I have a multi-disciplinary background in Engineering, Business, Statistics, and Machine Learning. I obtained a PhD in Statistics (Major Business Analytics) at The University of Newcastle, an MSc in Management at Universidad politécnica de Madrid, and a BSc in Industrial Engineering at Bu-Ali Sina University. 

I like to think of myself as an engineer because ultimately at the core of my work, I develop algorithms and solutions for real-world problems. I use whatever tools that may be appropriate but my toolbox is mostly composed of machine learning and statistics. Although, in the past, I have also used qualitative tools such as surveys, interviews, Bayesian Networks and judgmental tools for some of my projects. I still use them where needed.  

My research interests/expertise are in time series forecasting, predictive analytics, data science, and machine learning with applications mostly in supply chain management, and renewable energies. 

My work is industry-oriented and focused on real-world problems. Although there is a gap between problems that we see in practice and problems that academics work on, this gap is much smaller in the forecasting and data science domain. I have worked for a few years in manufacturing, automotive and consulting companies and throughout my entire postgraduate studies I worked closely with industry partners. Since 2013, I have worked with half a dozen of companies in Australia, Europe and the Middle East and together we have developed several analytical models to improve their supply chain networks and analytical capabilities. 

As an academic, part of my work is public speaking. I regularly get invitations to present in national and international forums and attend workshops around the world. I am also the founding chair and host of an international scientific podcast, Forecasting Impact which has audiences in over 110 countries around the world.

I am a consultant and member of the International Institute of Forecasters. I  serve on the editorial board of the International Journal of Forecasting and I am a regular reviewer of several journals and conferences including International Journal of Production Economics, the International Journal of Production Research, and ECML. 

I play football for Toowong FC club in Brisbane. Previously,  I played for the St Kilda Team in Melbourne, The University of Newcastle, IMIM team in Madrid Polytechnqiue, and Bu-Ali Sina University team in Hamedan. As a teenager, I played for two local clubs in my hometown, Hamedan, Iran.