Experience

The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University

• United States
• Biotechnology Research
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Neuroengineering PhD Candidate

  • Sep 2019 - Present

  In the Systems Neural Engineering Lab, I have been co-managing development efforts on the experimental side of the lab with the goal of gaining new insights into how the nervous system coordinates complex, skilled movements. To do this, we have successfully developed a robust, low-latency behavioral feedback system for training, sculpting, and analyzing skilled forelimb movements in the rodent model animal. A system of microcomputers, sensors, and a motor provides closed-loop visual, audio and torque feedback with a minimal loop time of 2ms. Simultaneously, we can estimate input torques on a forelimb manipulandum and measure the 3D input forces. Recording sessions are initiated through a Django web application, all behavioral data and trial time structure is streamed over UDP to remote disk, which can be accessed using a suite of custom MATLAB scripts for various analyses. By acquiring high-resolution electromyography (EMG) signals from the forelimb during reaching and rotation movements, we will be able to uncover governing principles that underlie different motor commands. In the future, we also plan to investigate the role that motor cortices play in generating these commands through simultaneous recording or lesion studies. https://snel.gatech.edu/team/ Show less



Emory University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Lab Manager

  • Jan 2019 - Jul 2019

  • Interviewed, trained and supervised 5 lab technicians to ensure smooth operation of the lab• Managed MySQL/Excel database to keep accurate documentation of all animal identification, housing locations, and surgical information.• Screened animals’ vocalizations and categorized their quality according to research needs for neuroscience PhD students in the lab• Fabricated 20 large soundproof boxes for bird housing, outfitted with timed lighting and circulation• Managed the animal breeding colony and boosted productivity by increasing their enrichment• Maintained relationship with veterinary staff to ensure compliance with all animal regulatory requirements • Managed inventory and ordering documentation in the lab for surgical and lab equipmenthttps://scholarblogs.emory.edu/soberlab/ Show less

• Neuroengineer

  • Jul 2017 - Jan 2019

  • Independently directed the development of a real-time Fiber Photometry (FP) recording system• Wrote LabVIEW software for real-time lock-in demodulation and recording of FP data• Assembled all FP hardware and verified robustness of optical sensitivity• Made extensive improvements to a Real-Time Triggered Auditory Feedback program• Synchronized above program with Intan RHD2000 FPGA data acquisition board• Wrote an all-in-one spectrum analyzer, data writer, and oscilloscope with edge triggering• Modeled and implemented several custom surgical components using DesignSpark• Designed and implemented custom PCBs for neural data acquisition using DesignSpark• Implemented several analog circuits for signal anti-aliasing, scaling, and filtering• Created a basic 4 channel oscilloscope for Arduino platform to verify circuit performancehttps://scholarblogs.emory.edu/soberlab/ Show less



The University of Texas Medical Branch

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Intern

  • May 2016 - Aug 2016

  During the summer of 2016, I received a prestigious fellowship to work in the Center for Addiction Research in Dr. Hommel's lab. I was responsible for extracting mRNA for a certain appetite-regulating neuropeptide (NMU) from brain tissue samples of 30 mice in order to determine the relative levels of expression. Three groups of mice had been given diets with different percentages of fat, and we expected this to influence the levels of NMU expression. I ran Real Time PCR on these samples and found that long term fat consumption appears to inhibit the appetite-regulating effects of the NMU signalling in the brain, possibly leading to increased food consumption. When I presented these results at a poster session at the end of the program, I received an award for "Best Poster in Molecular Biology." As a side job, I also ran a similar procedure on Human Embryonic Kidney cells to determine the levels of expression of a certain serotonin receptor (5HTR-7). Show less



Texas A&M University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• CAD Engineering Assistant

  • Nov 2015 - May 2016

  During my Junior year at TAMU, I worked for Dr. Applegate, who needed SolidWorks models of several custom microscope components and a platform that were eventually used for optical coherence tomography. These parts were machined twice out of aluminum, for use in research labs at both A&M and Stanford. During my Junior year at TAMU, I worked for Dr. Applegate, who needed SolidWorks models of several custom microscope components and a platform that were eventually used for optical coherence tomography. These parts were machined twice out of aluminum, for use in research labs at both A&M and Stanford.



Texas Biomedical Research Institute

• United States
• Research Services
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Research Intern

  • May 2015 - Aug 2015

  Prepared lab materials for researchers, helped conduct studies on human participants, verified a protocol for analysis of baboon femur microstructures using Bioquant, and segmented abnormalities in osteoarthritic baboon spines using Seg3D software. Prepared lab materials for researchers, helped conduct studies on human participants, verified a protocol for analysis of baboon femur microstructures using Bioquant, and segmented abnormalities in osteoarthritic baboon spines using Seg3D software.



Texas A&M University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• ECG Diagnostics Project

  • Sep 2014 - Oct 2014

  This was a class project in "Computing for Biomedical Engineers." We were each expected to create an original MATLAB program that would read-in ECG data and diagnose any of 7 different cardiac illnesses: Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, 1st and 2nd degree A-V block, and Bundle Branch Block. My project had 92% success. This was a class project in "Computing for Biomedical Engineers." We were each expected to create an original MATLAB program that would read-in ECG data and diagnose any of 7 different cardiac illnesses: Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Arrhythmia, Atrial Fibrillation, 1st and 2nd degree A-V block, and Bundle Branch Block. My project had 92% success.