Michigan Engineering News
PhD students Sijia Geng, Bahareh Hadidian, and Nasimeh Heydaribeni will participate in the intensive workshop that brings together outstanding women and gender minorities interested in pursuing academic careers in EECS.
PhD students Sijia Geng, Bahareh Hadidian, and Nasimeh Heydaribeni have been selected to participate in the 2021 Rising Stars in EECS workshop hosted virtually by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The intensive workshop brings together outstanding graduate students and postdocs with historically marginalized or underrepresented genders who are interested in pursuing academic careers in electrical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence and decision-making. Participants are selected based on academic excellence, interest in a faculty career in the EECS discipline, and commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.
This year’s workshop will focus on the academic job search process and how to succeed as a junior faculty member. The program will include presentations on targeting the academic search process, giving effective job talks, and developing and refining research and teaching statements. Panel discussions will focus on the first years of an academic career, covering topics such as forming and ramping up a research group, leadership, maintaining work-life balance, fundraising, and going through the promotion process.
The goal of the workshop is to improve mentorship and providing resources for cisgender women, trans people of any gender, non-binary people, and all people with historically marginalized or underrepresented genders. It was originally launched by MIT in 2012. This year, the workshop will be held virtually on October 14thand 15th.
Sijia Geng’s research interests include dynamics and control of networked systems, renewable energy, and emerging smart grid technologies. She’s currently working to addresses critical challenges including uncertainties, stability, and safety issues that are arising with grid-integration of distributed energy resources. Her research is also seeking to promote renewable energy particularly through interconnecting multiple energy carriers.
Geng recently received the prestigious Barbour Scholarship from U-M and was the recipient of Forrest Graduate Student Fellowship. She received an honorable mention for the Towner Prize for Outstanding PhD Research and was a finalist of Marian Sarah Parker Prize. In addition to her research, Geng has held leadership roles in the Graduate Society of Women Engineers at U-M.
Geng earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Automation from the Harbin Institute of Technology in 2016 and an MS in Mathematics from U-M in May 2021. She is advised by Ian Hiskens, the Vennema Professor of Engineering.
Abstract: Safety and Stability of Future Smart Grids: Managing Uncertainties of Distributed Energy Resources
Bahareh Hadidian’s research interests include millimeter-wave and THz circuits design for RF mm-wave and optical communication and sensing. She is currently working on the development of high-data-rate and energy-efficient wireless transmitters for beyond 5G communication networks.
Hadidian earned her BS in Electrical Engineering from K. N. Toosi University of Technology in 2015, and her MS in Electrical Engineering from U-M in 2020. She is a Graduate Student Research Assistant in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan. She is advised by Prof. Ehsan Afshari.
Abstract: High-Data-Rate and Energy-Efficient Wireless Transmitters for Beyond 5G Communication Networks
Nasimeh Heydaribeni’s research interests are game theory and its applications in networked systems with emphasis on mechanism design dynamic games with asymmetric information and information design.
Heydaribeni earned her BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering at Sharif University of Technology in 2015 and 2017, respectively. She won the Silver Medal at the 2010 Iranian National Olympiad in Chemistry. She is advised by Prof. Achilleas Anastasopoulos.
Abstract: Analysis and Design of Information Transmission in Networks of Strategic Agents