William Paterson University · Department of Computer Science
Investigating the convergence of Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Systems, Blockchain Technology, and Open-Source Computing to build adaptive, decentralized, and intelligent systems for the future.
Director
Dr. Ali Mohammad Saghiri is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at William Paterson University in New Jersey. With over 15 years of research experience, he works at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Systems, Blockchain, and Distributed Computing. His work bridges theoretical foundations in reinforcement learning and formal methods with practical applications in decentralized systems, autonomous decision-making, and self-evolving software.
Before joining William Paterson in 2023, Dr. Saghiri held postdoctoral research positions at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he worked on cybersecurity challenges in AI, peer-to-peer energy trading markets, topology optimization using reinforcement learning, adaptive cruise control algorithms, Central Bank Digital Currencies, and blockchain-based budget management systems.
He earned his Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), studying under Professor Mohammad Reza Meybodi at the Soft Computing Laboratory. His doctoral research advanced the theory of Dynamic Cellular Learning Automata and their applications in peer-to-peer network optimization. His M.Sc. thesis focused on personalized information retrieval in peer-to-peer systems under the supervision of Dr. Alireza Bagheri.
He also served as a consultant at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine on research involving applications of Digital Twins and Artificial Intelligence in dentistry, and held visiting professor and researcher positions at multiple institutions and Mazandaran University of Science and Technology.
Dr. Saghiri is a strong advocate for open-source software and Linux-based systems in both research and education. He has authored 5 books, 7 book chapters, 20 journal papers, and 25+ conference papers, accumulating over 1,758 citations.
Assistant Professor , Dept. of Computer Science, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ (2023–Present)
Research Pillars
The ACBOS Lab operates at four intersecting frontiers. Our research philosophy is rooted in building systems that are adaptive, decentralized, verifiable, and open.
We investigate how intelligent agents learn, adapt, and make decisions in complex, uncertain environments. Our work in reinforcement learning — particularly Learning Automata theory — forms the backbone of adaptive algorithms for distributed systems. We explore cognitive architectures that enable self-awareness, self-organization, and emergent intelligence, drawing from cellular automata, fungal growth patterns, and Schelling segregation models.
From defending Proof-of-Work protocols against selfish mining attacks to designing decentralized platoon management, our blockchain research spans theory and application. We use AI-driven defense mechanisms (Q-learning, variable-depth learning automata) and study blockchain architectures for search engines, healthcare data, budget systems, energy trading, and CBDCs.
We are committed to open-source as both a philosophy and a practical research framework. Our lab uses Linux-based environments for all development. We research adaptive shell scripting with LLMs, system administration automation, and formal verification of system-level code. Reproducible, open computing is essential for credible science.
We develop formal verification frameworks using SMT solvers (Z3), temporal logic model checking (SPIN), and mathematical proof systems to verify LLM-generated code. Our self-evolving programs combine Large Language Models with Quine programs to create software that adapts and improves autonomously.
Scholarship
All peer-reviewed publications. For real-time citation data visit Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or DBLP.
Teaching
Join Us
The ACBOS Virtual Lab is an open, collaborative research environment for motivated students — undergraduate and graduate — who want real experience working on cutting-edge problems in AI, cognitive systems, blockchain, and open-source software. Whether at William Paterson University or externally seeking research mentorship, our lab welcomes you.
Participation is project-driven. Students are matched to active research projects based on interests and skill level, and receive direct mentorship from Dr. Saghiri. All work uses open-source tools and Linux-based environments. Students are encouraged to publish findings and contribute to open-source repositories. The lab operates virtually — participate from anywhere.
Lab members build a portfolio of tangible research outputs — conference papers, journal articles, open-source code, and technical reports — preparing them for industry careers or graduate study.
Adaptive learning algorithms, neural network optimization, cognitive architectures, learning automata, LLM-based code generation with formal verification.
Consensus mechanism defense, smart contracts, blockchain search engines, healthcare data, DeFi analysis, CBDC research.
System administration automation, adaptive shell scripting, CI/CD pipelines, reproducible research infrastructure, open-source contributions.
Intelligent algorithms for IoT, peer-to-peer networks, cognitive mobile environments, digital twin architectures, adaptive resource discovery.
Philosophy & Stack
Every experiment in our lab is built on open-source foundations.
Ubuntu & Debian-based Linux for all development, simulation, and deployment.
Python, Bash/Shell, Solidity, C/C++, Go, Rust, Java, C#.
PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Z3 SMT Solver, SPIN model checker, MATLAB.
Ethereum (Geth, Hardhat), Nethereum, Hyperledger, The Graph Protocol.
Git and GitHub for all code, papers (LaTeX), and collaborative research.
PyCharm, Visual Studio, NetBeans, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines.
LaTeX, Overleaf, Pandoc. IEEE and Springer templates maintained in-lab.
Arduino for IoT prototyping, sensor arrays, and embedded systems research.
Get in Touch
Whether you are a student interested in joining the lab, a researcher seeking collaboration, or an industry partner exploring applied research — we would like to hear from you. All communication is handled through email.
Dr. Saghiri welcomes inquiries about research projects, guest lectures, peer review collaborations, thesis supervision, and joint publications.
Department of Computer Science
William Paterson University
300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ 07470
IEEE Systems Journal · IEEE Access · IEEE Internet of Things · IEEE Trans. Info. Forensic & Security · IEEE Trans. Computational Social Systems · Journal of Computational Science · Artificial Intelligence Review · The J. of Supercomputing · Applied Sciences · Sensors · Electronics · Entropy · Mathematics · and others