Mohammad (Mike) Esmalifalak, PhD

My PhD work at the University of Houston asked a question that has only become more urgent: how do you detect an attacker who knows exactly how your system checks for bad data? Our papers on stealthy false data injection in power grids — using machine learning, sparse optimization and game theory — became some of the most-cited work in smart-grid security.

Since then I've worked as an electrical and control engineer on large industrial projects, as a principal research engineer applying machine learning for businesses at McMaster University, and as a data scientist building predictive maintenance and industrial AI systems. Today I'm a Lead Data Scientist in Toronto.

I write here to share what I've learned — clearly, honestly and without hype: what AI can and can't do, how to apply it to real operations, and how to keep it secure and trustworthy.

This is my personal website. Views and content are my own and do not represent my employer or any organization I am affiliated with. Nothing here is produced on behalf of, or endorsed by, any employer.