About me

Teaching

I like the hands-on parts of teaching: writing code, talking through decisions with students, and trying different ways to explain something. I also build and experiment with tools for my classes. Working on those tools keeps me close to software development and gives me a way to rethink how I prepare and share course materials.

See current courses and teaching materials →

Industry experience

In industry, I enjoyed working with design and product colleagues to turn an idea into something we could try, refine, and eventually release. I worked across browser interfaces and the services behind them, building interactive learning activities, configurable data tools, and payment integrations.

My involvement often continued beyond the first implementation: working through architectural choices, reviewing code, and supporting the software in production. I also helped an early-stage company decide on its technical direction and build its initial engineering team.

Companies I’ve worked with Guavus · SMART Technologies · Localintel · Microsoft · Replayz

Research & publications

My research began in robotics at the University of Tehran. I explored how an air-hockey robot could learn to shoot accurately from a few examples, adjusting to the table’s friction and bounce. I worked on both the learning algorithm and the physical system, using computer vision to track the puck.

At the University of Calgary, I turned to how people communicate movement when they’re apart. I explored touch feedback for remote exercise and built HappyFeet, a shared virtual floor where dance partners could see each other’s foot movements.

Publications

1. Alizadeh, H., Witcraft, A., Tang, A., & Sharlin, E. “HappyFeet: Embodiments for Joint Remote Dancing.” Graphics Interface 2016.
2. Alizadeh, H., Tang, R., Sharlin, E., & Tang, A. “Haptics in Remote Collaborative Exercise Systems for Seniors.” CHI 2014 Extended Abstracts.
3. Tang, R., Alizadeh, H., Tang, A., Bateman, S., & Jorge, J. A. “Physio@Home: Design Explorations to Support Movement Guidance.” CHI 2014 Extended Abstracts.
4. Alizadeh, H., Moradi, H., & Ahmadabadi, M. N. “Automatic Calibration of an Air Hockey Robot.” ICRoM 2013.

Education

• M.Sc. Human–Computer InteractionCalgary · 2013–2016

  University of Calgary. Thesis: Embodiments for Joint Remote Exercise.

• M.Sc. Machine Learning & RoboticsTehran · 2010–2013

  University of Tehran. Thesis: Learning from Sparse Demonstrations: An Application to Air Hockey.

• B.Sc. Software EngineeringTehran · 2005–2010

  University of Tehran.

Beyond work

Persian poetry and music are an important part of my life, and I play the tar, a traditional Persian string instrument.

I also spent a year as VP of the Calgary Persian Library — a volunteer-run, Persian-language library at the University of Calgary — where I organized cultural and charity events, book clubs, and poetry-reading nights.

Contact

Interested in teaching tools, software collaboration, or software projects involving poetry or other creative practices? Feel free to get in touch at hesam@hesamalizadeh.com, or find me as hesamat on GitHub.