Ahmed Hareedy

Director of REINS Group

Ahmed Hareedy 


About Me

I am an Assistant Professor with the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) Department at Middle East Technical University, Turkey. I am also an Affiliated Faculty Member with the Institute of Applied Mathematics (IAM) at Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey. I am the founder and director of the Reliable and Efficient INformation Systems (REINS) Group at METU. This is my METU webpage.

I was a Postdoctoral Associate with the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Duke University between 2018 and 2021, where I was working with Robert Calderbank. I received my Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, I was working with Lara Dolecek as part of the Laboratory for Robust Information Systems (LORIS). Before joining UCLA, I studied Electronics and Communications Engineering at Cairo University. I received my M.S. and Bachelor degrees from Cairo University in 2011 and 2006, respectively.

My paper "A combinatorial methodology for optimizing non-binary graph-based codes: Theoretical analysis and applications in data storage" won the 2018-2019 Best Student Paper Award of the IEEE Data Storage Technical Committee (DSTC) (news on IEEE DSTC website, news on UCLA LORIS website). My paper "A three-stage approach for designing non-binary spatially-coupled codes for Flash memories" won the Memorable Paper Award at the 2018 Non-Volatile Memories Workshop (NVMW), in the area of devices, coding, and information theory (news on UCLA ECE website, news on UCSD Engineering website). My paper "Non-binary LDPC code optimization for partial-response channels" won the Best Paper Award at the 2015 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Selected Areas in Communications (SAC), Data Storage Track (news on UCLA ECE website).

I won the prestigious 2018-2019 Distinguished Ph.D. Dissertation Award in Signals and Systems from the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at UCLA (news on UCLA ECE website). I won the 2016-2017 Electrical Engineering Henry Samueli Excellence in Teaching Award for teaching Probability and Statistics (EE 131A) at UCLA. I also won the 2017-2018 Dissertation Year Fellowship (DYF) at UCLA (news on UCLA ECE website).

These are my CV, LinkedIn account, Google Scholar account, and Research Gate account.

I have been recently awarded the TÜBİTAK 2232-B International Fellowship for Early Stage Researchers in 2022 (news on METU EEE website). I am looking for motivated and talented students to join my research group. Financial support is available for graduate students. If you are interested in working with me, please email me, attaching your detailed CV. If you are an international graduate or prospective graduate student, please only email me if you are interested in a Ph.D. position. At the moment, I am hiring Ph.D. and M.S. students. The undergraduate division of my group is currently full.

Note 1. If you are interested in working with me, you need to be interested in learning and exploring the role of applied mathematics in electrical and computer engineering.

Note 2. Fundamentally, coding theory has absolutely nothing to do with software coding. We only use software programming as a tool.

Research Interests

My research interests are broadly in applying coding/information theoretic concepts and techniques to solve problems associated with modern practical systems, e.g., data-hungry systems. I am interested in working on coding/information theoretic problems with applications in data storage, data transmission, cloud storage, blockchain-based systems, distributed computing, machine learning, quantum computing, privacy and secrecy, DNA analysis, computer systems, and wireless communications. The techniques I develop involve tools from combinatorics, graph theory, linear algebra, algorithms, probability theory, stochastic processes, statistics, abstract algebra, and optimization.

The focus of my recent and my current research is on:

  • Error-correction codes for modern applications:

    Non-binary, spatially-coupled, and multi-dimensional LDPC codes.

  • Capacity-achieving, reconfigurable constrained codes.

  • Magnetic, solid-state, and resistive storage systems.

  • How machine learning and coding can help each other.

  • Coding for centralized cloud systems.

  • Coding for blockchain-based decentralized cloud systems.

  • Data processing in edge devices.

  • In-memory computing and computational storage.

  • Signal processing and coding for DNA data storage.

  • Quantum computing and quantum error correction.

  • Modern wireless communication systems.

  • Importance sampling for statistical prediction.

  • Channel characterization and channel modeling.

  • Optimization techniques and applications.

  • Iterative probabilistic algorithms and applications.

  • Graph-theoretic methods and applications.

Announcements

  • (02/2024) We have a new paper accepted at NVMW 2024, and it has been announced a finalist for the Memorable Paper Award (more on NVMW website)!

  • (01/2024) Ata earns the TÜBİTAK 2247-C (STAR-Intern Researcher Scholarship Programme) scholarship. Congratulations, Ata!

  • (12/2023) New group member: Welcome, Mucahit!

  • (12/2023) Dogukan receives a Research Assistant position in our department. Congratulations, Dogukan!

  • (11/2023) Canberk passes the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. Congratulations, Canberk!

  • (08/2023) New group member: Welcome, Selahattin!

  • (07/2023) Congratulations to Dogukan, Ece, and Kaan on earning their Bachelor degrees!

  • (07/2023) Group name: Our group is now officially named the Reliable and Efficient INformation Systems (REINS) Group!

  • (07/2023) We have a new paper accepted at ISTC 2023.

  • (04/2023) New group members: Welcome, Ata and Gulnihal!

  • (10/2022) New group members: Welcome, Canberk and Duru!

  • (09/2022) New group members: Welcome, Simay and Kaan!

  • (07/2022) New group members: Welcome, Selin and Yusuf!

  • (03/2022) New group member: Welcome, Seral!

  • (01/2022) We have a new paper accepted at IEEE ICC 2022.

Contact

Assist. Prof. Ahmed Hareedy
Middle East Technical University (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi)
Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department (Elektrik ve Elektronik Mühendisliği D-103 Bölüm Başkanlığı)
Üniversiteler Mahallesi, Dumlupınar Bulvarı No:1 06800
Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey

Room number: D-124-2
Research group room number: DB-08
Phone number: +90 (312) 210-2376
Emails: ahareedy at metu dot edu dot tr; ahareedy at ucla dot edu