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If a plan doesn’t work, change the PLAN, not the GOAL!

Iman is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Biomechanics at the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, since August 2021. His research project is centered on developing vital sign monitoring devices for infants.

Apart from his academic pursuits, Iman is a certified project manager (PMP) with more than six years of experience in the manufacturing industry. His experience has honed his leadership, communication, and time management skills, which he believes will be vital in his future endeavors.

Iman is particularly interested in FDA medical device regulatory clearance procedures and enjoys exploring entrepreneurial activities to commercialize his devices. His ultimate goal is to apply his engineering skills to create technologies that can enhance human health, diagnose, and cure diseases.

He was the project manager at UT-Austin’s EcoCAR EV Challenge team where he enjoyed leading six main tracks such as engineering, DEI and communication. EcoCAR EV Challenge is a four-year prestigious collegiate competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and MathWorks, and is administered by Argonne National Laboratory. In this competition, students will re-engineer a state-of-the-art 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ to design, build, refine and demonstrate the potential of their advanced propulsion systems and connected and autonomous technologies.

Education and Career History

Iman earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), where he focused on the mechanical properties and numerical simulation of NiTi smart materials and the design and development of assistive and rehabilitation technologies. During his B.Sc program at IUT, Iman was recognized and awarded “the Distinguished Best Undergraduate Student of the Year ” and “The Best Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Student of the Year” among more than 9,000 undergraduate students.

In 2017, Iman received his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a specialization in biomedical engineering. During his program, he joined Terry’s Research Laboratory (TRL) as a graduate research assistant, where he developed the end-effector of a 4 Cable-Driven Parallel Manipulator (CDPM). The CPDM is equipped with multiple advanced hyperspectral and infrared camera systems that are used for remote sensing and phenotyping of a one-acre maize field automatically. The project was granted by the Agricultural Research Division (ARD) at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR).

Iman also collaborated with the Cardiovascular Biology and Biomechanics Laboratory (CBBL) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) on a medical device project. During this collaboration, he designed and built a novel, highly versatile stimulation bioreactor chamber for coronary artery experiments. The bio-chamber was used primarily to study the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis in vitro and to measure the effectiveness of different anti-atherosclerotic drugs, and atherosclerotic plaque disruption mechanisms.

From 2017 to 2021, he worked as a full-time R&D Mechanical Engineer at Bison Inc., where he designed and developed custom-built ceiling-mounted indoor and outdoor gymnasium equipment. Bison Inc. offers a wide range of gymnasium equipment such as basketball, volleyball, and specialty net games; soccer and specialty goals; and football and field sports goals.

During the same time period, Iman also worked as a Lab Manager and Engineering Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at UNL, where he taught engineering design and computer modeling. Iman holds a highly recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate through PMI after completing more than 400 projects in different areas.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

• Salafian, I, Englert, A, Morris, A, Groves, A, & Rylander, CG. “DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A MULTIFUNCTION GASTRIC FEEDING TUBE CAPABLE OF VITAL SIGN MONITORING.” Proceedings of the 2023 Design of Medical Devices Conference. 2023 Design of Medical Devices Conference. Minneapolis, MN, USA. April 17–19, 2023. V001T09A005. ASME. Link
• Salafian, I., & Rylander, C. G. Burst, Leakage, and Constant Pressure Infusion Testing of a Convection Enhanced Drug Delivery System for Glioblastoma Treatment. In 2022 Design of Medical Devices Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Digital Collection. Link
• Salafian, I., Stewart, B., Newman, M., Zygielbaum, A., & Terry, B. (2017, April). Stability improvement of a four cable-driven parallel manipulator using a center of the mass balance system. In SPIE Commercial+ Scientific Sensing and Imaging (pp. 102130K-102130K). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Link
• Salafian, I., Karagiannis, A., Chatzizisis, Y. S., Terry, B. S., (2016). Design and build of a custom highly flexible stimulation bioreactor chamber for Atherosclerosis investigation. An award-winning poster at UNL 2nd Annual Research Fair, Oct 31, UNL. Link
• Pourghasem, A., Takamjani, I. E., Karimi, M. T., Kamali, M., Jannesari, M., & Salafian, I. (2016). The effect of a powered ankle-foot orthosis on walking in a stroke subject: a case study. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 28(11), 3236-3240. Link
• Pourghasem, A., Takamjani, E., Karimi, M., Kamali, M., Jannesari, M., & Salafian, I. (2016). The Effect of Orthoses in the Management of Patients with Stroke. International Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Research 7(2), 1426-432. Link
• Zare, F., Kadkhodaei, M. & Salafian, I. (2015). Thermomechanical Modeling of Stress Relaxation in Shape Memory Alloy Wires. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 24, 1763–1770. Link