At an age when many students are only beginning their academic careers, 21-year-old Md. Hadi Al-Amin has already earned authorship on an international research publication. The Bangladeshi diploma graduate reached this milestone just six months after joining EIMATEL, the Spain-based research institute affiliated with Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where his paper appeared in a journal with an impact factor exceeding 6.
Behind the achievement is a story of resilience and determination.
Following the loss of his father to cancer at age 13, Hadi faced personal and financial difficulties that affected his education. Even during those difficult years, he continued developing his interest in technology and learning.
To support his family, Hadi accepted several small, repetitive jobs. Although grateful for the income, he knew he wanted more than routine work. He wanted to create, automate systems, analyse data, and solve difficult problems.
While studying mechatronics at Magura Polytechnic Institute, he developed a strong interest in programming, automation, and intelligent systems. At 17, he secured his first job as a programmer at an e-commerce company. He later worked remotely as data analyst for a US-based company while continuing his studies.
After nearly two years, Hadi made a difficult decision: he left the security of his remote job to pursue research.
That choice led him to EIMATEL, where he joined as a young diploma graduate on probation. Within six months, he became the author of his first international publication, “Evolution of Strategies in Iterated Games: A Deep Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach with Hybrid Genetic and CMA-ES Optimization,” published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence in June 2026.
The achievement followed months of late-night coding, failed experiments, repeated simulations, debugging, and self-learning beyond his formal curriculum
“What Hadi achieved during his first six months at EIMATEL was honestly difficult to imagine. He entered the institute as a young diploma graduate on probation, yet within that short period, he contributed to his first international publication in a journal with an impact factor of 6.7. For someone of his age and academic background, this was an extraordinary accomplishment.”
“What makes his achievement even more meaningful is the journey behind it. Hadi did not come from privilege, a famous university, or a smooth academic path. He built his progress through long nights of coding, failed experiments, constant self-learning, and the courage to continue when giving up would have been much easier. His story shows that genuine research ability is defined by curiosity, resilience, discipline, and the willingness to keep learning.”
— Samuel Kim
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University EIMATEL Board Member
Hadi’s story is about refusing to let a difficult beginning decide the ending. Through curiosity, courage, and persistence, he turned hardship into purpose and proved that where someone starts does not determine how far they can go.
