Welcome to my website!

I am a graduate student in Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at Rice University.

🧠My research is on parameter estimation in large-scale dynamical systems, applied to the field of computational neuroscience.

🖥️ I am passionate about applied mathematics, software engineering and high performance computing. Above all, I enjoy the excitement of tackling challenging scientific research problems.

📷 I recently got into photography and I enjoy adding captions to the pictures I take to bring them into perspective. Check out my page here.

👨‍💼 I am also interested in entrepreneurship. In fact, I cofounded a startup called Stoodie in Feb 2022, won Jury's choice award by Injaz Lebanon and several hackathons, and got funded by UNICEF Lebanon and the Kingdom of Netherlands. I also made it to national television in Lebanon. Check out my interview here at minute 12:20.

Recent News

November 5, 2024

I have successfully defended my Master's thesis on "Parameter Estimation of Neuron Models using Subset Selection and Dynamic Optimization".

October 13, 2024

I won the outstanding poster award out of 65 posters at the SIAM TX-LA conference held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

September 17, 2024

The startup I mentored through the Injaz company program won the best social impact award at a national young entrepreneurs competition under the theme of "Innovate for Science Education".

July 16, 2024

I have been selected as a Top 50 finalist of the Chegg Inc. Global Student Prize 2024 among more than 11000 applications from 176 countries. I am also the only Lebanese and Arab to reach this stage of the prize this year.

Contact: Email | Linkedin

Check out my resume here.

Education

• PhD, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, May 2027
• M.A., Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, December 2024
• B.S., Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science, Lebanese American University, May 2022

Research Interests

• Numerical Analysis
• Scientific Computing
• Parameter Estimation
• Computational Neuroscience

Research Talks and Presentations

• Confidence and Degeneracy in Sequential Parameter Estimation of Biophysical Neuron Models, Poster Presentation at SIAM TX-LA 2024 Conference, Outstanding Poster Award, Oct 11-13, 2024.
• Confidence and Degeneracy in Sequential Parameter Estimation of Biophysical Neuron Models, Poster Presentation at Research Training Group in Numerical Mathematics & Scientific Computing (NASC) Annual Workshop, Oct 4, 2024.
• Collocation and Galerkin Time Stepping Methods, Contributed Talk at NASC RTG Ranch Retreat, Apr 19-20, 2024.
• An All-At-Once Approach to Parameter Estimation in Neuron Models, Poster Presentation at SIAM TX-LA 2023 Conference, Nov 3-5, 2023.
• An All-At-Once Approach to Parameter Estimation in Neuron Models, Poster Presentation at Research Training Group in Numerical Mathematics & Scientific Computing (NASC) Annual Workshop, Oct 13, 2023.

Projects

• Reduced Order Modeling of Heat Equation with Diffusion and Advection, Data Science and Dynamical Systems Final Project
  • Derived transfer functions and investigated different approximations of the impulse response of heat equations with diffusion and advection.
  • Applied model order reduction techniques such as Lyapunov balanced truncations, Loewner and Hankel frameworks using MATLAB of the infinite-dimensional and discretized heat equations and compared their Bode error plots.
• Vaccination Center Website, Database Management Systems Final Project
  • Developed a website using PHP, enabling patient registration for vaccinations and enhancing the efficiency of vaccination operations through the integration of robust functionalities and user-friendly interfaces.
  • Implemented a database system with an entity relationship (ER) diagram using MySQL, optimizing data management for all entities at the vaccination center.

Technical Skills

• Programming Languages: Python, MATLAB, Java, C++ (OpenMP, MPI, CUDA), Julia, SQL, HTML, PHP.
• Python Libraries: NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, JAX, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Keras.
• Software: Git, Pyomo, IPOPT, Bash, LaTeX.

Honors and Awards

• Outstanding Poster Award, SIAM TX-LA conference, October 2024
• Global Student Prize 2024 Top 50 Finalist, Chegg Inc., July 2024
• Recognition Award, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, May 2022
• Hackathon Winner, Fouad Makhzoumi Innovation Center, Feb 2022
• Top 2 Young Leader, Young Leaders Program, Saradar Bank and ESA Business School, Sept 2022
• Jury’s Choice Award, TAQA Youth Well-being Championship, Injaz and UNICEF Lebanon, Nov 2021
• Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator, Microsoft Education Center, August 2021
• Hero Mathematics Tutor, MMKN Organization, May 2021
• Full Merit Scholarship, Lebanese American University, August 2019
• Top 16 National Exams, Lebanese Baccalaureate General Sciences National Exams, July 2019

Teaching

• Computational Science, Grader, Rice University, Fall 2024
• Iterative Methods and Unconstrained Optimization (Qualifying Exam Course), Grader, Rice University, Spring 2024
• Advanced Numerical Analysis (Qualifying Exam Course), Grader, Rice University, Fall 2023
• Differential Equations, Grader, Rice University, Spring 2023
• Matrix Analysis, Grader, Rice University, Fall 2022
• Calculus II, Teaching Assistant, Lebanese American University, Spring 2022
• AI Hackathon, Trainer, Geek Express, Summer 2022
• Programming, Instructor, Geek Express, September 2019 - July 2022
• High School Mathematics, Coordinator and Tutor, MMKN Organization, September 2019 - June 2021

Leadership and Service

• Engineering Communication Coach, Rice Activate Engineering Communication Program.
• Mentor, Injaz Company Program.
• Treasurer, Rice SIAM Chapter.
• Speaking Coach, TEDxRice. Read more about the event I helped organize here.
• International Buddy Program Leader, Rice Office of International Students and Scholars. I got featured in Fall 2023 Newsletter page 12.
• Professional Leadership Experience Coachee, Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University.
• International Student Outreach Director, Rice Graduate Student Association.
• Graduate Panelist, Rice University GCURS.
• CMOR Diversity Lunch Organizer, CMOR Grad Seminar.
• President, LAU Mathematics Club.