I am a PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering at
Virginia Tech
in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, advised by
Dr. Rolf Müller.
My research specializes in robotics, machine learning, digital signal processing, and bioacoustics. I focus on developing novel sensing paradigms by leveraging machine learning techniques and robotics for acoustic bio-sonar applications, particularly with bat-inspired robots.
I have also completed my Master of Engineering Administration (MEA) through the Pamplin College of Business and the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, complementing my technical work with training in engineering management and strategic leadership. This dual expertise allows me to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical implementation, working to realize impactful projects at the intersection of robotics research, machine learning technology development, and technical leadership.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the
University of Maryland
where I was on the Dean's List and received a scholarship.
I also earned my Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from
Virginia Tech,
where I focused on applying machine learning and signal processing as novel sensing paradigms for dynamic bat ear (pinna) conformations in bioacoustic robotics.
Since then, I have co-authored papers, published patents on my work, and presented at conferences — including winning the Best Presentation Award at the Acoustical Society of America Conference in Sydney, Australia, in December 2023.
I have been fortunate to work with exceptional engineers and scientists at
Bosch Research,
Ford Autonomous Vehicles,
Army Research Laboratory,
Cessna, and
Bell Helicopter.
I am an FAA-certified private pilot, a PADI-certified scuba diver, and am currently working on my motorcycle license. In my free time, I enjoy riding my bike, flying my drone, piloting fixed-wing aircraft, working on my car (2019 B9 Audi S5), and more. You can keep up with some of my hobbies on my blog.
Deep Learning Methods for Biomimetic Doppler-Enhanced Spectrotemporal Analysis of Clutter Echoes
Ibrahim Eshera,
Rolf Müller
Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2025.
PDF
Impact of Biomimetic Pinna Shape Variation on Clutter Echoes: A Machine Learning Approach
Ibrahim Eshera,
Rolf Müller
Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2025. doi:10.1002/aisy.202500442.
PDF
Methods and Systems for Classifying Vehicles as Electric or Nonelectric Based on Audio
Ibrahim Eshera,
Charles Shelton,
Samarjit Das
U.S. Patent Application No. 18/398,674. 2025.
PDF
Blog
Video
Methods and Systems for Determining a Quantity of Fuel Dispensed at a Fueling Station Based on Audio
Ibrahim Eshera,
Charles Shelton,
Samarjit Das
U.S. Patent Application No. 18/389,979. 2025.
PDF
Blog
Video
Investigating the Impact of Biomimetic Pinna Shape Variations on Clutter Echoes Received from Natural Environments
Ibrahim Eshera,
Rolf Müller
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. JASA, 2023.
PDF
Blog
Video
BibTeX
Autonomy, Soft-Robotics, Deep Learning, and Bat Biosonar
Rolf Müller,
Sounak Chakrabarti,
Ibrahim Eshera
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. JASA, 2021.
PDF
Blog
Video
BibTeX
Development of a Tension-Controlled Soft-Robotic Actuation System for a Biomimetic Bat Robot
Sanmeel Vijay Lagad,
Ibrahim Eshera,
Sounak Chakrabarti,
Rolf Müller
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. JASA, 2021.
PDF
Blog
Video
BibTeX
Characterization of 4.5 kV charge-balanced SiC MOSFETs
Jack Knoll,
Ibrahim Eshera,
Christina DiMarino,
Reza Ghandi
2021 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC). IEEE, 2021.
PDF
Blog
BibTeX
Present –Dec. 2019Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
Dec. 2019
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Blacksburg, VA
Advisor:
Rolf Müller
Thesis:
Committee:
Rolf Müller,
Alexander Leonessa,
Jeff Reed,
Jin-Ping Han,
Creed Jones,
Thesis
Thesis Recording (Proposal)
Thesis Slides
Present –Aug. 2023Masters in Engineering Administration (MEA)
Aug. 2023
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Blacksburg, VA
Pamplin College of Business & Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Dec. 2022 –Dec. 2019M.S. in Electrical Engineering
Dec. 2019
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Blacksburg, VA
Advisor:
Rolf Müller
Thesis: Towards Deep Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning for Echo-Based Navigation in Complex Natural Environments
Committee:
Rolf Müller,
Alexander Leonessa,
Thinh Doan
GPA: 3.75/4.00
Thesis
Thesis Slides
May 2019 –Aug. 2014B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Aug. 2014
University of Maryland • College Park, MD
College Park Scholars, Honors Program — Science, Technology, and Society
GPA: 3.65/4.00
Sep. 2023 –Sep. 2021 Bosch Research • Pittsburgh, PA (Remote)
April 2023Machine Learning Research Intern, Bosch Center for Artifical Intelligence (BCAI)
Worked with Vision-Language Foundation Models with limited dataset in an effort to deploy a scalable and robust solution for object detection for an autonomous valet parking system.
April 2023 –May 2022 Bosch Research • Pittsburgh, PA
May 2022Machine Learning Engineer Intern, AudioAI & AIoT Group
Developed end-to-end hardware and software systems to generate high-quality labeled audio and visual data for various downstream tasks, allowing highly niche datasets to be created for data-driven approaches to machine learning problems (patents pending).
May 2020 –May 2019 Virginia Tech • Blacksburg, VA
May 2019Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Power Electronic Systems (CPES)
Characterized and published results for 4.5 kV SiC Charge Balanced MOSFETs at room temperature both statically and dynamically, in collobration with General Electric (GE).
Aug. 2018 –May 2018
Ford Motor Company • Detroit, MI
May 2018Driver Assist Technologies (DAT) Engineering Intern, Research & Advanced Engineering Group
Developed tools for autonomous vehicle and Driver Assist Technologies (DAT). Integrated DAT features from LiDAR and radar sensors, such as Lane Detection, Path Planning, and Pedestrian Detection into real-time overlay of onboard camera feed.
Aug. 2017 –May 2017
Textron Aviation (Cessna) • Wichita, KS
May 2017Engineering Intern, Avionics & Electrical Systems
Developed and prototyped end-to-end embedded system for the Cessna Citation Longitude that detects and warns ground handlers and pilots of obstructions and dangers for autonomous tugging and taxi operations on the ground.
Aug. 2016 –May 2016 Bell Helicopter • Dallas, TX
May 2016Engineering Intern, Flight Technology Research & Development
Updated physics simulation software written for an essential component of modeling the V-22 Osprey flying dynamics.
Aug. 2015 –May 2015 United States Army Research Lab • Adelphi, MD
May 2015Engineering Intern, Sensors & Electronics Division Directorate
Researched linearity characteristics of millimeter-wave GaN power amplifiers in order to maximize output efficiency.
2025Fellowship
Awarded by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) · $6,000
2024AI and Machine Learning Traffic Application Pitch Competition
Finalist · Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
2024, 2025Cyber Innovation Scholar
Awarded by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) at Virginia Tech. · $2,000/yr
2024Best Presentation Award
40th Annual Virginia Tech Research Symposium and Exposition · Blacksburg, Virginia · $500
2023Best Conference Presentation Award
185th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America · Sydney, Australia · $1,000
2018Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar
Awarded by the U.S. Department of State for exceptional study abroad program.
2014 – 2019Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Scholarship
Awarded by the Unviersity of Maryland, A. James Clark School of Engineering for merit-based students. · $15,000
2014 – PresentCessna Training Academy, FAA Private Pilot Certificate