Yangyang earned her Bachelor’s degree in Laboratory Science from Arkansas State University and Anhui Medical University in 2021. Following her graduation, she embarked on a career as a lab technician in a hospital, where she gained valuable experience in the medical field. Motivated by her passion for research, Yangyang decided to further her education and in 2022, she joined the University of Florida to pursue her Master’s degree. She is currently dedicated to exploring the significance of understanding neural coding, employing the principles of information theory to analyze and comprehend how the nervous system transmits and processes information.
Fun facts about Yangyang include her hobby of collecting memorabilia from popular fast-food chains such as Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, and KFC
• Awarded the National Third Prize in the 2021 China National Life Sciences Competition. • Received the Silver Award at the school level in the 13th “Challenge Cup” China National College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition in 2022. • Secured the Third Prize at the provincial level for the 8th “Internet Plus” China Seri Wealth Cipher Team in 2021. • Won the Provincial Gold Award in the “Innovate Danyang, Win the Future” Danyang Cup China Biological Revitalization Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in 2021. • Named a Triple-A Student at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China, for the academic year 2021-2022. • Awarded the Third Prize of the People’s Scholarship at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China, for the academic year 2021-2022. • Won the Best Delegation Team Award in the Jiangsu University of Science and Technology Model United Nations Competition in 2021, China. • Earned the Digital Accountant Certificate accredited by the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2022, China. • Published a copyright patent for the “Heterogeneous Telomere Resource Regulation and Development Platform” as an author in 2021-2022, China. • Served as the class monitor of Class 1, Biotechnology Engineering at the School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China, from 2019 to 2022, leading the class to win the Excellent Class Style Award in 2021. • Acted as the Minister of Literature and Art of the Student Union at the School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China, from 2020 to 2021. • Served as a member of the President’s Group of the Student Union at the School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China, from 2021 to 2022. • Ranked in the top 10% of my grade for overall GPA from 2019 to 2023 at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China. • Participated as a winter exchange student at the Pomona college， during the 2019-2020 academic year. • Contributed to the Sericulture Variety Improvement Project at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. He is now pursuing a PhD, hoping to make his name in the field of brain-computer interfaces and catch up with the fourth Industrial Revolution
Fun facts: Introvert and extrovert, played college basketball in CUBA, gym goer, loves new ideas and stuff
Paolo Morales Vásquez Biotechnology moral242@purdue.edu| LinkedIn Molecular Biology Biomedical Science and Enterprise
Paolo obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the National University of Costa Rica in 2018, specializing in molecular biology and protein purification. During the COVID-19, he established and managed a molecular biology laboratory for a clinical facility in his home country. In 2022, he relocated to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in Biomedical Science and Enterprise at Georgia State University. During his time there, he conducted research on the development of COVID-19 vaccines and served as a teaching assistant for molecular biology courses. Presently, Paolo serves as an OPS research technician, contributing to various ongoing investigations and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the NPR laboratory.
Fun facts – Paolo enjoys hiking, reading, and experimenting with cooking. His favorite animal is the snow leopard, and he has a tabby cat named Olive.
Robert received his B.S. degree from UF in 2017. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering with Professors Lamb and Otto. His current work focuses MNI and CM.
Kelsey received her B.S. degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and her M.S. from the University of Florida in 2023. Before she started her masters degree, she worked as a research tech in a computational biology lab, using semantic segmentation ML models to identify pigmentation patterns in fruit flies. She is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and is working on studying how ultramicroelectrode arrays (UMEAs) can be utilized to perform higher selectivity in neural stimulation via temporal and spatial current steering and recording neural responses from in vivo electrode implantations.
Qiwei received his B.S. degree in Cognitive Science, specialized in Machine Learning and Neural Computation at the University of California, San Diego in 2019. He then received his M.S. degree in Neurobiology at the Northwestern University. His M.S. research with Dr. Lee Miller focused on single-cell level neural recordings of primates doing free-reaching upper limb movements. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. He is focusing on understanding the properties of ultramicroelectrode arrays in vivo during recording and stimulating and using these novel tools to approach neuroscience questions. Fun facts: Has a cat named Sucrose, is the first person in his family to continue into graduate school and study abroad. Likes cooking.
Elizabeth received her B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida in 2022. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, studying the neuronal response to electrical microstimulation and the optimization of these technologies.
Fun facts: She has a three legged cat, is the second in her family to continue into graduate school, and owns a plant that measures 12 feet long.
Alexander completed his BS in biological engineering and brain & cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2016. Post graduation, he worked at the Massachusetts General Hospital with Dr. W Malik on quantitative biomarkers for neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders. His interest in peripheral nerve interfaces stems from previous collaborations with Drs. E Bizzi at MIT and N Thakor at JHU/SINAPSE. Currently, he is co-advised with Dr. Christine Schmidt (Biomimetic Materials & Neural Engineering Lab) on the collaborative tissue-engineered electrode nerve interface (TEENI) project with aims for less-invasive alternatives for functional restoration.
Fun facts: is originally from Los Angeles, is the first in his family to pursue higher education, is the oldest of five siblings, uses a Nikon (DSLR and film), and prefers to be called Xander. He is a nice person, so don’t be afraid to approach him.
/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/clear.png00Kevin Otto/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/clear.pngKevin Otto2019-10-27 20:52:132024-08-22 15:23:46Alexander (Xander) S Lim
Dr. Kevin J. Otto is a Professor and the Dane A. Miller Head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, where his research interests include neural engineering, device-tissue interfaces, and neurostimulation. He was at UF from 2014-2024 as part of the UF Pre-eminence program, coming from Purdue University, where he was an Associate Professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Biological Sciences.
He received the BS degree in chemical engineering from Colorado State University (1997), and both the MS degree (2002) and PhD degree (2003) in Bioengineering from Arizona State University. From 2003 to 2004 he was a Research Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan where his work focused on brain-machine interface systems and implantable devices. From 2004 to 2006 he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Central Systems Laboratory in the Kresge Hearing Research Institute in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Michigan where his work focused on cochlear implants. He was an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at Purdue University from 2006-2014. An accomplished leader, he served as the Senior Associate Chair of the UF BME Department from 2020-2023, leading the academic programs through the COVID pandemic and initializing ABET Accreditation preparations. Prior to that he served as the Chair of the UF BME Executive Committee (2015-2018) and the Chair of the UF Awards Committee (2015-2020). He also led by serving as PI on several multidisciplinary, multi-investigator research projects including a 4-year NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Program U01, and two separate DARPA Programs, a 4-year Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) Program and a 3-year Reliable Neural Interface Technologies (RE-NET) Program. While faculty at Purdue University he served as the Awards Committee Chair for the Weldon School from 2011-2014 and as the Faculty Advisor for the Weldon School Graduate Student Association from 2007-2014. He was also very active in the Purdue Sigma Xi chapter, serving as the Distinguished Lecture Committee Chair from 2012-2014. A dedicated mentor, he has supervised over 56 post-doctoral and graduate trainees, and over 115 undergraduate students. He has received many honors and recognitions, including the UF Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award, the UF BME Service Award, the UF BME Research Award, the Weldon School Faculty Service Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Weldon School Graduate Student Association. He is a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and has served on numerous editorial and advisory boards. Academic Positions
2024-Present: Professor and Dane A. Miller Head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
2020-2023: Senior Associate Chair, the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida
2018-2024: Professor, the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida
2018-2024: Affiliate Faculty, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Florida
2016-2024: Affiliate Faculty, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Florida
2016-2024: Affiliate Faculty, Department of Neurology, University of Florida
2014-2024: Affiliate Faculty, Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida
2014-2018: Associate Professor, the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida (with tenure)
2012-2014: Associate Professor, the Department of Biological Sciences and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University (with tenure)
2006-2012: Assistant Professor, the Department of Biological Sciences and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University
2003-2006: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Program in Hearing, Balance and Chemical Senses, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan
2001-2003: Research Staff, Neural Engineering Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Michigan
1998-2001: Research Assistant, Neural Computation Laboratory, Bioengineering Department, Arizona State University
Spring 1998: Teaching Assistant, Surgical Techniques, Arizona State University
Spring 1998: Teaching Assistant, Heat and Mass Transfer, Arizona State University
Fall 1997: Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Bioengineering, Arizona State University
Education
Jul 2004 – Feb 2006, Post-Doctoral Fellow Department of Otolaryngology, University of Michigan
Aug 2003 – Jul 2004, Post-Doctoral Fellow Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan
Aug 2002 – May 2003, PhD Biomedical Engineering, Arizona State University
Aug 1997 – Aug 2002, MS Biomedical Engineering, Arizona State University
Aug 1993 – May 1997, BS Chemical Engineering, Colorado State University
/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/clear.png00admin/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/clear.pngadmin2015-05-08 20:23:472024-08-28 19:25:56Dr. Kevin J. Otto
Elizabeth Olivo
Alexander (Xander) S Lim 
