Automatically Detecting Numerical Instability in Machine Learning Applications via Soft Assertions
FSE 2025 paper introducing Soft Assertions to detect and trigger numerical instability bugs in ML applications.
Anwar Zahid
Graduate student working on AI, software engineering, and LLM reliability.
About
I am a graduate student in computer science at Iowa State University. My work is centered on reliable AI systems, with an emphasis on testing, debugging, and understanding how large language models and machine learning systems behave in practice.
Research Interests
- LLM hallucination
- AI reliability
- Software engineering for AI systems
- Interpretable / white-box analysis
- Human-centered AI tools
Projects
Selected projects from existing repository entries.
GPU Numerical Testing – HIP Code Generation in Varity
Contributed to the LLNL Varity project by implementing HIP backend generation for GPU kernel testing, enabling cross-platform numerical consistency evaluation.
Hate Speech Detection with Geographical Context
Extended a class project to evaluate hate speech detection models using geographical metadata. Later adapted for large language model testing and published in 2025.
Face Recognition with Liveliness Detection
Developed a real-time face recognition and spoof detection system for FinTech applications, enhancing security for remote banking verification.
Parliament Resource Planning – SSO Integration
Implemented Single Sign-On authentication for PRP system, enabling secure unified access across parliamentary resource modules.
COM S 572 – Machine Learning Project
Implemented and evaluated ML algorithms for natural language processing tasks. Later extended for LLM experiments and paper publication.
Othello AI Agent
Developed an intelligent Othello game-playing agent using adversarial search algorithms and heuristic evaluation functions.
Mancala Game Simulation
Created a Mancala game engine with an AI opponent using minimax and heuristic strategies.
Ray Tracing Renderer
Built a ray tracing engine from scratch to render 3D scenes with reflection, refraction, and shading.
Nachos – Instructional Operating System
Extended the Nachos instructional OS to implement thread scheduling, virtual memory, and file system operations.
Channel Equalization for Wireless Communication
Implemented and tested channel equalization algorithms to improve signal quality in noisy communication environments.
Publications / Writing
Selected writing and publications will be added here.
Contact
The easiest way to reach me is by email. You can also find my code and academic profiles through the links below.