Koha-i-Noor

Abubakr Muhammad

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Bio

Date of Birth: December 19, 1976 Nationality: Pakistan
Marital Status: Married

Current Address : 104N McConnell Bldg., McGill Univ., Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2A7


Tel: 1-514-398-7071 ext. 00115

Email: abubakr@cs.mcgill.ca

URL: www.cs.mcgill.ca/ abubakar/

Education


PhD in Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 2005
Dissertation topic: Graphs, simplicial complexes and beyond: Topological tools
for multiagent coordination. Winner of Sigma-Xi Best PhD thesis award 2006


MS in Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 2005
Concentration in topology and geometry


MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology 2002
Concentration in signal processing, communications and control


BSc in Electrical Engineering, UET, Lahore, Pakistan 2000
Thesis title: Synchronized chaos for secure communication

Academic Research Experience

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Nov 2006–present
Quantum Information Processing Group, McGill University
Center for Intelligent Machines (CIM), McGill University


Postdoctoral Researcher Jan 2006–June 2007
General Robotics, Sensing & Perception Lab (GRASP), University of Pennsylvania


Research Assistant Aug 2001–Dec 2005
Center for Research in Embedded Systems (CREST), Georgia Institute of Technology


Visiting Research Scholar Dec 2004
Department of Mathematics, Stanford University


Visiting Research Scholar June 2004
Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Industry Experience


Research Scientist May 2002–July 2002
Advanced Engineering Research Organization (AERO), Pakistan


Design Engineer March 2000–July 2001
And Or Logic (pvt) Ltd, Islamabad, Pakistan


Internee May 1997–July 1997
Systems Software (pvt) Ltd, Lahore, Pakistan

Publications

Book
1. “Graphs, Simplicial Complexes and Beyond: Topological Tools for Multiagent Coordination,”
VDM Verlag, Saarbrucken, Germany, 2008. (In press)


Journal Articles

1. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Connectivity Graphs as Models of Local Interactions,”
Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computation, Vol. 168, Issue 1, September
2005, Pages 243–269.

2. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Feasibility, Reachability and Optimal Control of
Connectivity Graph Processes,” SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization. (Under revision)

3. Abubakr Muhammad and Ali Jadbabaie, “Computing Homology on Real Networks,”, Submitted
to ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks.

4. Abubakr Muhammad and Ali Jadbabaie, “From Consensus in Switching Graphs to Coverage
in Switching Simplicial Complexes.” To be submitted to IEEE transactions on Robotics.

Book Chapters

1. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Decentralized Coordination With Local Interactions:
Some New Directions,” Cooperative Control, Springer Lecture Notes in Control and
Information Sciences (LNCIS), Vol. 309, 2005.

2. Abubakr Muhammad, Meng Ji and Magnus Egerstedt, “Applications of Connectivity Graph
Processes in Networked Sensing and Control,” Networked Embdedded Sensing and Control,
Springer Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences (LNCIS), 2006.

3. Abubakr Muhammad and Ali Jadbabaie, “Dynamic coverage verification in Mobile Sensor
Networks Via Switched Higher Order Laplacians,” in Oliver Broch, (Editor), Robotics: Science
and Systems MIT Press, to appear, 2007.

4. Abubakr Muhammad and Ali Jadbabaie, “Asymptotic Stability of switched higher order Laplacians
and dynamic coverage”, in Alberto Bemporad, Antonio Bicchi and Giorgio Buttazzo
(Editors), Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control, Springer Lecture Notes in Compter
Science (LNCS), 2007.

Conference Papers

1. Abubakr Muhammad and Ali Jadbabaie, “Decentralized Computation of Homology Groups
in Networks by Gossip”, American Control Conference, 2007.

2. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Control Using Higher Order Laplacians in Network
Topologies,” Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems, Kyoto, Japan, 2006.

3. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Network Configuration Control Via Connectivity
Graph Processes,” American Control Conference, Minneapolis, 2006.

4. Meng Ji, Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Leader-Based Multi-Agent Coordination:
Controllability and Optimal Control,” American Control Conference, Minneapolis,
2006.

5. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt., “Positivstellensatz Certificates For Feasibility
Of Connectivity Graphs In Multi-Agent Formations,” 16th IFAC World Congress, Prague,
July 4-8, 2005.

6. Vin de Silva, Robert Ghrist and Abubakr Muhammad, “Blind Swarms for Coverage in 2-D,”
Robotics: Science and Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, June
8-11, 2005.

7. Robert Ghrist and Abubakr Muhammad, “Coverage And Hole-Detection In Sensor Networks
Via Homology,” The Fourth International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor
Networks (IPSN’05), UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, April 25-27, 2005.

8. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Connectivity Graphs as Models of Local Interactions,”
IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Bahamas, December 2004.

9. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “On The Structural Complexity Of Multi-Agent
Robot Formations,” American Control Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, July 2004.

10. Abubakr Muhammad and Magnus Egerstedt, “Topology And Complexity Of Formations,”
in Proceedings of 2nd International Workshop on the Mathematics and Algorithms of Social
Insects, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, December 15-17, 2003.

11. Henrik Axelsson, Abubakr Muhammad, and Magnus Egerstedt, “Autonomous Formation
Switching For Multiple, Mobile Robots,” in Proceedings of IFAC Conference on Analysis and
Design of Hybrid Systems, Sant-Malo, Brittany, France, June 2003.

12. Magnus Egerstedt, Abubakr Muhammad, and X. Hu, “Formation Control Under Limited
Sensory Range Constraints,” in Proceeding of 10th Mediterranean Conference on Control and
Automation, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2002.

13. Abubakr Muhammad, Biological Receptive Fields for Motion Detection, FAST-IEEE Student
Conference on CS and IT, FISC’ 98, Lahore, Pakistan, 1998.


Presentations/Invited Talks/Seminars (Selected)


Decision and Control Seminar, CSL, UIUC Nov 2006


Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems (MTNS), Kyoto, Japan July 2006


Systems and Controls Seminar, Georgia Tech April 2006


Networked Enabled Sensing and Control (NESC), Notre Dame Sept 2005


GRASP Lab Seminar, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Sept 2005


Department of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA July 2005


Information Processing in Sensor Networks (IPSN), Los Angeles, CA Apr 2005


Stanford University Topology Seminar, Palo Alto, CA Dec 2004


43rd Control and Decision Conference, Bahamas Dec 2004

American Mathematical Society (AMS) Sectional Meeting, Evanston, IL Oct 2004


American Control Conference, Boston, MA July 2004
Workshops/Summer Schools Attended


Workshop on Computational Geometry, Jan 2008, Bellairs Institute, Barbados, West Indies.


Workshop on Application of Topology in Science and Engineering, Sept. 2006, MSRI-Berkeley


Summer School on Control in Quantum Systems, Aug, 2005, Caltech, Pasadena


Workshop on UAV Autonomy and Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Control, Dec 13, 2004, Bahamas


Workshop on Semi-definite Programming Relaxations and Algebraic Optimization in Control,
June 29, 2004, Boston, MA


Teaching Experience


Course lecturer, COMP-208: Computers for Engineering, McGill University, Winter 2008


Reading group, Computational topology in Science & Engineering, McGill University, Winter
2008


Teaching assistant, ECE-6553: Optimal Control, Georgia Tech, Spring 2005


Substitute lecturer, ECE-6550: Linear Control Systems, Georgia Tech, Fall 2005


Reading group, Computational algebraic topology, School of Mathematical Sciences, Jan 2006


Awards and Honors


Sigma Xi Best PhD thesis from Georgia Tech for the year 2005


Graduate-track Coordinator for Georgia Tech Robotics Initiative Workshop 2003


Best in Session Award, American Controls Conference, Boston, 2004


Gold medalist, SSC examination, 1992 from Lahore Board


Silver medalist, HSSC examination 1994 from Lahore Board


National Talent Scholarship recipient, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995-2000 on various levels


Professional Services


Member program committee : First International Conference on Robot Communication and
Coordination (Robocomm 2007), Athens, Greece.


Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, IEEE transactions on Robotics and
Automation


Reviewer for various controls & robotics conferences and workshops (CDC, ACC, CAA, RSS,
ICRA)


Member IEEE since 1995
References


Dr Magnus Egerstedt, Associate Professor, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (PhD Adviser) magnus@ece.gatech.edu


Dr George Pappas, Professor, Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA pappasg@ee.upenn.edu


Dr Ali Jadbabaie, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (Postdoc supervisor) jadbabai@seas.upenn.edu


Dr Kostas Daniilidis, Associate Professor, Department of Computer and Information Science,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA kostas@cis.upenn.edu


Dr Robert Ghrist, Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign IL (Collaborator) ghrist@math.uiuc.edu


Dr Patrick Hayden, Canada Research Chair in Physics of Information, McGill University, QC
(Postdoc supervisor)