Hannaneh B. Pasandi
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, UC Berkeley
Part-time Researcher, INRIA-Lyon
Visiting Assistant Professor, North Carolina A&T State University
I am a Networked Systems Researcher focusing on creating agile, secure, efficient, and intelligent network systems and wireless communication. My research advances networked systems through three complementary areas: hybrid space-terrestrial networks, intelligent wireless protocols, and privacy-aware network architectures.
My primary focus is on direct-to-device satellite communications, where I develop novel solutions for Doppler compensation, protocol optimization, and seamless LEO-GEO integration. In wireless networks, I pioneer AI-driven protocol design, particularly for Wi-Fi and cellular systems, creating autonomous, self-optimizing protocols that adapt to dynamic network conditions.
Research Interests
- Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications: Developing novel solutions for Doppler compensation, protocol optimization, and LEO-GEO integration.
- Intelligent Wireless Protocols: Creating AI-driven protocol designs for Wi-Fi and cellular systems that autonomously adapt to network conditions.
- Privacy-Aware Network Architectures: Developing systems with built-in privacy protection for users in next-generation networks.
- On-Device Machine Learning for Networks: Exploring efficient ML techniques for resource-constrained devices in networked environments.
News
Education
Ph.D. in Computer Science
Virginia Commonwealth University
May 2023
Dissertation: Learning-Driven Frameworks for Self-Driven Protocols in Next-Generation Networks
Advisor: Dr. Tamer Nadeem
M.Sc. in Informatics (MoSIG) - Magna Cum Laude
Université Grenoble Alpes, France
July 2017
Thesis: Maximizing QoE for Video streaming Using WiFi Multicast (Best Dissertation award)
Supervisors: Prof. Gil Zussman, Prof. Franck Rousseau
Professional Experience
Postdoctoral Research Scholar Fellow
UC Berkeley
2023-Present
- Working on 5G including protocol design, user and location privacy, 5G signaling messages vulnerabilities
- Revolutionizing 5G ecosystem in co-existence with LEO/space networks
Part-time Researcher
Inria-Lyon, France
May 2024-Present
- Working on Direct-to-Satellite-IoT Communication
- Security Framework Assessment for LR-FHSS Modulation
Visiting Assistant Professor
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
2023-Present
Co-supervising Ph.D. Students
Senior Wireless System Engineer
Qualcomm Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA
May 2023
Worked on designing and testing Wi-Fi 7 algorithms, firmware, and boards.
Selected Research Projects
Microbursts in Data Center Networks: Analysis and Mitigation
2023-Present
Analyzing the application-specific characteristics of microbursts in data center networks and developing tailored mitigation techniques. This research shows that microbursts vary significantly across different applications, requiring application-aware approaches to effectively reduce their negative impact on network performance.
Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications
2023-Present
Developing novel solutions for Doppler compensation, protocol optimization, and seamless LEO-GEO integration in satellite communications. This work focuses on building more robust and efficient connections between terrestrial devices and satellite networks.
Privacy-Aware 5G Networking
2022-Present
Investigating privacy vulnerabilities in 5G signaling messages and developing protection mechanisms for user identity and location. This research aims to enhance user privacy while maintaining network performance in next-generation cellular networks.
Autonomous Protocol Design Using Machine Learning
2020-2023
Pioneering AI-driven protocol designs for Wi-Fi and cellular systems that autonomously adapt to dynamic network conditions, creating self-optimizing networking protocols that improve performance without manual intervention.
Selected Publications
Direct-to-Device Satellite Communication
Privacy-Aware Doppler Compensation in Next-Generation LEO Networks
Hannaneh B. Pasandi, Farideh Parastar, Juan A. Fraire, Herve Rivano
Accepted to ASMS 2025
Survey on Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects
H. B. Pasandi, Juan A. Fraire, Sylvia Ratnasamy, and Herve Rivano
2nd International Workshop on ACM MobiCom in LEO-Nets 2024
Networked and Wireless Systems
Poison comes in small packages: Application-driven Reexamination of Datacenter Microbursts
Mohammad Hosseini, Sina Darabi, Hannaneh B. Pasandi, Mohammad Nakhjiri, Patrick Eugster
Proc. ACM Meas. Anal. Comput. Syst. 2025
Autonomous On-Device Protocols: Empowering Wireless with Self-Driven Capabilities
H. B. Pasandi, T. Nadeem
IEEE WCNC, 2024
Towards a Learning-Based Framework for Self-Driving Design of Networking Protocols
H. B. Pasandi, T. Nadeem
IEEE Access, 2021
NCWIT Collegiate Award Honorable Mention
Video Streaming & Analytics
LATTE: Online MU-MIMO Grouping for Video Streaming Over Commodity WiFi
H. B. Pasandi, T. Nadeem
ACM MobiSys, 2021
Students, Mentees & Collaborators
Mahsa Tavasoli
Ph.D. Student, North Carolina A&T (Committee Member)
Dissertation: Secure and Efficient Vehicular Cloud-Edge Offloading
Radwan Rouzky
Ph.D. Student, North Carolina A&T
Dissertation: Data Governance in Smart Agriculture
Alexander Florez
INSA, INRIA-Lyon
Project: The Role of AI in Satellite IoT
Seyed Mojtaba Safaei
Incoming Ph.D. student, UC Santa Barbara
Afrosa Binazeer
University of Virginia
Mohammad Sepahi
Rivian Inc., formerly Old Dominion University
Master Thesis Mentor
Selected Honors & Awards
Invited Talks
Inria Lyon, France
2023
Insights from the Edge About Space
Hosted by: Juan A. Fraire
Schlumberger Foundation Scholars Forum, Boston, MA
2023
5G Privacy By Design
Sponsored by: Schlumberger Foundation
SOUPS/USENIX Security, Anaheim, CA
2023
Privacy Auditing and Protection in 5G Networks
Hosted by: USENIX Security
IEEE S&P, San Francisco, CA
2023
5G Privacy Threads and Mitigation: From Carrier and User Perspective
Hosted by: IEEE S&P 2023
Professional Service
Diversity, Inclusion, and Mentorship
Skills
Languages: Python, C/C++ (Fluent); JavaScript, Java, HTML/CSS/Bootstrap (Comfortable)
Technologies: Tensorflow (Fluent); PyTorch, Numpy, Hadoop, NodeJS, AWS, Google Cloud
Systems & Network: SDN, SDR, Wi-Fi Access Point Firmware, Arduino, Raspberry Pi
Tools: ns-3, Wireshark, Tcpdump, iPerf, Kismet