Dr. Salman Avestimehr

Professor

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Biography

Salman Avestimehr is a Dean's Professor in the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008, following a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the same institution in 2005, and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2003. Prior to joining USC, he held the position of Assistant Professor at Cornell University from 2009 to 2013 and was a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Mathematics of Information at Caltech in 2008. He is the inaugural director of the vITAL research lab, focusing on Information Theory and Machine Learning, and co-founder of FedML. His research interests include Information Theory, Machine Learning, Distributed Computing, Secure Private Learning, and Federated Learning. Avestimehr has received several awards for his research and teaching, including the IEEE Information Theory Society James L. Massey Research & Teaching Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. He is also a Fellow of the IEEE and serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory.

Research Interests

Experience

Dean's Professor

2013-01-01 — Present

University of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA

Dean's Professor and Director of the vITAL research lab.

Assistant Professor

2009-01-01 — 2013-01-01

Cornell University •

Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

Postdoctoral Scholar

2008-01-01 — 2009-01-01

Caltech •

Postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Mathematics of Information.

Awards

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IEEE Information Theory Society James L. Massey Research & Teaching Award

2019-01-01
#

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)

2011-01-01
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National Science Foundation CAREER Award

2010-01-01

Requirements for University of Southern California

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6.5
GRE General
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Math, or Hard Science
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Personal Statement
  • Resume/CV
  • Letters of Recommendation (not required for MS CS, but allowed)
Specialization Notes

GRE is NOT required for Master's applicants for 2025-2026.