Reza Jafari — Virginia Tech

About

I am a Collegiate Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing in Alexandria. My research is at the intersection of machine learning, adaptive and nonlinear control, and autonomous systems, with a focus on edge-deployed artificial intelligence for real-world platforms.

Current directions include AI and deep learning for time-series and sequential data, multi-modal perception and onboard intelligence for autonomous aerial systems, stability analysis of neural-network-based controllers, and emerging applications of machine learning to biomedical and genomic data analysis. I serve as Faculty Champion of a Virginia Tech College of Engineering Major Grants Initiative team on intelligent autonomous systems for resilient infrastructure, and I collaborate internationally with George Washington University and the American University of Sharjah on adaptive control of aerial robotic systems.

Machine LearningDeep Learning Adaptive & Nonlinear ControlAutonomous Systems / UAVs Edge AITime-Series Modeling Neural-Network ControllersComputer Vision

Research Interests

Machine learning and deep learning for prediction, classification, and time-series analysis
Adaptive and nonlinear control of autonomous systems (UAVs and robotic platforms)
Edge-deployed AI and multi-modal perception (RGB / thermal / LiDAR)
Neural-network-based controllers and their stability analysis
Sequential-data and signal modeling (Box–Jenkins, deep temporal models)
Applied ML for biomedical and genomic data analysis

Selected Publications

A Unified Adaptive PID–Feedback Linearization Framework for Robust Quadrotor Control.
R. Jafari, A. H. Jafari, R. Dhaouadi. Springer Nature journal (under review), 2025.

Nonlinear Adaptive Control with High-Gain Observer.
R. Jafari, A. H. Jafari. Int. Conf. on Control, Automation and Diagnosis (ICCAD), 2025.

Enhanced Precision in Robot Arm Positioning: A Nonlinear Damping Approach for Flexible Joint Manipulators.
A. H. Jafari, R. Dhaouadi, R. Jafari. IET Control Theory & Applications, 18(15):1968–1976, 2024.

Advancing Temporal Forecasting: Conventional Paradigms and Deep Learning Architectures on Publicly Accessible Datasets.
L. Gao, R. Jafari, A. H. Jafari. Neural Computing and Applications, 37(22):18173–18184, 2025.

Stability Analysis of Recurrent-Neural-Based Controllers Using Dissipativity Domain.
R. Jafari. MDPI Mathematics, 2023.

Full publication list on Google Scholar →

Teaching

CS 5805 — Machine Learning I
CS 5806 — Machine Learning II
CS 5644 — Machine Learning with Big Data
CS 5764 — Information Visualization
CS 5914 — System Identification Using Machine Learning (newly developed)
CS 3654 — Introduction to Data Analytics & Visualization

Selected Grants & Recognition

Faculty Champion, VT College of Engineering Major Grants Initiative — Intelligent Autonomous Systems for Resilient Infrastructure (2026)
VT Sustainability Alliance Seed Grant — Energy Call (2025)
Google Teaching Grant (2024, 2025)
Innovator of the Year Award (2014, 2016)

Education

Ph.D., Computer & Electrical Engineering
Oklahoma State University, 2012

M.S., Applied Mathematics
Oklahoma State University, 2011

M.S., Mechatronics
American University of Sharjah, 2005

B.S., Engineering
University of Tehran, 2001

Contact

Institute for Advanced Computing, Virginia Tech
3625 Potomac Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305
Email: rjafari@vt.edu