Position: Current PhD student
School and/or Centres: School of Philosophy
Email: iman.ferestade@anu.edu.au
Qualification: Ph.D. (Honored) Mechanical Engineering, IUST;<br />
Visiting Student, Center for Vehicle System and Safety (CVeSS), Virginia Tech; <br />
M.A. Philosophy, Simon Fraser University; <br />
MSc Mechanical Engineering, IUST; <br />
BSc Mechanical Engineering
Iman is currently pursuing his (second) PhD in the Department of Philosophy at ANU, where he is also a member of the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory (MINT) lab. His primary research areas include AI interpretability, particularly mechanistic interpretability, AI opacity, and more broadly, opacity in computational simulations. He also maintains strong interests in the philosophy of dynamical systems, multi-agent AI dynamics, AI agent responsibility, AI alignment, and AI safety.
Before joining ANU, Iman completed a Master's degree in Philosophy at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada. Prior to this, he earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST). During his doctoral research, he was a visiting student at the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS) at Virginia Tech, conducting experimental studies related to his PhD thesis on "Providing a slip control algorithm to achieve maximum acceleration in high-speed trains." Additionally, Iman holds a Master's and a Bachelor's degree, both in Mechanical Engineering.
AI interpretability, AI safety, AI agent responsibility, philosophy of computation, philosophy of applied mathematics, philosophy of science
Ferestade, I., Fillion, N. (2024). On the Reliability of Equation-based Simulations. Synthese, (Under review).
Ferestade, I., Ahmadian, M., Molatefi, H., & Moaveni, B. (2021). Integrated sliding mode and direct torque controls for improving transient traction in high-speed trains. Journal of Vibration and Control, 629-650.
Ferestade, I., Molatefi, H., & Moaveni, B. (2021). Parallel Structure of Feedback Linearization and Sliding Mode Controllers to Track the Desired Velocity Profile in High-Speed Trains. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 1-15.
Molatefi, H., Ferestade, I., & Taefi, N. (2020). Dynamic Modelling and Active Control of Slip Phenomenon in a Four-axle Locomotive. International Journal of Railway Research, 73-87.
Ferestade, I., Hosseini Tehrani, P., & Fatehi, M., Azizi, M (2019). Assessment and Design Enhancement of the Front End Energy Absorption Mechanism of a Locomotive Based on an Impact Scenario. International Journal of Railway Research, 51-62.
Ferestade, I., Hosseini Tehrani, P., & Heidary, R. (2017). Fracture toughness estimation of ballast stone used in Iranian railway. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 892-899.
Hosseini Tehrani, P., & Ferestade, I. (2015). Studying energy absorption in tapered thick-walled tubes. Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures, 173-204
- PhD Scholarship (150,000 AUD and Tuition waiver), Australian National University, 2025
- Nominated for the Teaching Excellence Award, Lasalle College Vancouver, Spring 2024
- Dean's Graduate Fellowship (7000 CAD), Simon Fraser University, Fall 2022.
- Graduate Fellowship (7000 CAD), Simon Fraser University, Summer 2021.
- Graduate Fellowship (3000 CAD), Simon Fraser University, Fall 2020.
- Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship (4000 CAD), Simon Fraser University, Fall 2020.
- PhD Sabbatical Scholarship (8000 USD), Ministry of Science, and Research, Spring 2017.
- PhD Sabbatical Scholarship (6000 USD), Iran's National Elites Foundation, Fall 2017.
- Ranked first in the nation-wide university entrance examination for PhD, 2013.
- Honor student, Iran University of Science and Technology, ranked 1st in PhD in Rolling Stock.
As a Primary Instructor:
PHIL 201: Contemporary Moral Issues, LaSalle College Vancouver, Spring 2025.
PHIL102: Ethics, LaSalle College Vancouver, Fall 2023, Fall 2024 (remote)
PHIL 101: Critical Thinking, LaSalle College Vancouver, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024 (remote), Spring 2025.
GE091: Transitional Mathematics, LaSalle College Vancouver, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Winter 2025.
Dynamics, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Spring 2020 (remote), Fall 2020 (remote).
Strength of Materials Lab, Iran University of Science and Technology, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018.
As a Teaching Assistant (holding weekly tutorials and grading):
PHIL 100: Knowledge and Reality (Simon Fraser University), Summer 2023
PHIL 105: Critical Thinking (Simon Fraser University), Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Summer 2022
PHIL 110: Introduction to Logic and Reasoning (Simon Fraser University), Spring 2021, Spring 2022
As a Teaching Assistant (grading):
PHIL 1101: Knowledge and Reality (Langara College, Vancouver), Fall 2023, Spring 2024.
PHIL 1100: Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy (Langara College, Vancouver), Fall 2023, Spring 2024.
Systems Identification (Iran University of Science and Technology), Fall 2015.
Contact Mechanics (Iran University of Science and Technology), Fall 2014, Fall 2015.