mahdi@mit ~ $
mahdi afshari
MIT CS · systems, ML, building things that work
for the curious :3
$ cat research.txt
Research
Diplomacy AI for Non-User-Mediated Multi-Agent LLMs
Jacob Andreas Lab – CSAIL, MIT
- -Building autonomous negotiation systems where LLM agents form alliances, trade resources, and coordinate without human mediation in Minecraft-like environments.
- -Extended MCrafter with 4 social primitives (alliance, trade, truce, protection) enabling 10+ concurrent agents with competing goals to negotiate autonomously.
- -Designed episodic memory and summarization layers to keep inference cost manageable while maintaining context across multi-turn negotiations.
- -Built evaluation infrastructure tracking diplomacy outcomes (alliance stability, resource distribution fairness) and construction progress in multi-village scenarios.
Inferring Dynamics of Memory Encoding and Recall
Mehrdad Jazayeri Lab – McGovern Institute, MIT
- -Studying how memory encoding and recall dynamics differ at the neural level using behavioral data from primates.
- -Designed Drift Diffusion Models (DDMs) with Gaussian Process regression to estimate how decision thresholds change over time across 500+ trials per subject.
- -Found that memory encoding dynamics degrade predictably with delay, but recall shows non-monotonic threshold shifts—suggesting distinct underlying neural mechanisms.
- -Implemented models in JAX for GPU-accelerated parameter estimation, enabling faster iteration on model variants and hyperparameter search.
Hierarchical Modeling of Protein Structure for Predicting Function
Manolis Kellis Lab – CSAIL, MIT
- -Exploring bidirectional refinement between protein structure and function predictions to improve annotation accuracy.
- -Fine-tuned ESMFold embeddings for secondary structure inputs, creating specialized representations for structure-function mapping.
- -Implemented iterative feedback loop where function prediction errors refine structure predictions and vice versa, creating a bidirectional refinement cycle.
- -Improved function annotation accuracy by 15% on benchmark set compared to one-shot prediction, demonstrating value of iterative approaches.
$ ls projects/
Projects
Straggler-Aware Scheduler for Distributed TrainingOpen →
Persistence-filtered straggler detection and adaptive rate allocation for gradient synchronization.
PythonPyTorchGlooDistributed Systems
Interplanetary Delay-Tolerant Network Protocol (MAUSA)Open →
Routing protocol design for deep-space communication with extreme latency and intermittent connectivity.
Systems DesignNetworkingProtocol Design
PPG-Based Heart Rate & Hydration MonitorOpen →
Non-invasive physiological monitoring using photoplethysmography signal analysis from video recordings.
PythonOpenCVSciPyFirebaseNumPy
Ambient AI Assistant (InvisibleGPT)Open →
Multi-modal input system with priority-based output routing for seamless AI interaction workflows.
PythonOpenAI APILaTeX
Dual-Role Healthcare Platform (TeddyCare)Open →
Patient and doctor dashboards with wearable integration and fine-tuned GPT-4o for medical conversations.
🏆 $1,000 Tune AI Sponsor Award - HackMIT 2023
Next.js 14PrismaClerkTerra APIPostgreSQLVercel
$ cat skills.txt
Skills
languagespython (pytorch, jax, transformers), typescript (react, node), c, assembly (risc-v), bluespec/minispec
toolsgit, docker, vercel, postgresql, firebase, prisma, openai/anthropic apis
areasdeep learning, distributed systems, signal processing, systems programming
$ cat experience.txt
Experience
Teaching Assistant for Computation Structures (6.1910)
MIT EECS
- -Teaching digital logic design, Verilog, and Minispec (Bluespec derivative) to 200+ students in weekly labs and office hours.
- -Debug student processors in real-time—pipelined CPUs, cache hierarchies, hazard detection—with average fix time under 10 minutes.
- -Release labs, write quizzes, and maintain course infrastructure (grading scripts, lab checkoff systems, debugging tools).
- -Help students understand not just how to write Verilog but why their designs work (or don't)—timing, synthesis, hardware intuition.
International Students Association President
MIT
- -Led MIT's largest cultural umbrella organization, representing 1000+ international students across 15+ cultural groups.
- -Organized 4 large-scale events with 300–1100 attendees each: cultural showcases, networking mixers, orientation programs.
- -Designed coordination framework for 15+ organizations—shared calendars, budget allocation system, conflict resolution processes—now used campus-wide.
- -Shipped new constitution establishing clear governance structure, term limits, and transition protocols for future leadership.
- -Built mentor network connecting 200+ incoming international students with upperclassmen, faculty, and startup founders for career guidance.
33rd International Biology Olympiad
Iranian National Team
- -Competed in Yerevan, Armenia as part of 4-person Iranian national team after winning national olympiad gold medal.
- -Ranked #7 globally among 300+ participants from 75+ countries in practical and theoretical exams covering molecular biology, ecology, genetics, physiology.
- -Practical exams: PCR, gel electrophoresis, microscopy, plant anatomy, ecological sampling—designed to test lab technique under time pressure.
- -Represented Iran at international competition requiring 2+ years of preparation, intensive training camps, and mastery of university-level biology.