and 2019 can be found here.
2012 - Present
I adore teaching at university and thus I have designed many courses. I have lectured in both departments of computer science (CS), computer engineering (CE) and electrical engineering (EE).
My teaching statement can be found here.
A list of my current or previous courses is as follows:
● Cloud Computing (in CS Dept.)
● Parallel Algorithms (in CE Dept.)
● Advanced Algorithms (in CE Dept.)
● Parallel and Distributed Simulation (in CE Dept.)
● Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Computer Systems (in CE Dept.)
● Computer Architecture (in CS/EE Dept.)
● Operating Systems (in CE Dept.)
● Hardware/Software Co-Design (in CE Dept.)
● Electrical Circuits II (in EE Dept.)
● Advanced Programming (in CE Dept., and in EE Dept.)
● Logic Circuits (in EE Dept.)
● Internet Engineering (in CE Dept.)
● Web Design and Development (in CE Dept.)
● Linux Systems Programming (in CE Dept.)
● Computer Networks' Lab (in CE Dept.)
● Operating Systems' Lab (in CE Dept.)
● Applications of Computer Science in Dentistry (in Dentistry Dept.)
2012 - Present
● Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
● Lecturer, Department of Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
● Lecturer, Department of Computer Engineering, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
● Lecturer, Department of Electrical Engineering, Azad University of Shahr-e Rey, Tehran, Iran
● Lecturer, Department of Computer Engineering, Azad University of Shahr-e Rey, Tehran, Iran
● Lecturer, Department of Computer Engineering, Azad University of Buin Zahra, Buin Zahra, Iran
● Lecturer, Department of Dentistry, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2005 - Present
I have prepared and presented several technical workshops as follows:
● Numerical Solution of Differential Equations, Spring 2023, University of Ulster, Londonderry, UK
● Web Programming Fundamentals in PHP, Summer 2018, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
● HPC Fundamentals and Parallel Programming, Spring 2017, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
● Fundamentals and Applications of Parallel Discrete Event Simumlation (PDES), Spring 2015 and 2016, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
● Applications of Information Technology (IT) in Pharmaceoutical Industries, Winter 2015, Azad University Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Tehran, Iran
● Research on Desktop Grids, Spring 2006, CCGrid2006, Singapore
● Windows Systems Programming, Summer 2005, Azad University of Qazvin, Qazvin, Iran
2006 - Present
I have been providing numerous services to the academic communities as follows:
● Administrator of High-Performance Computing Centre (HPCC), Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
● Researcher, Department of Electrical Engineering, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. I have worked in Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab (ICSL) of Dr. M. B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi.
● Researcher, Department of Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. I have worked in VLSI Lab of Dr. Shaahin Hessabi. I founded Parallel & Distributed Systems Lab (PDSL) in 2014 in collaboration with Dr. Shaahin Hessabi.
2001 - 2010
For virtually 10 years, I was developing national online social network services which hosted millions of users. In 2001, I started to develop one of the first blogging services in my home country called IranBlog.com. In 2006, I developed the first Twitter-like service in my country that had Facebook-style social network capabilities named Peyghamak.com. These projects were developed based on distributed computing concepts where the service could scale up on demand. For this reason, I developed a course to teach students with web design and development in university. I was with World Wide Web (W3) since its beginning days.
2002 - Current
I have implemented a large number of software projects.
I wrote a textbook on distributed systems published by Taylor & Francis. This book spans over my obtained experience to build different distributed middleware components particularly in Grid and Cloud Computing. It teaches the reader how to construct a complex distributed software infrastructure from the ground-up.
[1] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, Implementing Parallel and Distributed Systems, Taylor & Francis/CRC Press, USA, 2023. Link on the publisher's website
[1] A. Poshtkohi, J. Wade, L. McDaid, J. Liu, M. Dallas, A. Bithell, Mathematical Modeling of PI3K/Akt Pathway in Microglia, Neural Computation 36:4 (2024), 645–676. doi: 10.1162/neco_a_01643, View Online.
[2] A. Poshtkohi, J. Wade, L. McDaid, J. Liu, M. Dallas, A. Bithell, Mathematical Modelling of Human P2X-mediated Plasma Membrane Electrophysiology and Calcium Dynamics in Microglia, PLOS Computational Biology, 17:11 (2021). doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009520, View Online.
[3] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, K. Saghafi, Optimistic Modeling and Simulation of Complex Hardware Platforms and Embedded Systems on Many-Core HPC Clusters, IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 30:2 (2019), 428-444. doi: 10.1109/TPDS.2018.2860014, View Online.
[4] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, K. Saghafi, PSML: Parallel System Modeling and Simulation Language for Electronic System Level, Journal of Supercomputing, 75:5 (2019), 2691–2724. doi: 10.1007/s11227-018-2682-1, View Online.
[5] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, K. Saghafi, The Parvicursor Infrastructure to Facilitate the Design of Grid and Cloud Computing Systems, Computing, 99:10 (2017), 979-1006. doi:10.1007/s00607-017-0541-1, View Online.
[6] M. MollaMotalebi, R. Maghami, A. S. Ismail, A. Poshtkohi, The Efficiency Challenges of Resource Discovery in Grid Environments, Cybernetics and Systems, 45:8 (2014), 671-692. doi: 10.1080/01969722.2014.972100, View Online.
[7] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, DotDFS: A Grid-based High-Throughput File Transfer System, Parallel Computing, 37 (2011) 114-136. doi: 10.1016/j.parco.2010.12.003.
[8] A. Poshtkohi, A.H. Abutalebi, S. Hessabi, DotGrid: A .NET-based Cross-Platform Software for Desktop Grids, Int. J. Web Grid Serv. 3 (3) (2007) 313-332. doi: 10.1504/IJWGS.2007.014955, View Online.
[1] A. Poshtkohi, M.B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi, A Concurrent Framework for High Performance File Transfers in Grid Environments, in: Proceedings of the 3th International Conference on Computer and Electrical Engineering (ICCEE 2010), 16-18 November 2010, Chengdu, China, Download.
[2] A. Poshtkuhi, A. Abutalebi, L. Ayough, S. Hessabi, DotGrid: A .NET-based Infrastructure for Global Grid Computing, in: Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid, 16-19 May 2006, (CCGrid'2006), Singapore, Download.
[3] A. Poshtkuhi, A. Abutalebi, L. Ayough, S. Hessabi, DotGrid: A .NET-based Cross-Platform Grid Computing Infrastructure, in: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference On Computing and Informatics 2006 (ICOCI'06), June 6-8, Malaysia, 2006, Download.
Address
London, United Kingdom
a.{last name}@herts.ac.uk