Hessam Mahdavifar

Hessam Mahdavifar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University's College of Engineering. His research focuses on coding theory, wireless communications, data privacy, and privacy-preserving computing. He holds a PhD from the University of California San Diego (2012), an MS from UCSD (2009), and a BS from Sharif University of Technology (2007).

Key research areas include analog subspace coding for non-coherent networks, polar coding for low-capacity channels, and privacy-preserving protocols for distributed learning. His work bridges information theory with practical applications in secure communication and federated learning systems. Notable contributions include analog secret sharing frameworks and coded computing techniques for resilient distributed algorithms.

• Awards: NSF CAREER Award (2020), Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (2020), IEEE RFID Best Paper (2015), and International Mathematical Olympiad Silver Medal (2002/2003)
• Grants: NSF CAREER grant for coding subspace research, collaborative projects on polar coding and coded computing
• Labs/Teams: Active in Northeastern's Information Theory and Communications group, leading research on secure machine learning and wireless security

His recent work emphasizes federated learning security (e.g., LightVeriFL protocols), privacy-preserving distributed algorithms, and code design for emerging communication paradigms like millimeter-wave covert systems.