Ph.D. Researcher · Montana State University

Mahmad
Isaq
Karankot

AI/ML Researcher & Software Engineer

Building intelligent systems at the intersection of machine learning, computer vision, and environmental science. Working on NSF-funded wildfire research and hyperspectral image analysis within the $20M SMART FIRES initiative.

4+
Publications
7+
Years Engineering
3.95
GPA
$20M
NSF Project
01 — About

Research at the
edge of fire & AI

I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical & Computer Engineering at Montana State University, where I work on AI/ML-driven approaches to wildfire science. My research sits at the intersection of hyperspectral remote sensing, deep learning, and environmental modeling.

As part of the NSF SMART FIRES project — a $20M multi-institutional initiative with 32 researchers — I develop machine learning models for fuel type classification, burn intensity prediction, and surrogate emission modeling from hyperspectral imagery.

Before my research career, I spent 5+ years as a senior software engineer at Accenture and Brillio, shipping production-grade e-commerce platforms and AI recommendation systems. I bring both research depth and engineering pragmatism to every problem.

Hyperspectral Imaging Wildfire Modeling Deep Learning NLP / LLMs Computer Vision Surrogate Modeling Healthcare ML
Ph.D. Electrical & Computer Engineering
Montana State University · Expected May 2030
GPA: 3.95/4.0 · SMART FIRES Project (NSF OIA-2242802)
In Progress
M.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering
Montana State University · Aug 2023 – May 2025
GPA: 3.94/4.0 · Thesis: ML Predictions for ICU Length of Stay
Best Paper Award · IEEE i-ETC 2024
IEEE i-ETC Conference Reviewer
Feb 2024 – Present
Reviewing 300+ submissions/year in AI/ML and smart systems. Top 10-15% selected for IEEE Xplore publication.
02 — Experience

Work & Research

Aug 2023 – Present
Montana State University
Research · Bozeman, MT
Graduate Research Assistant
Contributing to the NSF SMART FIRES project — a $20M statewide initiative. Developing ML models to classify fuel types and predict burn intensity from hyperspectral data. Designed two novel feature selection algorithms and applying surrogate modeling for regional-scale emission estimation.
40% model complexity reduction 30% accuracy improvement $20M NSF project 32 researchers · 6 institutions
Jul 2021 – Aug 2023
Brillio
Industry · SAP CX
Senior Developer
Led site-wide search overhaul replacing Solr with Unbxd, implemented AI/ML product recommendation engine for FBM, automated manual workflows, and upgraded Hybris platform from 1905 to 2105.
45% faster search $400K+ monthly sales lift 100+ hrs saved/month 25% discovery increase
Oct 2019 – Apr 2021
Accenture
Industry · Senior Engineer
Senior Application Development Engineer
Built scalable B2C e-commerce platform for Cardinal Health. Integrated Samsung Pay, Klarna, and regional payment systems across Dubai, Vietnam, and Thailand. Led 150+ RESTful API endpoints and mentored junior developers.
50K+ users onboarded 35% API response improvement 30% faster query resolution
2017 – 2019
Born Group · Usha Martin · Bob-eProcure
Industry · Early Career
Software Engineer
Developed B2B e-commerce features, CI/CD pipelines, fraud detection modules, and data feed processors across multiple companies. Built for GlaxoSmithKline, Makino USA, and Exim Bank of India.
40% audit compliance boost 18% repeat purchases increase 50% manual effort reduced
03 — Research

Publications

IEEE MLSP 2025
Attention and Edge-Aware Band Selection for Efficient Hyperspectral Classification of Burned Vegetation
Mahmad Isaq Karankot, Dr. Bradley Whitaker
Read Paper →
SPIE Future Sensing Technologies 2025
Hyperspectral Band Selection via Self-supervised and Reinforcement Learning for Prescribed Burn Impact Analysis
Mahmad Isaq Karankot, Dr. Bradley Whitaker
Read Paper →
SPIE Future Sensing Technologies 2025
Virtual Band Construction for Dimensionality Reduction in Hyperspectral Image Classification
Ethan M. Glenn, Mahmad Isaq Karankot, Dr. Bradley Whitaker
Read Paper →
IEEE i-ETC 2024 · 🏆 Best Paper Award
Addressing the Challenge of Missing Medical Data in Healthcare Analytics: ML Predictions for ICU Length of Stay
Mahmad Isaq Karankot, Dr. Bradley Whitaker
Read Paper →
04 — Skills

Technologies

ML & AI
  • PyTorch & TensorFlow
  • Scikit-learn
  • OpenCV & Computer Vision
  • Hyperspectral Analysis
  • NLP / LLMs
  • Surrogate Modeling
Programming
  • Python (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy)
  • Java & Spring Framework
  • MATLAB & Julia
  • JavaScript
  • Groovy & JSP
  • SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
Engineering
  • AWS & Azure Cloud
  • SAP Commerce (Hybris)
  • RESTful APIs & Microservices
  • CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub)
  • Docker & DevOps
  • Agile / Scrum
05 — Recognition

Awards

2024 & 2025
William V. Benjamin Scholarship
MSU College of Engineering · Bozeman, MT
2024
Best Computing Paper Award
IEEE i-ETC Conference · Student Computing Track

Let's work
together

Open to research collaborations, speaking opportunities, and interesting engineering problems. Whether you're working on AI, environmental modeling, or something entirely different — I'd love to connect.