PhD Students

    Robert Claar
    Biomedical Engineering
    robert727@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Multimodal Neural Imaging
    Computational Modeling

    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 Sinclair

    Biomedical Engineering | University of Florida 
    kelseysinclair@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Ultramicroelectrode Arrays

    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 (Alex) Dong

    Electrical & Computer Engineering | Purdue University 
    dongqiwei@ufl.edu | LinkedIn 
    Ultramicroelectrode arrays

     

     

    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 Olivo

    Biomedical Engineering | Purdue University
    olivo0@purdue.edu | LinkedIn
    Ultramicroelectrode arrays

    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 (Xander) S Lim 
    Biomedical Engineering
    alexanderlim@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Peripheral nerve interfaces/MARTEENI


    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.

Masters Students

    Yangyang Xue
    Biomedical Engineering
    yangyang.xue@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Ultramicroelectrode Arrays

    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

    Yitong Zhao
    Biomedical Engineering
    yzhao2@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    BCI
    Ultramicroelectrode Arrays

    • 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

Alumni

    David Hall
    Biomedical Engineering
    david.hall@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Magnetic Nanoparticle Stimulation

     

    David received his B.S. degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2019. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering with Professors Otto and Dobson. His current work focuses on understanding how functionalized magnetic nanoparticles can be employed to modulate cellular activity.

    Esdras Camacho
    Chemical Engineering
    esdrascamacho@ulf.edu@ulf.edu

    Esdras graduated with a BS in chemical engineering student at the University of Florida. He has collaborated on the MARTEENI project to develop an understanding of the applications and interactions of PEDOT:PSS on microelectrodes by assisting in implanting these devices in vivo into Lewis Rats. 

    Angelique Vela 
    Electrical & Computer Engineering
    avela1@ufl.edu | LinkedIn
    Engineering the neuronal response to
    electrical microstimulation    /ULTRASTIM

    Angelique completed her BS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Florida in 2022. Her interest in the electrical stimulation of stem cells from her undergraduate research experience with Dr. Erin Patrick led her to pursue graduate research with Dr. Kevin Otto working on the electrical stimulation of neural units. Currently, she is a PhD student in Dr. Otto’s Neuroprostheses Research Lab collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to engineer neural interfaces, specifically, multi-channel implantable microdevices in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

    Pedro Gracias
    Biomedical Engineering
    pgracias@ulf.edu
    LinkedIn Profile

    Pedro is a senior biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. He is collaborating on the MARTEENI project in which he will be understanding the applications and interactions of PEDOT:PSS on MARTEENI by implanting these devices in Lewis Rats. 

    LinkedIn

    Carson Boogaart 
    Biomedical Engineering
    cboogaart@ufl.edu
    LinkedIn Profile

    Carson is a fourth-year biomedical engineering student. He will be collaborating on MARTEENI in which he will help accomplish goals of understanding the applications and interactions of PEDOT: PSS on MARTEENI. He will be performing lab tasks such as cryo-sectioning, aiding in the surgeries of the implantation of this device into Lewis Rats, and chronic collection of data of animals implanted.

    Erynne San Antonio
    Biomedical Engineering
    esanantonio@ulf.edu

    Erynne is a third year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. She is researching the electrical and electrochemical changes between the different counter-ion molecular weights of the polymer PEDOT:PSS.

    Kathleen Yang
    Electrical Engineering
    kathleen.yang@ufl.edu

    Kathleen is a second year electrical engineering student at the University of Florida. She is currently studying voltage-induced structural changes of PEDOT:PSS, with neural electrode applications.

    Renae Burke
    Biomedical Engineering

    Renae Burke is a fourth year double major in biomedical engineering and violin performance. She is currently working on intracortical magnetic stimulation and is interested in researching bidirectional brain-machine interfaces.

    Ramya Saldanha
    Biomedical Engineering
    rsaldanha@ufl.edu

    Ramya is a third year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. She is researching the effects of electrode site placement on intracortical microstimulation and is interested in attending med school after graduation.

    Hunter Hakimian
    Biomedical Engineering
    hakimianh13@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces and neural stimulation

    Hunter completed his BS in Physics at Georgia Tech in 2017. His undergraduate research under Dr. Flavio Fenton focused on entropy analysis of cardiac tissue activity under ventricular fibrillation. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

    Alyssa Massais
    Biomedical Engineering
    amassais@ufl.edu

    Alyssa is a first year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. She plans to pursue her interest in neuroscience and is very excited to start working in the lab.

    Nicole Veit
    Biomedical Engineering
    nveit@ufl.edu

    Nicole is a third year biomedical engineering student with a minor in computer science. She is currently researching the role of electrode-site size on intracortical implantable devices. She is planning on pursuing a PhD and is interested in developing neural technologies for degenerative disorders.

    Brandon Badamtchian
    Biomedical Engineering
    bbadamtchian@ufl.edu

    Brandon is a third-year biomedical engineering student specializing in neural engineering. He is researching the electrical properties of shape-memory polymer nerve cuff electrodes for use as neural implants. After graduating, Brandon plans to pursue an MD/PhD program.

    Aaron Czeiszperger
    Biomedical Engineering

    Aaron is a fifth year Biomedical Engineering student in the Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree at the University of Florida and is seeking a minor in Electrical Engineering. His work is concentrated about the foreign body response to neural implants in the peripheral nervous system.

    Adrienne Widener
    Materials Science and Engineering
    Adriennejan25@ufl.edu
    Neural Interfaces and Drug Delivery

    Adrienne is a fourth-year materials science and engineering student with a specialization in biomaterials and a minor in trumpet music performance. She is currently studying conductive polymers and their effect as a neural interface in the central nervous system. After graduating, Adrienne is interested in pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering

    Dr. Scott Thourson
    Post-Doc
    Biomedical Engineering
    sthourson@ufl.edu
    Neural electrodes

    Scott received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, IL in 2013. His undergraduate research studied how the concentration used for primary protein adsorption affected the binding efficiency of secondary analyze binding for biosensing applications. Scott also designed and tested custom MEMS devices to investigate silicon “micro-welding” or electric current-induced fusion of silicon-silicon surfaces. Scott completed his PhD in Bioengineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA in 2018. His graduate research aimed to develop flexible wire electrodes composed of conductive polymer to electrically interface with individual cells. Scott started his postdoctoral research in the Otto lab in Fall 2018.

    Felicia Sedwick
    Biomedical Engineering

    Felicia Sedwick is a fifth year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. She is working on the TEENI project and will be focusing on nerve regeneration through the threads.

    Nicolas Kunigk
    Biomedical Engineering

    Nicolas Kunigk is a third year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida with minors in computer science and bioinformatics. He plans on pursuing a PhD and is interested in studying neuroprosthetics.

    Annie Gormaley
    Biomedical Engineering
    agormaley@ufl.edu

    Anne is a fourth year biomedical engineering student at the University of Florida. Her work focuses on the evaluation of the foreign body response to neural implants in the peripheral nervous system.

    Jesus Peñaloza
    Masters Student
    Biomedical Engineering
    jesus.penalozaa@ufl.edu
    LinkedIn Profile
    Twitter (@jesusdpa1)
    [expand title=”Read more”]

    Jesús Peñaloza received his B.S degree in Electronic Engineering at the University Nueva Esparta in Venezuela. After developing an intelligent helmet capable of detecting accidents and sending information to the authorities for a fast response in his B.S. degree, he decided to pursue a M.S degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University Simón Bolívar, and Advance Study Diplomas on Business Management and Innovation at the University Metropolitana. In these years he focused his research on epilepsy where he applied signal processing to extract features that could be used to develop fast detection systems that could help reduce the cost and time of diagnosis for patients in 3rd world countries.

    Currently he is a 2nd year master student in the Biomedical Engineering department at the University Florida. In this moment he is working in two main projects. The first one, understanding the effect of waveforms in the protein adsorption layer at the electrode sites to evaluate the possibility of recovering the electrodes capability. The second one, developing image processing and computer vision algorithms to extract features to understand the relation between the neural system and type 1 diabetes.

    He plans on pursuing a PhD and hopes to continue his learning and contribution on the neural engineering research area.

    [/expand]

    Ladan Jiracek
    Research Technician
    Biomedical Engineering
    lgocman.jiraceks@ufl.edu
    Neural Interfaces

    Ladan is the brilliant host of the Neural Implant podcast, the single best podcast in the field of Brain-Machine Interfaces (and the only one!). There, and on his YouTube channel, he talks to the leaders in the field of Neuroprosthetics with the power of seven buffalo to quickly and understandably bring new developments to those interested in the field.
    Ladan did his Masters in Nanobiophysics at TU Dresden in Germany where in between studying, his parties broke all records with the number of people able to fit in a studio apartment. He completed his Master’s thesis in Bangalore, India. There at the Indian Institute of Technology (IISc) he investigated the swimming characteristics of helical microswimmers in Non-Newtonian Fluids finding that scallops could indeed swim at the micro scale.
    For his Bachelor’s, Ladan went to the University of Utah, the mountain biking center of the world. For his final project, his group developed a medical device which ended up winning $10k in prize money. He also co-founded the Ninkasi Brewing Club which was funded to brew beer on a dry campus (no joke!).
    Ladan has travelled to over 100 countries, speaks 6 languages, has been deported to Siberia, and has trained Guinea Pigs to put out house fires (ok, only 3 of those are true!).
    He hopes to start his Biomedical Engineering PhD in 2019 at UF and convert more undergraduates to the ways of the Jedi. He is especially interested in Brain Implant design and testing as well as integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine into the field of BCI’s (ant eating therapy anyone?).
    LinkedIn

    Valdimir Talley III (JT)
    Masters student
    Biomedical Engineering
    talleyv3@ufl.edu
    Neural Integration and Drug Delivery

    [expand title=”Read more”] Valdimir Talley received his bachelors of science through the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University in 2015. His undergraduate capstone work was the result of a Weldon School and Global Engineering Program (GEP) supported independent study abroad and site visit to a clinic in Guatemala under the organization Range of Motion Project (R.O.M.P). The capstone project focused on improving mechanical prosthetic-patient interactions, specifically in rural settings. He is currently pursuing his masters in biomedical engineering (BME) at the University of Florida with an interest in improving prosthetic-patient interactions through neural integration and drug delivery. [/expand]

    Minhal Yusufali (Min)
    Masters Student
    Biomedical Engineering
    muhammady@ufl.edu

    [expand title=”Read more”]Minhal Yusufali received his B.S. in Chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from the University of Florida in 2016. During his undergraduate program, he worked on neuroscience research under Drs. Kenneth Heilman and John Williamson. Later he joined Dr. Carlos Rinaldi’s lab to work on magnetically triggered drug release with magnetic composite nanocarriers (MCNCs) and completed his honors thesis.

    Currently, Min is a graduate assistant for the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University and is pursuing a master’s in biomedical engineering. He works with both invasive and noninvasive neural interfaces under Drs. Kevin Otto and Janis Daly. Within NPR lab, he is interested in peripheral nerve regeneration, growth, and stimulation with the use of tissue-electrode interfaces. His individual work focuses on dip coating methods for polyimide with the goal of in vivo drug delivery to promote biocompatibility and axonal regeneration.

    [/expand]

    Savannah Dewberry
    Ph.D. student
    Biomedical Engineering
    ls.dewberry@ufl.edu
    Neurostimulation and chronic pain

    Savannah received her B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016. Her undergraduate research under Dr. Robert Sorge focused on the behavioral psychology of nociception, with a paper establishing a novel zebrafish model for chronic pain. She worked at a start-up developing a diagnostic device for a year before coming to UF. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida with the support of the NSF graduate research fellowship. She is studying neuromodulation of chronic pain syndromes and plans to look for a post-doc position starting spring 2023. Her CV can be found here.

    Ian Malone
    Ph.D. student
    Electrical Engineering
    malonei@ufl.edu
    LinkedIn Profile

    GitHub Profile

    Spinal cord interfaces and machine learning

    Ian completed his BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida in 2016. He is now pursuing a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, researching neuroprostheses to facilitate respiratory recovery after spinal cord injury and applying machine learning methodologies to answer associated questions.

    Ray Ward
    Biomedical Engineering
    wr4yflorida@ufl.edu

    Ray Ward is a fourth year biomedical engineering student, most interested in the implications of long-term foreign body response on the application of neural implants in modern medicine. He plans on pursuing a PhD and hopes to contribute to the development of novel treatment options for patients with neurological disorder and neuropathic pain.

    Morgan Urdaneta
    Ph.D. student
    Interdisciplinary Science with specialization in Neuroscience
    morgan.urdaneta@ufl.edu
    Neural Interfaces and Neurostimulation

    After a brief period of Medical School at the Universidad de Carabobo (Venezuela), Morgan received his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from The University of North Florida in 2015. For more than three years, he worked with Dr. Amy L. Lane where he finished his Undergraduate Honors thesis on Natural Products from Marine Bacteria as Inhibitors of Fungal Biofilms. Upon graduation he worked on drug pharmacodynamics in the laboratory of Dr. Alan P. Fields at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Morgan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Science with a specialization in Neuroscience at the University of Florida. He’s currently interested in chronically-stable intracortical microstimulation devices and technologies, such as Micromagnetic stimulation, for closed-loop Brain Machine Interfaces.


    Elliott Dirr
    Ph.D. student
    Biomedical Engineering
    edirr@ufl.edu
    LinkedIn Profile
    Neural interfaces and neural stimulation

    Elliott received his B.S. in biomedical engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship from The Ohio State University in 2014. His undergraduate research focused on the effect of intrastriatal injection of alpha-synuclein fibrils on ultrasonic vocalizations in rats under Dr. Shelia Fleming. Elliott is interested in the use of peripheral neuromodulation to treat diseases by utilizing the body’s own ability to respond chemically to neural stimuli. He is currently examining the efficacy of using targeted neurostimulation techniques to chronically control blood glucose.


    Melissa Franklin
    Biomedical Engineering
    melfrank7@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces and immunohistochemistry
    [expand title=”Read more”]Melissa is a fourth-year biomedical engineering major at the University of Florida with a specialization in Biomaterials. She is interested in novel biomaterials used for neural interfaces and techniques to regenerate neural tissue. After her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. [/expand]


    Lauren Lester
    Mechanical Engineering
    laurenlester@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces and drug delivery

    Lauren is a first year mechanical engineering undergrad at the University of Florida with a focus on bio-mechanics. This is Lauren’s first lab setting and is very enthusiastic to get involved with research.


    Alexis Brake
    Biomedical Engineering / Dance
    abrake@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces and immunohistochemistry

    Alexis is currently in her third year as a biomedical engineering major at the University of Florida. Her current research interests are in investigating the Foreign Body Response in the African Spiny Mouse . After graduating, Alexis looks forward to attending a Ph.D./M.D. combined program and becoming a physician scientist.

    Jamie Murbach
    Ph.D. Student
    Materials Science and Engineering
    jam8744@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces and drug delivery

    Jamie completed her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in polymeric materials and a minor in chemistry from Clemson University in 2016. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida.


    Dr. Francisco Delgado
    Post-Doc
    Biomedical Engineering
    fdelgado@ufl.edu
    Neural interfaces
    [expand title=”Read more”]Francisco received his B.S. in biomedical engineering with a minor in mechanical systems design from Florida International University in Miami. After completion of his degree he moved to Gainesville to begin his doctoral research. In 2010 he joined the Epilepsy Research Lab under the leadership of Dr. Paul R. Carney; here Francisco garnered experience in the field of central nervous disorders and the tools and techniques used to study and treat them. During his tenure in the Epilepsy research lab he was awarded a prestigious CTSI TL1 fellowship, which supported his study of nanotechnological methods for the treatment of epilepsy. His work focused on the interplay of drug delivery technologies and disease, and he wrote his dissertation on the influence of tissue structure and delivery environments on treatment strategies for neurological diseases.

    After graduating with his PhD, Francisco joined the Neural Prosthetics Research Lab under Dr. Kevin Otto as a postdoctoral fellow. His current research includes novel methods of stimulating and recording in the peripheral nervous system in vivo, and understanding the outcomes of these methods as they pertain to the restoration of function or improvement of learning. In the future, he hopes to extend this work to create novel technologies to interface with neurological tissues to treat disease, enhance function, and develop a better understanding of how the brain functions.[/expand]

    small_aviAvi Matarasso
    Chemical Engineering
    avimatarasso@ufl.edu

    Avi is a 3rd year Chemical Engineering student with an Electrical Engineering minor. Avi is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, and is currently researching histology aspects of TEENI electrode implants. His research interests include brain-computer and peripheral interfaces, electrochemical brain signals, and their interactions with debilitating brain diseases and brain disorders.

    small_maryprofileMary Regan
    Agricultural and Biological Engineering
    mregan1014@ufl.edu
    [expand title=”Read more”] Mary is currently a 4th year student in the Biological Engineering department here at UF and is planning on pursuing a PhD in biomedical Engineering after graduating. She is specifically interested in using nanoparticles for drug delivery and disease detection, but is currently focused on learning about immunohistochemistry, brain biology, and general research methodology.[/expand]

    small_sethprofileSeth Currlin
    Ph.D. student
    Interdisciplinary Science with specialization in Neuroscience
    scurrlin@ufl.edu
    Neural implants and neural stimulation

    Seth earned his B.S. (2011) in Biology and M.S. (2013) in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida. Master’s work focused on metabolic peptide influence upon taste modulation and related neural pathways with Dr. C.D. Dotson and Dr. Sergei Zolotukhin. In 2015 Seth was accepted to the University of Florida’s Interdisciplinary Science Ph.D. program (IDP) and will specialize in Neuroscience.


    james-graham-100x133    Dr. James B. Graham
    Post-Doc
    Biomedical Science
    jbgraham@ufl.edu
    Neural tissue-device interfaces
    [expand title=”Read more”]Dr. James B. Graham received his BA degree in biology from La Salle University in 1996 and his PhD degree in biomedical science with a double concentration in neuroscience and clinical translational science from the University of Florida in 2015.

    From 2001 to 2010, he was a senior biological scientist at the University of Florida where he focused on various methods to analyze functional recovery in animal models of peripheral nerve injury. During his tenure in the department of pediatric neurology, he published several highly cited reports in well established peer reviewed scientific journals, was awarded a patent from the University of Florida Office of Technology and Licensing with his co inventor and mentor, Dr. David Muir, and was a vital leader and innovator in the development of several commercialized peripheral nerve regenerative components.

    He is currently a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Neuro Prostheses Research Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin J. Otto where his work focuses on developing and analyzing peripheral nerve electrical interfaces for sensory and motor applications of prosthetic devices. [/expand]

    gaireDr. Janak Gaire
    Post-Doc
    Neuroscience
    jgaire@ufl.edu
    Tissue-device interfaces and neural implants
    [expand title=”Read more”] Janak completed his B.S. in Biology, with a minor in chemistry from the University of North Texas in 2010. For a year, he worked with Dr. Guenter W. Gross at Center for Network Neuroscience to develop ways to increase the durability of microelectrode array plate. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Department of Neuroscience at University of Florida (UF). Before transferring to UF in August 2014, he joined the Neuroprostheses Research Laboratory at Purdue University in summer of 2012. He is interested in improving the functional longevity of the implanted devices and currently working on evaluating tissue response to brain-implanted devices.

    Research Abstract:

    Intracortical microelectrode devices provide a brain machine interface capable of targeting very small populations of neurons with a potential to treat many neurological disorders. These penetrating devices generally perform well for a short duration but fail to record or stimulate reliably for chronic time putatively due to reactive tissue response (RTR). The loss of chronic functional reliability is a major hurdle for successful clinical implementation. I am interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying device failure. My research focuses on employing novel techniques and models to investigate biological mechanisms underlying device failure. I have been involved in developing novel imaging techniques (both in situ and in vivo imaging techniques) and mouse models to evaluate biological changes surrounding the implanted devices.

    Download Janak Gaire’s Curriculum Vitae
    [/expand]

    jake-rieke-100x133Jake Rieke 
    M.S. Student
    Biomedical Engineering
    jrieke@ufl.edu
    [expand title=”Read more”]Jake received a B.S. in biomedical engineering at the University of Florida with a specialization in neural engineering. He has previously worked on analysis of EEG and fMRI signals for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. Currently, He is pursuing a M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Florida. His research interests include neuroprosthetics and exploring interactions at the tissue-device interface.
    [/expand]

    mcdermottMatthew McDermott
    Ph.D. student
    Biomedical Engineering
    m.mcdermott1984@ufl.edu
    Drug delivery, and brain-machine interfaces
    [expand title=”Read more”] Matthew completed his B.S. in Chemistry at Purdue University in 2007, while also receiving a minor in Biology. He worked for two years at Akina Inc. where he developed homologous PLGA micro and nano particles for the use in sustained release drug therapies. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, in the Biological Sciences Doctoral Track through the Biomedical Engineering Department. He joined the NPR Lab in the fall of 2010 researching polymer coatings and drug delivery across the brain machine interface.

    Research Abstract:

    After implantation of microelectrode arrays (MEAs) into the brain, the foreign body response (FBR) is activated, ultimately leading to microglial activation, astrocyte migration, and inflammation. This response is expected to have an effect upon device performance, decreasing signal to noise and increasing impedance. Research in the field has been conducted to mitigate this response, either by drug delivery or altering the MEA brain interface. For these methods to work, drug release must be controlled, without “burst release”, and the coating must not drastically increase the device footprint. Tetramethyl orthosilicate shows promise in that regard. Deposition of TMOS does not negatively MEA performance1,2 and has been shown capable of controlled release2. However, the functionality of this polymer to mitigate the FBR depends on the ability to tune drug delivery without increasing the device footprint. In this study, novel coating paradigms were used to ascertain the ability of TMOS for tunable delivery, and the effect of these multiple coatings upon device footprint.

    Download Matthew McDermott’s Curriculum Vitae[/expand]

    hl-100x133Heui Chang (Hugh) Lee
    Post-Doc
    Biomedical Engineering
    hclee83@ufl.edu
    Neural implants, tissue-device interfaces, and neurostimulation
    [expand title=”Read more”] Hugh received a BS in Hanyang University and M.S. in Seoul National University, both in electrical engineering. While he was working at KIST in Man-Machine Interface lab for one and a half year, he developed his interest in neural engineering and decided to continue study in biomedical engineering. Currently, he is a PhD student in biomedical engineering at Purdue University. He joined Neuroprostheses Research Lab in 2012 and conducted researchin electrophysiology recording via neural implants and the mechanism of its failure.

    Research Abstract:

    The long-term performance of brain implanted microelectrode arrays is hampered by a series of inflammatory tissue responses. The consequence of the tissue reaction is formation of glial scar and permeabilizing blood-brain barrier (BBB) around the vicinity of the electrode, causing neuronal degeneration and impeding the electrical signal conduction. My study aims to investigate mechanical intervention strategies to mitigate the effect of tissue response and prolong the lifetime of electrodes. In particular, I am looking at novel site geometry and mechanically compliant material under recording and microstimulation conditions.

    [/expand]

    Himanshi was awarded First Place at 2010 Purdue University College of Science Undergraduate Poster Competition (primary author: H Desai).

    Presently working as a post-doctoral associate at the University of Utah.

    Presently completing MD degree at Indiana University School of Medicine.

    Presently working at Cyberonics Inc.

    Presently working as a Post-Doctoral Researcher

    Presently the CEO of BNShape Inc.

    Karthick Nalladevan
    M.S. student
    Biomedical engineering
    karthick.raja@ufl.edu
    Karthick completed his B.E. in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering in 2015, and is now pursuing M.S. in Biomedical engineering from University of Florida.He has previously worked on performance analysis of neural networks in diagnosing neurological disorders.

    eric-atkinson-100x133Eric Atkinson
    Ph.D. student
    Interdisciplinary Science with specialization in Neuroscience
    ericwayne@ufl.edu
    Tissue-device interfaces

    Eric finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomechanics at the University of Florida in 2011. Upon graduation, he continued his work with Dr. Michael Okun analyzing electrophysiological data collected from human patients undergoing deep-brain stimulation treatment for Tourette’s syndrome. Eric then began working under Dr. Ben Dunn conducting research focusing on drug design for targets involved in infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria). In 2015, he earned his Master’s of Science degree in Medical Science at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Coleman. His research with Dr. Coleman examined neural plasticity changes due to chronic hypoxia in neonates. Eric is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Science with a specialization in Neuroscience through the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. His research interests focus on understanding the tissue-electrode interface of chronically implanted neural devices. He hopes to develop novel approaches to improving recording longevity.

    Download Eric Atkinson’s Curriculum Vitae

    nick-hilborn-100x133Nick Hilborn
    BSc student
    Biomedical Engineering
    [expand title=”Read more”]Nick received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Neural Engineering. He is interested studying neuroprosthetics and researching possible solutions to neurological injuries. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Nick is pursuing his masters in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech University.[/expand]

    ishani-thakkar-100x133Ishani Thakkar
    M.S. student
    Biomedical engineering
    ithakkar@ufl.edu
    Neural engineering 
    [expand title=”Read more”]Ishani completed her bachelor of engineering in Electronics and Communication in 2014 and is now pursuing an MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida. Her research interest is neural engineering for neurodegenerative disorders and disabilities. She wants to contribute to research that can be successfully translated into clinical trials and be proven viable for effective use.[/expand]

    Graduate Student

    Graduate Student

    Presently the lab manager of EPICS program at Purdue University.

    kaitlynn-olczak-100x133Kaitlynn Olczak
    Ph.D. student
    Biomedical Engineering
    kpolczak@ufl.edu

    Kaitlynn completed her BS in Biomedical Engineering, with a minor in chemistry, from the University at Buffalo in 2015. She is now pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida.

    kaliegh-rock-100x133Kaileigh Rock
    BSc student
    Biomedical Engineering
    kaileighrock@ufl.edu
    [expand title=”Read more”] Kaileigh is a third year biomedical engineering major at the University of Florida with a specialization in Neural Engineering. This is Kaileigh’s first experience in a research setting, and she is very excited for the opportunity to work in the NPR lab.[/expand]

    Anthony Au is a senior in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. He joined the NPR Lab in the 2012 as an undergraduate volunteer. He hopes to attain a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering and pursue a career involving neural engineering.

    Undergraduate Student

    Anna is a Sophomore in Biomedical Engineering and joined the NPR lab summer of 2011. She received College of Science Dean’s Choice Award at 2012 Purdue University Undergraduate Poster Competition (primary author: A Filley). She also received College of Engineering Student’s Choice Award at 2013 Purdue University Undergraduate Poster Competition (primary author: A Filley).

    Julian Jimenez is an undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Engineering. He joined the NPRL in Fall 2012.

    Derrick McKee is an undergraduate working in the laboratory. He has a degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon and is currently pursuing a computer science degree.

    Undergraduate Student

    Ryan Slabaugh is a junior in the College of Science majoring in Biology. He joined the NPR Lab team in January 2011. He is interested in researching the rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Ryan hopes to gain entry into IU Medical School and become a general surgeon.

    Max Youngs is studying biomedical engineering as an undergraduate student. His research contributions focus in optimal parameters for neural microstimulation. He joined the NPR lab in the fall of 2012. He received College of Engineering Dean’s Choice Award at 2013 Purdue University Undergraduate Poster Competition (primary author: M Youngs)

    Johnny Zhang is a senior in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. He joined the NPR Lab in the summer of 2012 as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Experience. He was accepted into the BS/MS program and will continue researching in the lab for his Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering.