Morteza Bodaghi has a strong background in engineering and data science. He obtained his Master of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is continuing his journey as a Ph.D. candidate in systems engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering.
“What specifically prompted me to choose UL Lafayette was the competitive offer I received. This opportunity allowed me to join the Department of Mechanical Engineering and work under the mentorship of Dr. Raju Gottumukkala. I work on complex problems involving computer vision and signal processing, areas that are critical for the future of healthcare and human-machine interaction.”
Morteza describes his experiences as collaborative and interdisciplinary. Some of the research projects he’s worked on include collecting a comprehensive dataset related to driver drowsiness and understanding human physiological stress detection.
Through his impact-driven research work, he received an opportunity to collaborate with the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Ochsner Health in New Orleans.
He said, “I was involved in a significant collaborative project with Ochsner Hospital focused on sinusitis detection from nasal endoscopy. My research focuses on Explainable AI and multimodal pipelines, integrating different types of data to build more personalized and accurate models. I’ve also enjoyed participating in the NSF I-Corps program, which helped me understand the ecosystem and business flow behind engineering innovations.”
Morteza’s collaborative approach to research work has opened doors for him. In 2024, he received the Sustainable Development Research Award through the Louisiana Impact Research Awards. He was also named a top-8 finalist at the University’s Inn-eaux-vate Fall 2025 Pitch Competition, which featured over 80 participants from more than 35 majors.
Some of the skills he’s learned span from coding to computer vision techniques.
“The faculty have been consistently supportive, providing both moral encouragement and professional guidance. They have been instrumental in helping me with my publications and ensuring I have the financial support needed to focus on my research. Additionally, they have supported my travel to conferences, which has been crucial for my career development. Their mentorship covers everything I need to succeed, and they are always there to help.”
Though far from home, Morteza said that the Lafayette and University communities have welcomed him. Along with finding a community on campus, his research studies have kept him focused on his goals. He recommends that prospective graduate students closely look at the specific research happening at institutions and research how accessible their mentorship, resources, and the graduate programs are overall.
Mortez is already planning ahead. He said, “After completing my doctorate, I am considering two paths: staying in academia to continue research and teaching or joining a major tech company. I am excited about the possibility of applying my skills in a leading industry role where I can solve real-world problems and build a successful, high-impact career.”
