Amir Bagherpour, PhD
AI & Analytics Leader
AI & Analytics Leader | Enterprise & Mission Decision Intelligence | Data Scientist I Computational Social Scientist
Amir Bagherpour is a Managing Director in Accenture's Data & AI practice, where he leads elite teams of data scientists, engineers, and analysts, including the development of advanced platforms. A recognized leader in AI-driven decision intelligence, econometric modeling, and agent-based simulation, he architects enterprise-scale analytics platforms that enhance decision-making across public sector, commercial, defense, diplomacy, intelligence, law enforcement domains. His expertise spans model development, machine learning, intelligent automation, agentic workflow development and computational social science, ensuring that mission-critical organizations leverage AI to drive strategic, data-informed decisions.
Built an Analytics Startup
Amir Bagherpour built and cofounded giStrat, an analytics startup that developed a decision engine powered by game theory, machine learning, and predictive analytics. Under his leadership, giStrat’s solutions provided data-driven insights for commercial applications, national security, policy strategy, and crisis forecasting. His work at giStrat demonstrates his ability to transform complex data into actionable intelligence, bridging AI innovation with real-world impact.
Pioneered Mission Analytics
He was a pioneer in mission analytics at the U.S. Department of State, where he established the Department’s first enterprise analytics capability in the Office of the Secretary. He led an interagency team conducting over 100 conflict assessments, applying advanced analytics to support diplomatic negotiations and national security decision-making. His insights directly influenced U.S. foreign policy in regions including Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, East Asia, and Europe, solidifying his reputation as a leader in mission analytics for strategic decision-making.
Early Engineering & Technical Leadership
He began his career as a Mechanical Engineer at NSK Corporation, where he designed and integrated advanced motion-control systems for industrial applications. He also led technical training and product integration, contributing to over $7 million in revenue growth. This experience shaped his engineering-driven approach to analytics, fusing systems thinking with AI innovation to address complex, large-scale challenges.
Education & Military Service
Amir Bagherpour holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (Quantitative Methods) from Claremont Graduate University. For his dissertation he applied game-theory and agent-based simulation to forecast political transitions surrounding the Arab Spring. His dissertation accurately anticipated the outcomes of the Arab Spring. He earned an MBA from UC Irvine, focusing on macroeconomics and marketing, and a B.S. in Systems Engineering from West Point, where he was a Division I NCAA tennis player and boxing champion.
A former U.S. Army officer, he served honorably as as Armor Officer and led foreign military instruction for officers across different allied countries. His military experience instilled in him strategic leadership, operational discipline, and a mission-driven mindset, which he continues to apply in the fields of AI and analytics.
A Leader in AI-Driven Decision Intelligence
Amir Bagherpour is a recognized leader in AI and decision intelligence, driving data-driven transformation across industry and the public sector. His expertise in enterprise AI, strategic forecasting, decision science and mission analytics positions him at the forefront of AI-driven decision-making for national security, commerce, diplomacy, and global risk management.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Arthur C. Clarke
Testimonials
"Amir was one of our featured speakers at the world's premier forecasting conference, the International Symposium of Forecasting. His talk inspired leading academics and practitioners to consider new ways of forecasting geopolitical events with limited data. Amir showed how AI-based simulations could augment the limited data to better inform stakeholders about the likelihood and timing of geopolitical events. This topic bridged the gap between academics and practitioners because practitioners typically do not make decisions based on data, and academics require a lot of data to inform their models.”
Dr. Matthew Schneider, 2023 International Symposium of Forecasting
“Amir’s depth, knowledge and commitment to the enterprise mission is unsurpassed. He possesses the unique combination of real world expertise and analytic best practices all backed by operational excellence. Semper vividus, semper proficiens.”
Dr. Mark Abdolhollian, Chief Executive Officer at ACERTAS
“Amir's expertise and experience shines through in his presentations. His insights as a thought leader and technology executive are valuable to any organization seeking to understand where the world is headed.”
Dr. Adib Farhadi, Professor, University of South Florida