AHK

Research

Simulation, applied AI and security

My research asks how software can train people for situations that are too dangerous, rare or expensive to rehearse for real, and how to tell whether that training works. It has grown from VR simulators for bomb disposal into applied AI for teaching and workforce tools.

01

Research areas

Virtual reality for public safety

Multi-participant VR simulators for IED neutralization and critical incident response, built in Unity and ROS, and the CIERT framework for measuring how well simulation-based training works.

Applied AI in education and work

LLM-backed teaching assistants with instructor oversight, AI-enhanced interfaces tested with real users, and skills parsing for cybersecurity workforce matching.

Automotive cybersecurity

Safety and security co-engineering for in-vehicle intrusion detection, and how security and functional safety requirements interact in connected vehicles.

02

Doctoral work

PhD, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019 to 2024

A Framework for Critical Incident and Emergency Response Training in Virtual Environments

Supervised by Dr. Alex Ferworn. The thesis built the Universal Simulation Platform, a VR simulator for IED neutralization, extended it to multi-participant exercises, and proposed and validated CIERT, a framework for measuring the efficacy of simulation-based training.

03

Projects

Lead developer

BioHubNet V3

A course marketplace built with TMU’s Talent Accelerator and a BioHubNet group at the University of Toronto. I own the architecture, infrastructure and CI/CD, with single sign-on into external learning platforms such as TalentLMS, Docebo and Blackboard.

  • PostgreSQL
  • Prisma
  • Auth0
  • AWS
  • CI/CD

Designer and developer

Alice and Snape, AI teaching assistants

AI TAs for a graduate research methods course. Students get guided, assignment-specific feedback before they submit, and instructors get a portal with per-student logs and advisory marks. They run on a departmental server behind TMU single sign-on for about $2 per course term.

  • Node.js
  • Gemini API
  • Apache
  • CAS SSO
  • SQLite

Doctoral research

Universal Simulation Platform (USP)

A virtual reality simulator for IED neutralization training, later extended to USP Online for multi-participant disposal exercises. It anchors the CIERT framework for evaluating critical incident training.

  • Unity
  • ROS
  • VR
  • Simulation

Technical lead

CyberMatch Inclusive Workforce Tools

Research tooling for Protexxa’s AI cybersecurity workforce platform: skills parsing, integration of real-time job-posting data, and platform design documents for the industry partner.

  • Applied AI
  • Data integration
  • Industry partnership
04

Publications

  1. 2023

    CIERT: A Framework for Measuring Efficacy in Software-Based Simulation Training for Critical Incidents and Emergency Response

    Hamzehlou Kahrizi, A., Ferworn, A.

    16th International Conference on Advanced Computer Theory and Engineering (ICACTE 2023)ConferenceBest Presentation Award

  2. 2023

    Validating the CIERT Framework for Critical Incident and Emergency Response Training

    Hamzehlou Kahrizi, A., Ferworn, A.

    16th International Conference on Advanced Computer Theory and Engineering (ICACTE 2023)Conference

  3. 2023

    USP Online: A Multi-Participant I.E.D. Disposal Simulator

    Hamzehlou Kahrizi, A., Ki Chan, C. C., Ferworn, A.

    11th International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS)Conference

  4. 2022

    USP: A VR Simulator for IED Neutralization Training

    Hamzehlou Kahrizi, A., Miu, M., Ki Chan, C. C., Ferworn, A.

    IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST)Conference