Before joining the University of Arizona, he served as an NSF-sponsored Computing Innovation Fellow (CIFellow) and postdoctoral research fellow of the Center for Hardware and Embedded Systems Security and Trust (CHEST) at the University of California, Davis.
His research spans hardware and AI-enabled security in IoT, generative AI for EDA, secure hardware design and firmware security, neuromorphic and in-memory computing, adaptive and reconfigurable architectures, and intelligent signal conversion and processing at the edge. He also leads research efforts in generative AI-driven hardware weakness prediction, digital-twin-based cybersecurity education, and mixed-reality and personalized learning frameworks for workforce development.
Dr. Salehi received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications, multiple book chapters, and has served on numerous high-impact program committees, including NDSS, USENIX Security, DAC, HOST, ICCAD, and CCS. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, an ACM member, and has helped secure more than $4.8M in funded research (with over $2.2M under his direct responsibility) from the NSF, U.S. Army, major University of Arizona research initiatives, and industry sponsorships. Dr. Salehi is also the founder of the AI Hardware Design League (AI-HDL), impactful national and international program focused on developing the next-generation semiconductor, hardware security and AI workforce.