Anwar Khaddaj

Hello! My name is Anwar Khaddaj, and I am a PhD student in Applied Mathematics at ASU!

🧠My research is in mathematical optimization, specifically parameter estimation in differential equations applied to the field of computational neuroscience and inverse problems applied to medical imaging. 

🖥️ I am passionate about applied mathematics, software engineering and high performance computing. Above all, I enjoy the excitement of tackling challenging scientific research problems.

👨‍💼 I am also interested in entrepreneurship. In fact, I cofounded a startup called Stoodie in September 2021, won Jury's choice award by Injaz Lebanon and several hackathons, and got funded by UNICEF Lebanon and the Kingdom of Netherlands. I also made it to national television in Lebanon.

Recent News:

1- October 3, 2025: I gave a talk entitled "Parameter Estimation of Neuron Models using Subset Selection and Dynamic Optimization" at the Mathematical Biology Seminar at Arizona State University.

2- August 12, 2025: I successfully finished the summer school in computational physiology hosted by Simula research laboratory in Norway, University of Oslo, and University of California, San Diego where I had 2 weeks of formal lectures and project work in June in Oslo, Norway, followed by 1.5 weeks of workshops, and presentations in August at UCSD. I presented my work on parameter sensitivity analyses techniques in pancreatic beta-cell models to explore and reconstruct the intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of heterogeneity in a beta-cell network.

3- July 25, 2025: I mentored two startups during their journey in the LAU Spark incubator program at the Lebanese American University’s Fouad Makhzoumi Center for Innovation, providing guidance on strategy and pitch development.

4- July 8, 2025: I successfully finished the McKinsey.org Forward Program, a 10-week learning program designed to equip individuals with practical skills to succeed in the future of work. I learned how to apply the McKinsey approach to problem-solving, become more effective and influential communicator and develop adaptable and resilience mindset and habits.

5- May 8, 2025: I was awarded the graduate coaching hours leader certificate with Activate engineering communication program for being an engineering coach who completed the most coaching appointments (59 appointments) in the year 2024-2025.

6- April 25, 2025: I have successfully completed a hybrid externship at Google with Karl Smayling, focusing on cloud sales engineering and product management.

7- April 21, 2025: I have successfully defended and submitted my Master's thesis at Rice University on "Parameter Estimation of Neuron Models using Subset Selection and Dynamic Optimization".

Visit my website for more information!