Welcome to my page!
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) at the University of Kansas (KU), Lawrence, KS, USA. In 2020, I earned my B.Sc. degree in Telecommunication Engineering with a minor in Computer Engineering from K. N. Toosi University of Technology (KNTU), Tehran, Iran. In my B.Sc. project, I focused on the restoration methods in optical fiber networks. After finishing my B.Sc., I started my Ph.D. studies at KU in 2022. I joined the Wireless Communication and Networked Systems (WCNS) group to pursue my research interests such as wireless communications and optimization methods. As an intermediate milestone during my Ph.D., I earned my M.Sc. degree with Honors in 2025, with a focus on distributed optimization and control algorithms for UAV networks. Besides research, I enjoy playing volleyball and video games, as well as billiards at a professional level!
Education
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Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, 2022 – Present
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M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (with Honors)
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, 2022 – 2025
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B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (with Minor in Computer Engineering)
K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, 2016 – 2020
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Diploma in Mathematics and Physics
Besharati Exemplary High School, Bandar-e Gaz, Iran, 2011 – 2015
Experiences
Graduate Research Assistant - KU 2022 - Present
- UAV Networks (with USRA): Developed a theoretical framework to analyze the throughput and PSNR between UAV and ground/aerial nodes in unlicensed spectrum bands and optimized the cross-layer parameters to maximize the average throughput and PSNR.
- mmWave Networks: Developed a simulation framework that accurately models various blockage scenarios for mmWave systems by capturing all the characteristics of the blocker and the locations of the mmWave transmitter and receiver.
- Satellite Networks: Implemented a satellite communication model to analyze the outage probability between the GEO-LEO satellites and terrestrial nodes using multiple or single beams.
- PFL Networks: Implemented a channel-aware neighbor selection policy for personalized federated learning (PFL) networks to choose the desired neighbors based on transmission error.
- NOMA Networks: Developed a theoretical framework to analyze the RIS-assisted BS-UAV communication in NOMA systems to investigate the interplay of power factor and number of reflecting elements.
Graduate Teaching Assistant - KU 2025
- Circuits II Lab: Instructed 52 students, guiding hands-on experiments and reinforcing theoretical concepts such as 1st & 2nd-order transients, AC steady state, steady state power analysis, transformers, frequency response & Bode plots, filter design, and Sallen-Key active filters.
Research Assistant - KNTU 2019 - 2020
- Optical Fiber Networks: Implemented routing algorithms in OMNeT++ to analyze their efficiency for finding alternative paths in case of network failures, enabling immediate data recovery.
Publications
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pFedWN: A Personalized Federated Learning Framework for D2D Wireless Networks with Heterogeneous Data
Authors: Z. Ni, M. Ghazikor and M. Hashemi
Under Review in IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 2025, DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2501.09822
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Channel-Aware Distributed Transmission Control and Video Streaming in UAV Networks
Authors: M. Ghazikor, K. Roach, K. Cheung and M. Hashemi
Under Second Revision in IEEE Transactions on Communications, 2024, DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2408.01885
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Interference-Aware Queuing Analysis for Distributed Transmission Control in UAV Networks
Authors: M. Ghazikor, K. Roach, K. Cheung and M. Hashemi
ICC 2024 - IEEE International Conference on Communications, Denver, CO, USA, 2024, DOI: 10.1109/ICC51166.2024.10623099
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Exploring the Interplay of Interference and Queues in Unlicensed Spectrum Bands for UAV Networks
Authors: M. Ghazikor, K. Roach, K. Cheung and M. Hashemi
2023 57th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA, USA, 2023, DOI: 10.1109/IEEECONF59524.2023.10476884
Skills
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Programming Languages:
Python, C/C++, Java, Matlab
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Tools:
ADS, CST, OMNeT++, GNS3, PSpice, Microsoft 365, LaTeX
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Languages:
English, Persian, Turkmen, Turkish