Dr. Maryam Parsa
Dr. Maryam Parsa is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Mason
University (GMU), where she leads research in neuromorphic and brain-inspired computing. She is a
recipient of the 2026 NSF CAREER Award and the 2026 George Mason University College of Engineering
and Computing Outstanding Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Award. Prior to joining GMU, Dr. Parsa
was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Beyond Moore Computing group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL). She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2020 from the Center for
Brain-Inspired Computing (C-BRIC) at Purdue University, where she worked under the supervision of
Prof. Kaushik Roy.
Dr. Parsa's research seeks to understand and translate principles of biological intelligence into
new computing systems that are efficient, adaptive, resilient, and explainable. Her work spans the
computing stack, from emerging devices and circuits to algorithms, learning architectures, and
autonomous systems, with particular emphasis on neuromorphic computing and hyperdimensional
computing. Dr. Parsa has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, and her research has
been supported through more than $12 million in collaborative research funding. She has led and
contributed to research programs supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of
Energy, U.S. Army, Intel, and other federal and industry partners.
Postdoctoral
Shay Snyder
Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, since September 2026
Previous Degree: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, 2026
Previous Degree: BS in Computer Science, East Tennessee State University, 2022
Full-Time PhD
Ayana Moshruba
Position: Graduate Research Assistant
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Spring 2022
Previous Degree: BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh, 2021
Hamed Poursiami
Position: Graduate Research Assistant
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Fall 2022
Previous Degree: MSc in Electrical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, 2019
Previous Degree: BSc in Electrical Engineering, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran, 2016
Fardifa Fathmiul Alam
Position: Graduate Research Assistant
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Fall 2025
Previous Degree: MS in Computer Science, Clemson University, 2025
Previous Degree: BS in Computer Science and Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh, 2022
Muhammad Zaheer Sajid
Position: Graduate Research Assistant
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Spring 2026
Previous Degree: MSc in Software Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan, 2023
Previous Degree: BS in Information Technology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Pakistan, 2019
Sina Rashetnia
Position: Graduate Research Assistant
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Fall 2026
Previous Degree: BE in Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Iran
Kevin Zhu
Position: Graduate Research Assistant; Co-Advised by Prof. Cameron Nowzari
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Fall 2022
Previous Degree: BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, 2021
Alireza Afshar
Position: Graduate Teaching Assistant: Co-Advised by Prof. Elise Miller-Hooks (CEIE)
Program: PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Mason University, since Fall 2021
Previous Degree: MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire, 2015
Previous Degree: BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Iran, 2013
Part-Time PhD
Derek Gobin
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, since Spring 2023
Previous Degree: MS in Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, 2020
Previous Degree: BS in Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014
Undergraduate
Ali Albayati
Position: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Program: BS in Electrical Engineering, George Mason University
Graduate Alumni
Maria Victoria Clerico
Current Position: Research Assistant at IBM Research Zurich
Past Position: Graduate Research Assistant, Fall 2023 through Summer 2024
Program: MS in Computer Engineering, George Mason University 2024
Shay Snyder
Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Parsa Research Laboratory
Past Position: Graduate Research Assistant, Spring 2023 through Summer 2026
Program: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, 2026
Dissertation: Computational Principles of Neural Representations for Scalable Perception, Memory, and Learning
Undergraduate Alumni
Khang Diep
Current Position: MS of Electrical Engineering at George Mason University
Past Position: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Fall 2023 through Spring 2024
Past Program: BS of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at George Mason University
Andrew F Didonna
Current Position: MS of Integrative Neuroscience at Georgetown University
Past Position: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Fall 2021 through Fall 2022
Past Program: BS in Neuroscience, George Mason University
Gage Alexander Jones
Current Position:Audio Visual Technician at Caesars Entertainment
Past Position: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Fall 2021 through Fall 2022
Past Program: BS in Music Technology, George Mason University