SFSahar Fatemi

About

From electronics to applied computing

I’m Sahar Fatemi, a master’s student in Computer Science and Engineering (Applied Computing) at the University of Oulu, with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tabriz. My work spans the connection between physical systems, data and software—from electronics testing and edge sensing to machine-learning pipelines and interactive web applications.

My current interests centre on AI and human–AI interaction. In the Crowd Computing Research Group, I developed an LLM-personalized music prototype and designed a study of background music and cognitive performance, prepared for future participant data collection. Alongside this research work, I co-develop and test Presense in a three-person team and have experience in backend development, university teaching and programming tutoring.

Education

  1. 2025–Present

    Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering (Applied Computing)

    University of Oulu, Finland

    Pursuing a master's degree in applied computing at the University of Oulu, with an average score of 4.5/5.0.

  2. 2019–2024

    Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Electronics)

    University of Tabriz, Iran

    Completed a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with an electronics focus at the University of Tabriz.

Research and development experience

At Presense, my work includes testing job search, CV creation and video-call interviews with AI avatars, as well as creating video tutorials. I am preparing student testing at the University of Oulu.

My research internship connected a review of 35 academic papers with prototype development and cognitive-task study design. The Music Assistant case study explains the implementation and the study prepared for future participant data collection.

  1. 2026–Present

    Co-founder – Presense

    Presense · AI Job Search, CV and Interview Platform

    Co-developing and testing an AI job-search, CV and interview platform in a three-person team.

  2. June 2026 – September 2026

    Research Assistant Intern

    Crowd Computing Research Group, University of Oulu, Finland

    Developed an LLM-personalized music system and prepared a study of music and cognitive tasks.

  3. 2023–2025

    Junior Frontend and Backend Engineer

    Diba, Iran

    Assisted with Python backend development and contributed to API design and system testing.

  4. 2022

    Engineering Intern – Hardware/Software Integration

    Sobh Parlar Asia Industrial Co., Iran

    Used Python for data analysis and electronics-test workflow automation in hardware–software integration.

Teaching and mentoring

My teaching experience spans university courses and individual programming support. For the Social Computing course at the University of Oulu, I served under the supervision of Dr. Aku Visuri and Prof. Simo Hosio. As a freelance tutor, I taught Python, SQL and backend fundamentals and mentored students in academic programming projects.

  1. November 2026 – December 2026

    Teaching Assistant – AI Engineering Course

    University of Oulu, Finland

    Teaching assistant for the AI Engineering course at the University of Oulu.

  2. September 2026 – October 2026

    Teaching Assistant – Social Computing Course

    University of Oulu, Finland

    Teaching assistant for the Social Computing course at the University of Oulu.

  3. 2021–2024

    Freelance Tutor – Programming & Web Development

    Taught Python, SQL, and backend fundamentals and mentored academic programming projects.

  4. 2022

    Teaching Assistant – Python Programming

    University of Tabriz, Iran

    Served as a teaching assistant for Python programming at the University of Tabriz.

Awards and scholarships

My 2026 Nokia Master’s Thesis Scholarship supports the topic “Personalized AI-generated background music and its effect on cognitive performance (attention, memory, and planning).”

The Iran Opportunity Award recognises Iranian women with outstanding academic achievements who apply to graduate programmes in the United States. My selection as a Research Assistant Intern in the Crowd Computing research group in 2026 is recorded under research and development experience above.

  • Nokia Master’s Thesis Scholarship

    Received one of ten scholarships awarded for selected master’s thesis topics.

    CSE-ITEE, University of Oulu · 2026

  • 1st Place Winner, Aura Program

    Won first place with a team project on an AI-based video-call system using multimodal signal analysis.

    OuluES – Oulu Entrepreneurship Society, University of Oulu · March 2026

  • University of Oulu / Nokia Scholarship

    Received the University of Oulu / Nokia Scholarship at the beginning of master's studies.

    University of Oulu / Nokia · June 10, 2025

  • Iran Opportunity Award

    Selected as one of 50 Iran Opportunity Award recipients from nearly 4,000 applicants.

    2024

  • Top 10 Ranking in Electrical Engineering

    Ranked Top 10 in Electrical Engineering, among 150 peers.

    2023

  • Top 1% in Iranian National University Entrance Exam

    Placed in the Top 1% in the Iranian National University Entrance Exam.

    2019

  • University of Tabriz Scholarship

    Received a University of Tabriz scholarship.

    University of Tabriz · 2019

  • Regional Mathematics Olympiad Acceptance

    Accepted in the Regional Mathematics Olympiad.

    2016

Professional membership

  • IEEE Membership

    Selected as a member of IEEE at the University of Tabriz.

    IEEE, University of Tabriz · 2022

Research methods and technical skills

My projects connect study design and data preparation with model development and software implementation. The project collection shows these methods in context.

**Programming and web:** Python, Java, TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Spring Boot, FastAPI, Flask, SQL, C#, C and MATLAB. Application work includes REST APIs, microservices, API-key authentication, terminal clients, and unit and integration testing.

**AI and data:** PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Pandas, NumPy, PySpark, Spark ML, LLM APIs, LoRA and RAG. Project methods include transfer learning, feature engineering, class-imbalance handling, model comparison and on-device inference. My visual emotion-recognition work also uses FFmpeg, YOLO11n, EmotionCLIP and CLIP.

**Infrastructure:** PostgreSQL, SQLite, Redis, InfluxDB, RabbitMQ, MQTT, Grafana, Docker, OpenShift and Git, including deployment on Rahti OpenShift.

**Embedded systems and electronics:** Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi Pico W, MicroPython, VHDL/Verilog, FPGA, PIC microcontrollers, Proteus, MPLAB, Altium and PSPICE.

**Interactive systems and research:** Unity and Photon for multiplayer VR; literature review, study design and cognitive-task implementation for the personalized-music prototype.

Research and Study Design

  • Literature review
  • Study design
  • Cognitive-task implementation
  • background music
  • attention
  • memory
  • mind-wandering
  • mood
  • and arousal

Machine Learning and Data Analysis

  • PyTorch
  • Scikit-learn
  • Pandas
  • NumPy
  • PySpark
  • Apache Spark
  • Spark ML
  • and OpenCV
  • LLM APIs
  • LoRA
  • RAG
  • and TinyLlama-1.1B
  • ResNet18
  • EfficientNet
  • and pretrained CNNs
  • transfer learning
  • CNN fine-tuning
  • attention modules
  • ensembles
  • TTA
  • Focal and CB Loss
  • K-Nearest Neighbors
  • Logistic Regression
  • Decision Tree

Programming and Web Systems

  • Python
  • Java
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript
  • SQL
  • C#
  • C
  • MATLAB
  • and MicroPython
  • React
  • Spring Boot
  • FastAPI
  • and Flask
  • full-stack development
  • REST APIs
  • API-key authentication
  • and microservices
  • unit and integration testing
  • Terminal-client development

Data Infrastructure and Deployment

  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
  • Redis
  • and InfluxDB
  • RabbitMQ and MQTT
  • Grafana
  • Docker
  • OpenShift
  • Rahti OpenShift
  • and Git
  • distributed edge/cloud processing
  • local buffering
  • and fault tolerance

Embedded Systems and Electronics

  • Raspberry Pi
  • Raspberry Pi Pico W
  • FPGA
  • and PIC microcontrollers
  • VHDL/Verilog
  • RTL
  • and digital logic
  • Proteus
  • MPLAB
  • Altium
  • and PSPICE
  • hardware–software integration
  • electronics-test automation
  • and timer interrupts
  • CPU design and simulation
  • analog amplifier design

Virtual Reality Development

  • Unity and Photon
  • multiplayer VR
  • physics-based interaction
  • and comfort techniques

Certifications

  • Machine Learning Specialization

    Completed the Machine Learning Specialization from Stanford University on Coursera.

    Stanford University (Coursera)

  • Digital Signal Processing Specialization

    Completed the Digital Signal Processing Specialization from EPFL on Coursera.

    EPFL (Coursera)

  • Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp

    Completed a full-stack web development bootcamp on Udemy.

    Udemy

  • Deep Learning A–Z

    Completed Deep Learning A–Z on Udemy.

    Udemy

  • Python, Pandas, SQL, and Git Training

    DataCamp credentials covering Python, Pandas, SQL, and Git.

    DataCamp

  • Engineering the Future in the Post-COVID Era

    An IEEE webinar credential for “Engineering the Future in the Post-COVID Era.”

    IEEE · 2020

Languages

Languages

  • C1 Advanced
  • A2 Basic Working Proficiency
  • Native
  • Fluent

Areas of interest

My interests connect the design of human-facing AI systems with the software needed to build and study them:

  • Human–Computer Interaction
  • Human–AI Interaction
  • Conversational AI and LLMs
  • Digital Wellbeing
  • Full-Stack Web Development
  • Applied Machine Learning
  • RESTful API Design
  • User Experience Engineering

  • Areas of Interest

    Interests spanning human-centered AI, digital wellbeing, and application development.

Research conversations

If you would like to discuss my research or related work, get in touch.