Portrait of Sepehr Ilami

Sepehr Ilami

PhD Student in Industrial Engineering • Northeastern University

Welcome! I'm a third-year PhD student in the department of Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. My research lies in Computational Social Science, Collective Behavior, and Multi-agent decision-making. I'm fortunate to be be advised by Babak Heydari. Previously, I got my BSc in Computer Engineering at Sharif University of Technology in Iran, where I was born and raised.

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Research

My research is in Network Science and Multi-Agent Systems. I explore how intelligent entities—either humans or AI agents—coordinate and influence each other in networked environments. I work across two main areas:

Multi-agent LLM systems

Building frameworks for distributed AI agents to collaborate, share information, and make collective decisions; studying incentives, governance, and robustness in agent societies.

Human mobility & collective behavior

Modeling how people move through networks and interact in urban settings; analyzing coordination, compliance, and emergent patterns during routine and high-stakes situations.

My work sits at the intersection of computer science, social science, economics, and statistics—broadly described as network science.

Publications

  1. "The Architecture of Illusion: Network Opacity and Strategic Escalation"
    R. Ebrahimi, S. Ilami, B. Heydari, I. Trevino, and M. Franceschetti. Arxiv preprint, 2026.
  2. "Adaptive Information Modulation: Designing Governance Mechanisms for Multi-Agent AI Systems"
    Q. Chen, S. Ilami, N. Lore, B. Heydari. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 2026.
  3. "Network Topology Matters, But Not Always: Mobility Networks in Epidemic Forecasting"
    S. Ilami, Q. Cao, B. Heydari. Arxiv preprint, 2025.
  4. "Large Model Strategic Thinking, Small Model Efficiency: Transferring Theory of Mind in Large Language Models"
    N. Lore, S. Ilami, B. Heydari. Arxiv preprint, 2024.
  5. "COVID-19 Diagnosis with Artificial Intelligence"
    R.G. Modegh, A. Salimi, S. Ilami, A.H. Dehqan, H. Dashti, S.H. Javanmard, H. Ghanaati, H.R. Rabiee. Springer Chapter, 2022.

Working Papers

  1. "Computational Analysis of Collective Human Behavior Patterns; Peer Effect Modeling"
  2. "LLM-based Framework for Policy Analysis in the case of EV Adoption"

Conference Presentations

  1. "Adaptive Information Modulation: Designing Governance Mechanisms for Multi-Agent AI Systems"
    Poster. 2026 Research Expo - Northeastern College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Feb 2026.
  2. "Integrated Design and Governance of Agentic AI Systems through Adaptive Information Modulation"
    Poster. 2025 Research Expo - Northeastern MIE Department, Northeastern University, Dec 2025.
  3. "Instigating Cooperation among LLM Agents Using Adaptive Information Modulation"
    Talk. International Engineering Systems Conference (CESUN 2025), George Mason University, June 2025.
  4. "Integrating Language Models with Agent-Based Modeling for Policy Analysis"
    Poster. 2024 Research Expo - Northeastern MIE Department, Northeastern University, Dec 2024.
  5. "Integrating Language Models with Agent-Based Modeling for Policy Analysis"
    Poster. International Conference on Computational Social Science (IC2S2), University of Pennsylvania, May 2024.

Get In Touch

I’m open to collaborations in computational social science, network science, and multi-agent systems. If you're also interested in these areas or have any questions, feel free to drop me an email or connect on LinkedIn! :-)

📧 ilami.a@northeastern.edu
📞📍 Northeastern University, Boston, MA

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