Sayed Ahmad Salehi

Sayed Ahmad Salehi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky's College of Engineering, where he directs the Computing with Unconventional Technologies (CUT) Lab. His research spans energy-efficient VLSI circuits for deep learning, stochastic computing, and DNA-based molecular programming.

His research focuses on unconventional computing paradigms to address limitations in traditional electronics. Key areas include stochastic and approximate computing for energy-efficient deep learning hardware targeting IoT and edge devices, and biomolecular computing using DNA for environments incompatible with silicon. His lab develops tools like FUNSC (stochastic computing) and FUNDNA (DNA computing) that enable mathematical function computation through novel encoding schemes.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong emphasis on in-memory computing architectures (particularly for DRAM and phase-change memory), stochastic-to-binary conversion techniques, and DNA circuit synthesis for mathematical operations. His work bridges theoretical computer science with practical hardware implementations for resource-constrained environments.

Award highlights include:

• BIOMOD competition silver award (2023)
• Best paper nomination at Asilomar Conference (2022)
• ESWEEK Student Travel Grant (2019)

He actively mentors PhD and undergraduate researchers, with recent graduates joining companies like Applied Materials. His lab secures significant NSF funding for interdisciplinary projects in stochastic computing and DNA-based systems. Current initiatives include CUT Lab's Kentucky iGEM team and collaborations on photonics-integrated computing.

The CUT Lab operates at the intersection of computer architecture, molecular biology, and signal processing, with research impacting edge AI hardware, biocompatible computing, and next-generation memory systems.