Faculty Profile: Dr. Milad Jasemi

Long before he ever moved to Alabama, Dr. Milad Jasemi became fond of the state upon watching the film “Forrest Gump.”

“This movie was really a change of perspective to the world for me,” the Iran native said. “At the end, there were tears on my jeans. I noticed later that the movie was not filmed here, but I always said if I go to the United States, I’m going to go to Alabama.”

Now living in the heart of the state, the assistant professor of data analytics is guiding students through the rapidly growing industry. UM’s data analytics program focuses on extracting useful information from data to help with critical decision making.

“Data analytics is a field that makes data an asset,” he said. “An asset helps the company stay competitive to achieve their goals. In the future, you cannot compete without having data as your asset.”

Emphasizing how the demand for data analytics has grown, he said, “Before, if you wanted to do data analytics, it was for Amazon, Netflix or Walmart. But now every company, even small ones, are hiring data analyzers — even students who have just recently graduated.”

As a student, Jasemi pursued industrial engineering due to the popularity of the major and his fascination with the car industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology in 2003, a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in 2010.

With data analytics becoming a branch of industrial engineering and colleges forming departments for it, Jasemi transitioned to teaching as he pursued his Ph.D. After immigrating to the U.S. in 2016, he served as a postdoctoral researcher and adjunct faculty at Wayne State University and a visiting assistant professor of MIS at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh before coming to Montevallo in fall 2019.

Having taught in the Stephens College of Business for six years, Jasemi reveres Montevallo for the family-like atmosphere among his colleagues and the passion that everyone has for their work. To him, the most rewarding aspect of teaching here is noticing the drastic, positive change in his students as they complete their degrees.

“The first year, you find them lost — they don’t know what they want,” he said. “And in the last year, they are confident. You feel that you are part of that transformation. It’s a lifelong satisfaction for me.”

When he’s not immersed in academic work, Jasemi enjoys cooking, exercising, spending time in the garden and, of course, watching movies.