About

Hamidreza Saghir

Machine Learning Researcher

Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

M.Sc. Mechatronics, Sharif University of Technology (2011) B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2008)

Short Bio

I received my Master of Science degree in mechatronics from Sharif University of Technology, Iran, in 2011. I worked on brain-inspired intelligent controllers that learned control policies through reinforcement learning based on emotional processing in brain. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, I spent some time at the Italian institute of Technology working on motion planning and control of legged locomotion for the HyQ quadruped robot. I currently hold the Ontario Trillium Scholarship for PhD study at IBBME. My research interests include non-linear and fractal dynamics, deep learning, reinforcement learning and robotics.

Research

Complex dynamics of neuro-physiological signals

Cardiac function is regulated by a network of control mechanisms comprising of the central autonomic network, sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), central and peripheral oscillators, humoral factors, and the sinus node (Malliani, Pagani, Lombardi, & Cerutti, 1991; Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology, 1996). The interplay of these control mechanisms constitute a complex system (Kantelhardt, 2008) with non-linearly interacting components (Billman, 2013), whose global behavior cannot be explained as the sum of its parts (Kantelhardt, 2008). This notion is often ignored in traditional analyses (e.g. averages and heart rate variability). The aim of this project is to develop non-linear methods to analyze the complex dynamics of physiological signal.

  • Characterizing and clustering of scaling dynamics in physiological signals
  • Analyzing nonlinear dynamics of physiological processes underlying signals through Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) modeling

Contact me

h.saghir@mail.utoronto.ca

Publications

peer review refereed papers:

  • Saghir, Hamidreza, Tom Chau, and Azadeh Kushki. “Clustering of time-evolving scaling dynamics in a complex signal.” Physical Review E 94.1 (2016): 012220.

  • Saghir, Hamidreza, et al. “Atypical autonomic nervous system complexity accompanies social cognition task performance in ASD.” Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 39 (2017): 54-62.

  • H. Saghir, T. Chau, A. Kushki, “Moving deterended fluctuation analysis for inspecting time evolution of scale invariant structures in biomedical signals”, IUPESM World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2015, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

  • H. Saghir, T. Chau, A. Kushki, “Fractal Analysis of Autonomic Nervous System Function in ASD”, The International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

  • H. R. Saghir and S. B. Shouraki, “Self-Organizing Adaptive Network-Based Fuzzy Intelligent Controller (SOANFIC),” International Journal of Machine Learning and Computing vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 864-868, 2012. [pdf]

  • Saghir, H. R., Shouraki, S. B., Self Constructing Emotional Learning based Intelligent Controller (SCELIC). Proceedings of the International Multi Conferences of Engineers and Computer Scientists 2011 (IMECS 2011), Vol I, pp 148-153. [pdf]

  • Saghir, H. R., Shouraki, S. B., Emotional Control of a comprehensive nonlinear ball and beam system using SCELIC. Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Control and Automation (ICCCA 2011), pp 244-248. [pdf]

  • Saghir, H. R., Shouraki, S. B., Intelligent Control of a comprehensive nonlinear ball and beam system using SOANFIC. Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Control and Automation (ICCCA 2011), pp 249-253. [pdf]

  • Saghir, H. R., Shouraki, S. B., Fuzzy Control of an Inverted Pendulum based on Emotional Masking and Attention Control, Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Control and Automation (ICCCA 2011), pp 254-258. [pdf]

  • Ghafari A., Ghanbari A., Kamanzadeh S., Abbasian K., Saghir, H. R., Developing a New Pressure Measurement Mechanism Based on Squeeze Film Damping Effect, The 2nd International Conference on Control Instrumentation and Automation (ICCIA2011). [pdf]

  • Saghir, H. R., Esfahani, J. A., Thermodynamic optimization of convective heat transfer in turbulent flow through a pipe with constant wall temperature. 2011 19th annual Conference of Iranian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME11). [pdf]