Lareb Zar Khan

About me

Hello, my name is Lareb, and I am an optical network engineer who is passionate about driving innovation in the operation and management of optical networks. I am originally from Pakistan and currently a final-year PhD student at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Italy.

My current research focuses on using machine learning to give optical networks more autonomy. I am specifically working on devising effective failure management strategies to ensure uninterrupted and high-quality internet services for end-customers. By enabling these networks to operate autonomously, I believe we will be able to improve their performance and provide customers with the best possible online experience.

When I am not doing research, you can find me exploring new places and cultures as an occasional traveller. I am also an avid reader of inspirational fiction and non-fiction literature, always seeking fresh perspectives and insights.

Education

• PhD at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy (October 2021 - present)
  Topic: Machine learning based failure management in optical networks


• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree from Aston University (UK), Osaka University (Japan) and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Italy)
  (September 2019 - August 2021)
  Majors: Digital signal processing for optical communication systems, machine learning


• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan
  (September 2013 - June 2017)
  Majors: Digital signal processing, computer vision

Work Experience

Network Production Engineer at Meta

Duration: Sept’2024 – Present
Location: London, United Kingdom

Role Description:

• Working in optical network design team.

Research Engineer Intern (Optical Networks) at Orange Labs

Duration: January’2024 – June’2024
Location: Lannion, France

Role Description:

• Developed strategies to cluster failure alarms for speeding-up the fault rectification.

Research Engineer Intern (Optical Networks) at Infinera

Duration: January’2023 – December’2023
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Role Description:

• Investigated different methods to address scarcity of failure data and the resulting imbalance in training datasets for ML. Validated those methods on experimental data extracted from a four-span point-to-point link containing commercial equipment.
• Proposed a novel iterative algorithm to improve the computational sustainability of neural networks employed for failure root cause identification.

Assistant Manager (Operations) at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited

Duration: August’2017 – August’2019
Location: HassanAbdal, Pakistan

Role Description:

• Managed various projects, including updating distribution points' tag-pins, correcting Frame/Slot/Port mismatches, optimization of ports, and migration from one vendor to another.
• Planned the expansion of the existing wired network to address a larger customer base.
• Coordinated with the network development team for the deployment of the new network.
• Oversaw the maintenance of the Access Network, responsible for the efficient operation of 5 MSAGs and ~1200 EWSD connections.
• Led a field staff team to promptly rectify faults, ensuring compliance with service level agreements for both corporate clients and end-consumers.
• Served as an escalation point of contact for corporate service incidents within the designated region.
• Conducted training sessions for regional staff on the utilization of the Nokia Motive Network Analyzer Copper (NAC) tool.
• Mentored interns

Publications

Journal Papers

Conference Papers

Talks

• Optimizing Deep Learning-Based Failure Management in Optical Networks by Monitoring Relative Neural Activity

  Date: 9th May, 2024

  27th International Conference on Optical Network Design and Modelling (ONDM 2024), Madrid, Spain

• Data-centric View of Machine Learning for Optical Network Failure Management (Invited talk)

  Date: 10th May, 2023

  27th International Conference on Optical Network Design and Modelling (ONDM 2023), Coimbra, Portugal

• Data Augmentation to Reduce Computational Complexity of Neural-Network-Based Soft-Failure Cause Identifier

  Date: 6th March, 2023

  Conference talk at Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) conference, San Diego, U.S.A

• Data Augmentation to Improve Machine Learning for Optical Network Failure Management

  Date: 22nd September, 2022

  Conference talk at European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC), Basel, Switzerland

• Optical Network Alarms Classification using Unsupervised Machine Learning

  Date: 4th July, 2022

  Conference talk at International Conference on Photonics in Switching and Computing (PSC), Toyama, Japan

Bookshelf

My Reading List and Ratings

• The Four Agreements

  Author: Miguel Ruiz
  My rating:

• Tuesdays with Morrie

  Author: Mitch Albom
  My rating:

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

  Author: David Allen
  My rating:

• Understanding Body Language: How to Decode Nonverbal Communication in Life, Love, and Work

  Author: Scott Rouse
  My rating:

• The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

  Author: Rick Warren
  My rating:

• The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

  Author: Chris Guillebeau
  My rating:

• Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price

  Author: Keenan
  My rating:

• The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

  Author: Darren Hardy
  My rating:

• Who Will Cry When You Die?

  Author: Robin S. Sharma
  My rating:

• The Psychology of Money

  Author: Morgan Housel
  My rating:

• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

  Author: John Gray
  My rating:

• The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire

  Author: David Deida
  My rating:

• The Richest Man in Babylon

  Author: George S. Clason
  My rating:

• The Gifts of Imperfection

  Author: Brené Brown
  My rating:

• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

  Author: Jen Sincero
  My rating:

• The Alchemist

  Author: Paulo Coelho
  My rating:

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

  Author: Eckhart Tolle
  My rating:

• Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life / The Little Book of Lykke / Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living

  Author: Hector Garcia Puigcerver
  My rating:

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad

  Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki
  My rating:

• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

  Author: James Clear
  My rating:

• Zavia 2 / زاویہ 2

  Author: Ashfaq Ahmed
  My rating:

• Love Is My Savior: The Arabic Poems of Rumi

  Author: Rumi
  My rating:

• The Narcissist Next Door: Understanding the Monster in Your Family, in Your Office, in Your Bed--in Your World

  Author: Jeffrey Kluger
  My rating:

• Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

  Author: David Goggins
  My rating:

• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

  Author: Yuval Noah Harari
  My rating:

• Love Is My Savior: The Arabic Poems of Rumi

  Author: Rumi
  My rating:

• Zaviya / زاویہ

  Author: Ashfaq Ahmed
  My rating:

• Man Up: Surviving Modern Masculinity

  Author: Jack Urwin
  My rating:

• In the Line of Fire

  Author: Pervez Musharraf
  My rating:

• The Forty Rules of Love

  Author: Elif Shafak
  My rating:

• The Power of Positive Thinking

  Author: Norman Vincent Peale
  My rating:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People

  Author: Dale Carnegie
  My rating:

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

  Author: Mark Manson
  My rating:

Contact

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• GitHub
• Instagram

Elements

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