Mahdi Yazdanpour, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2019
• M.S., Industrial Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran, 2012
• B.S., Computer Engineering, Qazvin Azad University, Qazvin, Iran, 2003

Biography

Dr. Mahdi Yazdanpour is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology at Miami University and the Dr. James Russell Myers Endowed Engineering Technology Professor. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Coordinator of the Institute for Student Research and Creative Activity at Northern Kentucky University, where he received the CAS Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2023).

With a B.S. in Computer Engineering, an M.S. in Industrial Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Dr. Yazdanpour brings a uniquely diverse academic background that enriches his problem-solving approach and allows him to tackle engineering challenges from multiple perspectives. He has over a decade of teaching and research experience, complemented by more than ten years in industry, where he held technical, managerial, and leadership roles in manufacturing, power plants, and oil & gas.

His research focuses on intelligent mechatronic systems, human-robot interaction, brain-computer interfaces, mind-controlled systems, autonomous systems, industrial automation, smart manufacturing, and computer/machine vision. His work on AI-driven neuroprosthetics—including a brain-controlled prosthetic arm with a hybrid brain-computer interface—has been funded by the NIH (KY INBRE, Mid-South REACH, KYNETIC) and recognized with the Kentucky Commercialization Impact Award. This research has attracted national media attention (WCPO 9 News, Spectrum News 1, PBS KET, O&P Almanac) and invitations to present at events such as the Commonwealth Computational Summit on AI (University of Kentucky), the Six@Six Lecture Series, WKU’s Science Day, and the Qualinn Symposium on Clinical Excellence Innovation in Colombia.

Dr. Yazdanpour is a Senior Member of IEEE, serving as Chair of the IEEE Cincinnati Section, Vice Chair of the ASME Cincinnati Section, and Chair of Annual Programs for ASEE’s Engineering Technology Division. He is also an ABET Program Evaluator (PEV).

Academic and Professional Experience

• Associate Professor, Miami University, August 2025 – present
• Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator of Mechatronics Engineering Technology, Northern Kentucky University, August 2020 – August 2025
• Coordinator of Institute for Student Research and Creative Activity, Northern Kentucky University, May 2024 – May 2025
• Lecturer, Northern Kentucky University, January 2020 – July 2020
• Adjunct Professor, Northern Kentucky University, November 2018 – May 2019
• Instructor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University, June 2018 – August 2018
• Lab Instructor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University, August 2016 – May 2018
• Visiting Professor, School of International Studies and Outreach, Oklahoma State University, May 2016 – June 2016
• Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University, June 2014 – May 2016
• Process Quality Manager, MAPNA Boiler Engineering and Manufacturing, March 2011 – December 2012
• Planning and Quality Systems Manager, MAPNA Boiler Engineering and Manufacturing, March 2010 – March 2011
• Production Planning and Control Manager / Project Manager, MAPNA Equipment Engineering and Manufacturing, December 2007 – March 2010
• Production Planning and Material Control Supervisor, MAPNA NEYRPERSE, May 2003 – December 2007

Research Interests

• Intelligent Mechatronic Systems
• Human Robot Interaction
• Brain Computer Interface
• Mind-Controlled Systems
• Industrial Automation
• Smart Manufacturing
• Computer/Machine Vision

Publications

• M. Yazdanpour, Vu Tran. “A Modular 6-Dof Collaborative Robot Arm with Worm Gear Transmission and Embedded Control,” In The 2025 International Conference on Control, Automation and Diagnosis, July 2025. (The Bronze Best Paper Award)
• M. Yazdanpour, M. Sadat. “Integrating Theory and Practice in Signals and Systems Education: A Lab-Centered Curriculum,” In 2025 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Montreal, Canada, June 2025.
• M. Yazdanpour, M. Sadat. “Innovative Lab-Centered Learning Approach for Enhancing Mechatronic Systems Education,” In 2025 ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration, Henderson, NV, February 2025.
• M. Yazdanpour, V. Tran, S. Tayabee. “Autonomous Omnidirectional Mobile Robot for Indoor Navigation,” In 2024 IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology, Eau Claire, WI, June 2024.
• M. Yazdanpour, L. Ferrao, B. Ale. “Development of a Brain-controlled Mini Industrial Robotic Arm,” In 2024 ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration, Garden Grove, CA, February 2024.
• B. Karimi, M. Yazdanpour, R. Mosier, “Online Education Efficacy in Construction,” In American School of Construction (ASC) Conference, London, UK, April 2023.
• B. Karimi, M. Yazdanpour, S. Foley. “COVID-19 Effects on Construction Industry,” In American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, June 2022.
• B. Karimi, M. Yazdanpour, A. Levin, P. Lewis. “COVID-19 Effects on Engineering Technology and Construction Management Students: A Case Study,” In American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition, July 2021.
• M. Yazdanpour, G. Fan, W. Sheng. “ManhattanFusion: Online Dense Reconstruction of Indoor Scenes from Depth Sequences,” In IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG), November 2020, 28(7):2668-2681.
• M. Yazdanpour, G. Fan, W. Sheng. “Online Manhattan Keyframe-based Dense Reconstruction from Indoor Depth Sequences,” In IEEE Visual Communication and Image Processing, Sydney, Australia, December 2019.
• M. Yazdanpour, G. Fan, W. Sheng. “Online Reconstruction of Indoor Scenes with Local Manhattan Frame Growing,” In IEEE Workshop on Perception beyond Visible Spectrum in conjunction with CVPR 2019, Long Beach, CA, June 2019. (The Best Paper Award)
• M. Yazdanpour, G. Fan, W. Sheng. “Real-Time Volumetric Reconstruction of Manhattan Indoor Scenes from Depth Sequences,” In IEEE Visual Communication and Image Processing, Saint Petersburg, FL, December 2017.

Patent

• AI-Driven Brain-Controlled Prosthetic Arm with Hybrid Brain-Computer Interface, Provisional Patent # 63/724,952, 2024.