People | Mohammadreza Heidari

Our research brings together students, researchers, and collaborators at the intersection of systems engineering, emerging technologies, and sustainability. Below are current and former students and researchers I have mentored or advised.

Researcher Team

Mohammadreza Heidari

Principal Investigator

Education:

• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University
• M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sharif University of Technology
• B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tabriz

Academic Appointments:

• Research Assistant Professor, Trienese Institute for Sustainability and Energy, Northwestern University, IL [2025 - current position]

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Michigan, MI, 2022-2025

• Research Assistant, Michigan State University, MI, 2017-2021

• Research Assistant, Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE), OH, 2015-2017

Ali AlQatari

Graduate student

Master’s researcher in Mechanical Engineering studying the energy and environmental impacts of hyperscale and AI-specialized data centers, with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable digital infrastructure.

Mai Khuc

Graduate student

Master Student in Energy and Sustainability at Northwestern University, working on AI energy efficiency improvement

Cecily Durkin

Undergraduate student

Undergraduate researcher studying the techno-economic and life-cycle performance of autonomous manufacturing technologies as part of the NSF HAMMER Engineering Research Center.

Sofia Mazin

Undergraduate student

Undergraduate researcher conducting techno-economic analysis of advanced and autonomous manufacturing systems, including Agility Forge technologies within the NSF HAMMER Engineering Research Center.

Former mentees & advisees

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Rajhans Negi, Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University (2025). Project: Water footprints of hyperscale datacenters
Dr. Sahar Salehi, Independent Researcher, Social Science (2025). Project: Climate change impacts on vulnerable populations in the Global South
Dr. Masoumeh Eshtiaghi, Independent Researcher, Social Science (2023 & 2025). Project: Women’s barriers to renewable energy adaptation in the Global South

Ph.D. Students

Michael L. Brough, Chemical & Biological Engineering, Northwestern University (2025). Project: Energy system analysis
Yilun Zhou, Chemical & Biological Engineering, Northwestern University (2025-2026). Project: Upcycling spent cathode battery materials for stainless steel production
Muhammad Umar Farooq, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2024). Project: Circular economy models for Ford Motor Company
Ziqi Yin, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2023-2024). Project: Circular economy models for the U.S. plastic industry
Opeyemi Akinniyi, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2023-2024). Project: LCA and techno-economic analysis of the U.S. steel industry
Alissa Tsai, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2022-2024). Project: Enhancing the recycled content of automotive aluminum sheet components

Master Students

Rohan Challa, Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan (2023). Project: Enhancing circular economy models for renewable energy systems

Undergraduate Students

Jeremiah Alonzo, Northwestern University (2025). Project: Energy footprints of hyperscale data centers
Delaney Smith, Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University (2025). Project: Upcycling spent cathode batteries for stainless steel production
Lucas Hardy, Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University (2017-2019). Project: experimental work on measuring the toxicity of fullerenes on Daphnia Magna