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About Me

A deeper dive into my journey, research, and technical background.

Biography

I am Mohsen Raoufi, an AI Engineer and Robotics Specialist with a systems-oriented approach to building intelligent technologies. I am driven by a simple belief: to truly understand a system, you have to build it yourself. With a strong background in dynamics, state estimation, and control, I specialize in designing and deploying robust intelligent systems that bridge mathematical models, software, and real-world hardware.

Academic Background

My academic path began with a deep interest in engineering and the dynamics and control of complicated mechanical systems. During my B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering and M.Sc. in Dynamics and Control—where I received the National Best Thesis award for my work on heuristic nonlinear state estimation—I developed a strong foundation in system dynamics, modeling, and estimation. This early work shaped my engineering mindset and my preference for approaches that are both theoretically grounded and implementable.

Over time, my focus expanded from individual engineered systems to the emergent behavior of complex and distributed systems. I became interested in how simple local interactions can give rise to collective intelligence. This shift led me to doctoral research at the Science of Intelligence Cluster of Excellence, where I studied collective estimation and opinion dynamics over networks.

My Ph.D. research investigated how factors such as individuality, uncertainty, and network heterogeneity fundamentally shape collective behavior. Throughout this work, I consistently iterated between theory and practice by implementing decentralized models in simulations and on physical robotic collectives, ensuring that abstract insights translate into embodied intelligence.

Ph.D.

Technical University of Berlin, Germany

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Aug. 2020 - Sep. 2025

Thesis: On Differences in Collectives: Individuality, Diversity, and Heterogeneity in Robotic Collective Estimation

Graduated Magna Cum Laude

M.Sc. in Dynamics and Control Engineering

Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Oct. 2015 - May 2018

Thesis: Developing a Heuristic Nonlinear State-Estimator Based on Firefly Optimization Algorithm

B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering

K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Oct. 2011 - Sep. 2015

Professional Experience

I have spent the last decade combining research with a hands-on approach to engineering. I pride myself on being both a researcher and the go-to person for solving complex, practical challenges that require more than just a theoretical answer. My work experience ranges from leading robotic teams in competitions to developing test-beds for research purposes, such as <LARS> (Light Augmented Reality System), where I pipelined the detection, tracking, and projection into a single end-to-end software framework combining OpenCV with CUDA, Qt Application, for human-robot interaction. I have engineered everything from low-level motor control for soccer robots, to modeling, estimation, and control of non-linear engineering systems, to agent-based simulations of complex opinion dynamics, always ensuring that my code is as robust in the real world as it is in a simulation environment.

Lecturer

Technical University of Berlin

Sep. 2024 - Sep. 2025

  • Curated and taught a graduate-level seminar, "Introduction to Collective Robotics"
  • Supervised student projects on collective behavior

Doctoral Researcher

Research Cluster of Excellence, Science of Intelligence

Aug. 2020 - Sep. 2025

  • Modeled decentralized decision-making and distributed learning using Python (e.g., PyTorch, Jax)
  • Performed large-scale simulations on HPCs with data analysis of emergent dynamics
  • Implemented collective estimation on networked sensors and robotic collectives
  • Published and presented in Scientific Reports, NPJ Complexity, IEEE ICRA, and Sensors

Research Assistant

Middle-East Technical University, Ankara, Turkiye

Feb. 2020 - Aug. 2020

  • Conducted research on adaptive collective aggregation in multi-agent systems using agent-based models and physics-based simulation in Python, and Webots
  • Supervised a master's student whose work led to a publication in Adaptive Behavior journal

Research Collaborator

University of Manchester, UK (Remote)

Control Systems Group

Sep. 2018 - Dec. 2019

  • Studied and implemented adaptive collective behavior and self-organization in multi-agent systems
  • Applied optimization algorithms to fine-tune behavioral parameters for improved performance

Software Developer

Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

May 2017 - May 2018

  • Developed GUI and real-time object tracking system for controlling a pan-tilt-zoom camera, in C++/QT/OpenCV/CUDA on embedded system
  • Gained hands-on experience translating algorithmic ideas into production-oriented code under hardware and latency limitations

Robotics Engineer

KN2C Robotics Team, Tehran, Iran

Sep. 2011 - Sep. 2015

  • Designed and prototyped small-size soccer robots in a multidisciplinary team
  • Led the mobile robot team to 1st and 2nd place finishes in machine vision challenges