Ali Emadi - ECE PhD Student of the Month - March 2022
Ali Emadi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Helen and John C. Hartmann Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He works under the supervision of Professor Ali Abdi. His research focuses on systems biology and is cross disciplinary at the intersection of molecular biology, neuroscience, and signal processing. His leisure time is primarily spent working out and amateur modeling.
What attracted you to NJIT?
I remember days when I was seeking a school to pursue my Ph.D. I was impressed by the research expertise of the ECE department faculty at NJIT. I am sure that anybody here will be professionally prepared for their future career. Now, I sincerely feel that it was a wise choice because I am getting more inspired day by day due to working in a motivating atmosphere, the success of alumni, and many more other reasons. Moreover, it is such a privilege to have the chance to work with a super knowledgeable, supportive, and fascinating advisor, Professor Ali Abdi, that I have been learning a lot from him, frankly speaking.
What do you think would be an impactful move in your research area?
Systems biology analysis of cellular signaling networks has intensively widened our knowledge of distinguishing between normal and diseased cell behaviors. It definitely can provide a way to find proper therapeutic molecular targets. Also, when it comes to neurons in the human brain, regardless of the complexity of the neural networks, analysis of such networks gains us invaluable information on learning, memory formation, cognition related disorders, as well as proper therapeutic targets.
If you have been a Teaching Assistant, please describe your teaching experience.
I have been working as TA since Fall 2019, so many gratifying experiences come to mind. I have been teaching and grading undergraduate and graduate courses. After each of those, I learned more about what to do next semester to perfect my performance. Frankly speaking, teaching is an excellent way to learn as well! Depending on the course or lab materials, I always have found methods of triggering students' creativity. It does not matter whether I am teaching or giving an exam, being strict or lenient. One just needs to know how to explain what the students really need in simple ways and make them excited. I promise that works out! :)
What are some of the most mesmerizing moments during your time in the ECE Department and at NJIT?
There are quite a few such moments. I recall best when I only managed to arrive on the last day of registration and meet Professor Abdi. Also, I remember well when my first journal paper got ready to submit after all that hustle and bustle!
Where do you (hope to) see yourself in five years?
I enjoy helping people out in the world, no matter how or where I am! And I believe that is the only gratitude, as well as my best tribute to my mom's soul to make her proud. God will always offer you great chances, whether today or the next five years! Just be vigilant to take them!
Anyhow, as one surmises, there are too many unsolved questions in the case of human brain disorders that researchers and scientists have been working on. I would love to keep researching to be able to answer those questions, some of them leastwise! All I know is that we need to believe in our dreams and make them come true! Rumi said, "Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion"!
People say, "publish or perish", please share your opinion and experience on writing and publishing papers.
I believe that the publications are the fruits of our effort! Further stated, as a cross disciplinary field to pursue, it was not easy to combine a diverse set of skills and knowledge like molecular biology, neuroscience, mathematics, and signal processing. Anyway, I have already prepared one full length paper, and I am simultaneously working on two other papers, as well.